TOLEDO (OH)
WTOL11 [Toledo, OH]
June 18, 2026
By Brian Dugger
At least 17 letters were provided to the board, bolstering arguments that a powerful church leader delayed justice for a nun murdered by Father Robinson in 1980.
t its Thursday meeting, the Toledo Board of Honor recommended the removal of a sign honoring Monsignor Jerome Schmit, a former Catholic Diocese of Toledo official whose name has drawn renewed scrutiny because of his role in the early investigation into the 1980 murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.
The issue now goes to Toledo City Council for review.
The board had continued the issue after last month’s meeting. On Thursday, members discussed whether to recommend removing the honorary sign for “Msgr. Jerome Schmit Way” outside Fifth Third Field.
The sign honors Schmit for his role in helping bring baseball back to Toledo. But Pahl’s family and advocates say the public honor should be removed because Schmit was one of three men who interrupted the police interrogation of Father Gerald Robinson in 1980, shortly after Pahl was found murdered inside the chapel at the former Mercy Hospital.
Robinson, a Catholic priest, was not arrested at the time. He was convicted in 2006 of murdering Pahl and died in prison.
11 Investigates has reported extensively on the case.
Ahead of today’s meeting, Claudia Vercellotti and Lee Pahl submitted an expanded packet to the board that included letters and supporting materials urging the city to remove Schmit’s name from public honor. The packet sent by Vercellotti, the founder of the local chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, totals 89 pages, according to materials reviewed by 11 Investigates.
It is not known whether the city has received additional letters outside that packet.
The submitted materials include at least 17 letters or statements of support from advocates, clergy, journalists and people connected to the Robinson case. Those providing letters include Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates, retired cold case investigator Tom Ross, author and journalist David Yonke, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Sallah and Father Stephen Stanbery, a retired Toledo Catholic diocesan priest.
The letters argue that Schmit’s role in the 1980 investigation should outweigh the civic contributions that led to the sign being installed. They also all allege that the Catholic Church interfered with the investigation and delayed justice.
Vercellotti and Pahl have long argued that Schmit helped derail the original investigation into Pahl’s murder. Police had focused on Robinson in 1980, but the questioning ended after Schmit, Deputy Chief Ray Vetter and attorney Henry Hershell entered the Safety Building. Robinson left with Hershell. Investigators say that interview effectively ended the 1980 investigation.
The case went cold for more than two decades.
In a letter submitted to the board, Stanbery wrote that the court that held Robinson’s criminal trial is “a credible, authoritative source” and urged the committee to review the trial testimony of retired Toledo police Detective Arthur Marx and retired Lt. William Kina. Stanbery wrote that both testified under oath about Schmit’s role and Vetter’s role in ending the investigation in 1980.
Stanbery also wrote about his own experience with the diocese after Robinson’s arrest in 2004. He said Toledo police initially received only three pages from Robinson’s personnel file, then later obtained search warrants and received more than 135 additional pages from the diocese.
The issue has also centered on whether the Catholic Church misrepresented its level of cooperation with investigators and its involvement in Robinson’s legal defense.
Letters previously reviewed by 11 Investigates showed the Catholic Diocese of Toledo paid $10,000 toward Robinson’s legal representation, according to Tom Ross. That issue has become part of the argument from Pahl’s family and supporters that the church did more than provide pastoral support after Robinson came under renewed investigation.
Stanbery wrote that, years after Pahl’s murder, honoring Schmit with a public street sign “trivializes the sanctity of Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl’s life.”
Other submitted letters made similar arguments.
Angela Walker, executive director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wrote that SNAP opposes the city’s continued honoring of Schmit and believes it would be wrong to continue honoring a man the organization says helped cover up Pahl’s murder.
Dr. Stephanie Krehbiel, executive director of Into Account, wrote that the sign is “an insult to the memory of Sr. Margaret Ann Pahl” and a source of continued pain for her family.
David Clohessy, a longtime clergy abuse victims advocate, wrote that the board should focus on Schmit’s actions and the outcome: police questioning stopped, the investigation ended and Robinson remained free for decades.
The submitted packet also includes materials showing the city designated the honorary street names around Fifth Third Field in 2001, before Robinson’s 2006 conviction. The ordinance designated portions of streets around the ballpark for men described as instrumental in bringing baseball back to Toledo. Schmit’s sign was unveiled in 2002, on the anniversary of Sister Margaret Ann’s murder, a fact that also angers those fighting for its removal. They also say what was known by 2006 changed the public meaning of that honor.
On Wednesday, the church sent a letter to the board, writing: “What Monsignor Jerome Schmit is alleged to have done is no different than what a good person would do for a family member, friend or neighbor accused of a crime. Innuendo and faulty reasoning do not negate a man’s good deeds, and this Honor Board should not tolerate such a dubious and insidious attack.”
The Catholic Diocese of Toledo has previously defended Schmit’s legacy. A lawyer for the diocese told the board last month that Schmit was a respected civic and church leader and argued that no credible authoritative source had accused him of wrongdoing.
But the new packet argues the Robinson trial record itself provides that source.
The board’s role is advisory, meaning the issue goes to Toledo City Council for final action.