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The Keepers: Who killed Sister Cathy Cesnik?

By Cody Williams

ST-BASILICA Baltimore,MD. 10/31/06 The Baltimore Basilica, America's first cathedral, will be reopening to the public on November 4th after 2 and a half years of renovations. The basilica was designed by architect Benjamin henry Latrobe, who also created the US Capitol with Thomas Jefferson, and opened in 1821. Many of Latrobe's original details, the dome and oculus in particular, were brought back to their original state after decades of neglect. In addition the undercroft and crypt areas were also dug out to the height originally intended by the famed architect. EDITED BY MARY LOU FOY
ST-BASILICA Baltimore,MD. 10/31/06 The Baltimore Basilica, America's first cathedral, will be reopening to the public on November 4th after 2 and a half years of renovations. The basilica was designed by architect Benjamin henry Latrobe, who also created the US Capitol with Thomas Jefferson, and opened in 1821. Many of Latrobe's original details, the dome and oculus in particular, were brought back to their original state after decades of neglect. In addition the undercroft and crypt areas were also dug out to the height originally intended by the famed architect. EDITED BY MARY LOU FOY /
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The Keepers dives into the murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik in the 1960s in Baltimore and the branching abuse from one Catholic priest, but who killed her?

If you haven’t already binged Netflix’s new documentary miniseries, The Keepers, you’re going to want to. In the vein of Making a Murderer, the series delves into a crime and the complex web of conspiracy and questions around it. The crime itself that starts the investigation, though, is the murder of a nun, Sister Cathy Cesnik, in Baltimore, MD.

Her case still unsolved, The Keepers first examines the circumstances surrounding her murder in 1969. She was a teacher at at Archbishop Keough High School who went missing after running errands one night. Her body was found some two months later. However, with a Jane Doe claiming to have been shown the body by a priest, the story takes a much darker turn.

What The Keepers suggests is that the motive behind Sister Cathy’s murder was her knowledge of one priest’s pattern of sexual abuse regarding high school girls. The Jane Doe who was shown the body claims to be one of the priest’s, Father A. Joseph Maskell.

Throughout the show, the alleged abuse becomes more widespread to sickening degrees. Yet, Maskell died in 2001 having never been convicted of his crimes. The reasons for this are numerous and are delved into in the show, stemming from corruption within both the legal system and the power of the Catholic Church in Baltimore.

However, the one question that stems from the very start of The Keepers is simple: Who killed Sister Cathy Cesnik.

While it is strongly inferred that it all stemmed from what Sister Cathy knew about Maskell, it is not suspected that he committed the murder — though he’d obviously be a conspirator. There is no physical evidence But as to who actually killed the beloved nun and teacher, that remains murkier.

Possible suspects are presented throughout The Keepers, with anecdotal and situational evidence connecting them to the crime.

One of the primary ones mentioned is Father Gerald Koob. He was the first person contacted after Cesnik’s disappearance, despite having a shut-close alibi of his whereabouts beforehand. Further complicating the matter, though, is that he and Sister Cathy were romantic, prior to entering the church. They still professed love for one another in letters after the fact.

Another suspect examined is a man by the name of Edgar Robinson. Though he denied on camera in The Keepers that he had anything to do with the murder, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary. He returned home on the night Cesnik went missing with a bloody shirt, he gave his wife a necklace that could have been the gift Cesnik was out buying, and he called into a radio show to say he knew of evidence about the murder (in addition to other comments made to his family).

Third on the list of suspects is Billy Schmidt. His family told the filmmakers for The Keepers that they were convince he and his brother, Ronnie, committed the murder. They both were different and self-destructive right after Sister Cathy’s disappearance, with Billy ultimately taking his own life. With a nun-dressed mannequin found in his attic and reports of cigarette butts being found at the scene (Billy was a smoker, of Salems specifically), there was hope that connection might help. However, the butts have since been missing from evidence both at the police department and the city.

Last is the most mysterious of the suspects, Brother Bob. One of the victims of Maskell’s alleged abuse has repressed many memories of Brother Bob. However, she remembers that Sister Cathy told him she was going to report the abuse to the authorities, and Brother Bob hit the nun.

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On a definitive level, though, The Keepers doesn’t reach a definitive conclusion as to who killed Sister Cathy Cesnik. We have only leads and suspects and apparent corruption in the investigation presented. Thus, we can’t make a definitive statement as to who did it. However, perhaps this series will finally bring new information to light and some closure will be provided.