Priest Fatally Stabbed In Church on a Sunday Morning

(ProsperNews.net) – A Catholic priest was stabbed to death in his rectory just hours before his Sunday morning sermon on December 10. The incident occurred at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, a tiny Nebraska town with a population of just 1,000.

Washington County Sheriff’s Office said they got a call on the morning of December 10, at around 5 am, reporting an attempted break-in at the rectory. Deputies responded rapidly and found the body of Father Stephen Gutgsell with multiple stab wounds. Suspect Kierre L. Williams was still in the building when officers arrived – they arrested him and transported him to Washington County jail, where he is held without bond. Williams is charged with homicide and use of a weapon to commit a felony.

The archdiocese released a statement asking worshippers to pray for Father Gutgsell, his family, and “the St. John the Baptist parish community in this tragic time.” A representative confirmed that the church would close for the time being, and worshippers could attend nearby St. Francis Borgia, where Archbishop George Lucas addressed congregants on the morning of the murder.

Police said they do not believe Father Gutsgell’s death is related to the priest’s previous controversies and criminal past. Gutsgell pleaded guilty in 2007 for embezzling $127,000 from a different parish. The courts sentenced him to probation, and the church relocated him to a new parish, saying he had “learned his lesson” and sought forgiveness.

Rev. Michael Gutsgell, Father Gutsgell’s brother, also pleaded guilty to theft earlier this year. Michael Gutsgell, previously the chancellor of the diocese, stole more than $150,000 from an elderly priest and $100,000 from St. Joseph Church in Springfield, Nebraska. He was sentenced to two years probation.

The suspect in Father Gutsgell’s murder, Kierre Williams from Sioux Falls, Iowa, allegedly lay on the dead priest’s body, forming a cross shape, according to court documents. Police have not speculated on a motive for the killing.