TOLEDO (OH)
WTOL11 [Toledo, OH]
July 14, 2026
By Brian Dugger
Decision comes after years of effort from family and advocate and 11 Investigates documentary that covered Schmit’s role in Sister Margaret Ann murder investigation.
After years of debate and decades of advocacy by a leader of church accountability and the family of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, Toledo City Council voted Tuesday to remove the honorary street sign bearing the name of Monsignor Jerome Schmit.
The vote was 8-2 to remove the sign, with Council President Vanice Williams and Councilman John Hobbs III voting no.
The vote marks the end of a campaign that began more than 20 years ago as Pahl’s family and Claudia Vercellotti, the founder of the Ohio chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, sought to remove a street sign near Fifth Third Field that honored Schmit. They have argued that evidence uncovered after the 1980 murder showed he helped interfere with the original investigation into the nun’s killing – a point vociferously disputed by the Toledo Diocese.
The sign was dedicated on April 5, 2002, which was the 22nd anniversary of Sister Margaret Ann’s murder.
Four years later, on May 11, 2006, Father Gerald Robinson was convicted of murdering the 71-year-old nun inside Mercy Hospital’s chapel.
11 Investigates released a documentary on the case in February, with the story starting with Vercellotti and the slain nun’s nephew, Lee Pahl, at the street sign.
For Lee Pahl, Tuesday’s vote represents the culmination of years spent reviewing records, attending Robinson’s trial and urging public officials to reconsider honoring Schmit.
“My aunt deserves better than this,” Pahl told Toledo’s Board of Honor last month before the issue reached City Council. “We all do.”
Supporters of Schmit argued the longtime Catholic leader devoted his life to serving Toledo, including building a robust CYO program and helping to bring the Toledo Mud Hens downtown, and should not be judged based on allegations surrounding another man’s crimes.
“The Diocese of Toledo stands behind Monsignor Jerome Schmidt as an honored Toledo citizen and worthy of acknowledgment,” diocesan general counsel Tom Antonini told the Honor Board. “No competent authority has ever suggested that Monsignor Schmidt ever engaged in any wrongdoing.”
Before the vote, the Diocese of Toledo urged council members to preserve the honorary sign, saying the campaign to remove it was based on “allegations and assumptions” rather than established facts. The diocese said there had been no credible investigation or authoritative finding that Schmit acted illegally or inappropriately and argued that his reputation should not be damaged without clear and compelling evidence.
The full text of the letter sent to city council before the vote is found below:
Diocese of Toledo Statement to the City Council Regarding the Monsignor Jerome Schmit Street Sign
Monsignor Jerome Schmit did nothing illegal, unethical or unbecoming of an honored Toledo citizen.
We are well aware that there has been much conversation regarding the street sign that bears Monsignor Schmit’s name. The effort to remove his honorary street sign relies on allegations and assumptions, not on evidence and facts.
It is a fundamental principle of our justice system that every person accused of a crime is entitled to legal representation, the right against self-incrimination, and a fair defense. Because many of the individuals connected to these events are now deceased, it is equally important to remember that a person’s reputation should not be diminished, nor his good name be unfairly tarnished, without clear and compelling evidence.
The Diocese of Toledo continues to recognize Monsignor Jerome Schmit as an honored Toledo citizen whose contributions to this community remain significant. There has been no credible investigation or authoritative finding that Monsignor Schmit engaged in illegal or otherwise inappropriate actions. The accomplishments and service for which he was originally recognized have not changed.
We respectfully ask the members of City Council to evaluate Monsignor Schmit’s legacy based on established facts rather than speculation or guilt by association and to preserve the honorary recognition that reflects his contributions to the City of Toledo.
Others, including Vercellotti and the Pahl family, said documents, trial testimony and witness statements uncovered over the past two decades paint a different picture. The main action questioned by critics took place on April 19, 1980, when Robinson was being questioned for a second straight day.
Testimony in 2006 from detectives Arthur Marx and William Kina indicated that Robinson’s questioning ended after Deputy Chief Ray Vetter arrived with Schmit and attorney Henry Herschel.