Catholic priest is stabbed to death in the rectory of his church in Nebraska: Cops find suspect inside the property after cleric called 911 to report break-in at 5am

The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, was stabbed during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska
Kierre L. Williams, 43, was arrested for the alleged killing of Gutgsell and taken to Washington County Jail
Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his stab injuries, church officials said

The suspect who allegedly stabbed a Catholic priest to death in a small Nebraska community has been identified.

Kierre L. Williams, 43, of Sioux County, Iowa, was arrested for killing Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, police said.

Williams was charged with homicide and use of a weapon to commit a felony, the Washington County Sheriff announced.

Gutgsell, 65, placed a call to 911 around 5am, in which he told police that someone was attempting to break into the rectory.

Cops found Gutgsell injured and an alleged attacker inside and it is unclear what William’s motive was for killing Gutgsell.

The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his stab injuries, church officials said

Kierre L. Williams, 43, of Sioux County, Iowa, was arrested for killing Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, 65, during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Gutgsell, 65, was stabbed during an invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a Sunday statement

Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his stab injuries, church officials said.

The suspect was taken to Washington County Jail and the sheriff’s office said that the investigation is ongoing.

‘He is not from the area. He is not from Fort Calhoun or even Nebraska as far as we know about,’ sheriff’s officials said.

The statement from the local church said: ‘The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and there are no further details at this time.’

Cops found Gutgsell injured inside the church and the alleged attacker was also inside

Mike Fitzgerald, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist, said the regular 8:30am service at the church was canceled. He told Omaha World Herald: ‘Father Gutgsell has been here 11 years, and I thought he was a very holy man’

‘Please join Archbishop George Lucas in prayer for the repose of Father Gutgsell, for his family and for the St. John the Baptist parish community in this tragic time,’ the church’s statement read.

‘He did a lot of things for the community. He always made sure that the (church) bulletin had everything in it that we needed to know about things going on at the church.’

The sheriff’s office said that there is no threat to the community and that the investigation is ongoing.

Source: Read Full Article