Man Charged With Killing Nebraska Priest

UPDATE Dec 12, 2023 5:56 PM CST

Nebraska prosecutors have charged Kierre L. Williams, 43, with first-degree murder, burglary, and two weapons counts in the stabbing of the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, a priest at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun. Moments after the 65-year-old priest called 911 on Sunday to report that a man was standing in his kitchen with a knife, a dispatcher on the line heard screaming and a struggle, according to the charges filed Tuesday. A deputy arriving a few minutes later heard the priest shout, "Help me," before he found the man lying near the kitchen, bleeding profusely. Court documents did not detail any motive for the attack except to say the killing happened during a burglary, the AP reports.

Dec 11, 2023 3:00 AM CST

A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest who was attacked over the weekend in a church rectory in a small Nebraska community, authorities said. The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted Sunday "during an invasion" of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement. Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his injuries, the AP reports. Police received a 911 call about an attempted break-in at the church just after 5am. When officers arrived, they found Gutgsell injured and a suspected attacker inside. Kierre L. Williams, 43, was arrested on charges of homicide and using a weapon to commit a felony, Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson said in a statement.

In 2007, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception for embezzling $127,000 from an area church. He was sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution. He was later reassigned to another church. At the time, church leaders said Gutgsell learned his lesson, admitted wrongdoing, and sought forgiveness. Earlier this year, his brother, the Rev. Michael Gutgsell, also pleaded guilty to theft charges. He served as chancellor of the Omaha archdiocese from 1994 until 2003. Robinson told WOWT-TV that authorities did not believe Stephen Gutgsell's death was related to his criminal history. The suspect, Williams, is from Sioux City, Iowa, about 85 miles north of Fort Calhoun.

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