LONDON, Ont. - The pastor connected with a bizarre death in London has cocooned himself in his townhouse, cancelled church services and warned some members of his congregation to keep quiet.
Pastor Guillermo Fabian remained hidden behind the drawn curtains and locked doors of his London townhouse yesterday as London police continue their investigation into the death of Walter Zepeda.
Detectives weren't allowed into Fabian's house until late in the afternoon yesterday after being turned away by those inside earlier in the day.
Zepeda, 19, died Tuesday morning after spending three days without food or water, strapped to a chair in his family's basement apartment. He was bound as a form of punishment, according to police, and struggled in vain to free himself before succumbing to dehydration.
Police have charged Zepeda's parents, Diego Cordero, 43, Ana Meija-Lopez, 51, and Alex Osegueda, 42, a family friend, with first-degree murder. Fabian, the family's pastor has not been charged. Media reports here have suggested that he believed Zepeda was possessed by the devil.
Fabian, 45, said through his lawyer that Zepeda's parents called him to their house as their son's condition deteriorated but denies believing the teen needed an exorcism. The pastor is now listed as a crown witness in the case against the accused.
"He's not talking to anyone except his lawyer," said Caroline, Fabian's daughter.
Meanwhile, members of Fabian's church, the Missionary Church of Christ, deny their pastor, or those accused of Zepeda's death, did anything wrong.
"These aren't bad people. They didn't do anything wrong, they were practising their faith," said Alex Luis, a regular member of Fabian's congregation of roughly 50 people, mostly from El Salvador.
"He (Fabian) asked us to pray for Walter because he was very sick. They wanted him to get better. There is no crime in this matter," Luis said.
Cordero regularly took Zepeda and his other two grown children to church services.
Luis confirmed that the pastor asked several parishioners not to publicly talk about this case.
Yesterday the doors of the Church of God, where Fabian's church has rented space, were bolted shut. Fabian has suspended services indefinitely, according to Luis.