A Catholic priest from a small Nebraska town was stabbed to death by a suspect who broke into the church rectory early Sunday, according to authorities and church officials.
Sheriff’s deputies found Father Stephen Gutgsell with stab wounds around 5 a.m. after he was allegedly attacked by Kierre Williams inside St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said.
Father Steven Gutgsell was found stabbed to death. Chancery of the Archdiocese of Omaha
Gutgsell was rushed to the University of Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa, was still at the rectory when authorities arrived and was arrested for murder and use of a weapon to commit a felony, the sheriff’s office said.
Law enforcement was initially called to the scene for an attempted break-in at the church located in Fort Calhoun, a city of about 1,000 people that is 20 miles north of Omaha.
The Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement that Gutgsell was assaulted during an “invasion of the rectory” of the church.
Kierre L. Williams, age 43 of Sioux City IA, has been arrested. Washington County Sheriff’s Office
“Please join Archbishop George Lucas in praying for the repose of Father Gutgsell, for his family and for the parish community of St. John the Baptist at this tragic time,” the archdiocese said in a statement, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
St. John the Baptist parishioner Mike Fitzgerald told the Omaha-World-Herald that the regular 8:30 a.m. Mass was canceled. He remembered Gutgsell, who was at the church for 11 years, as a “very holy man.”
“He did a lot of things for the community,” he said. “He always made sure the (church) bulletin had everything we needed to know about what was happening in the church.”
The attack occurred early Sunday morning. AP
More than a decade ago, Gutgsell pleaded guilty to theft by deception in 2007 for embezzling $127,000 from an area church and was sentenced to probation and restitution.
He was reassigned to another church after church leaders said he had learned his lesson and sought forgiveness.
Washington Sheriff Mike Robinson told WOWT-TV that his office did not believe Gutgsell’s death was related to his past criminal problems.
Authorities said Sunday that the Washington County District Attorney’s Office would provide more information.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn