Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, Fort Calhoun, Nebraska Catholic priest stabbed to death during church break in. Kierre L. Williams arrested. Priest linked to previous embezzlement and theft.
A Catholic priest with a criminal history — including embezzlement and theft charges — was stabbed to death at a church rectory at a small Nebraska community church during the early Sunday morning hours.
The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted ‘during an invasion’ of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, just on 5am, Sunday morning the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement.
Gutgsell was taken to an Omaha hospital, where he died from his injuries, church officials said. Fort Calhoun, with a population of about 1,000 people, is roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Omaha.
Deception by embezzlement
Police received a 911 call about an attempted break-in just after 5am, where upon they found Gutgsell injured and a suspected attacker inside. Kierre L. Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa 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, ABC News reports.
Church officials at the time said the thefts took place as Gutgsell sought to pay off credit card debts.
Earlier this year, his brother, the Rev. Michael Gutgsell, also pled 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.
‘Very holy man’
Archdiocese of Omaha spokesperson Riley Johnson declined to comment on the previous improprieties beyond confirming that Stephen and Michael Gutgsell were brothers.
Offered Mike Fitzgerald, a parishioner at St. John the Baptist: ‘Father Gutgsell has been here 11 years, and I thought he was a very holy man.
‘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 suspect was taken to Washington County Jail, with the sheriff’s office saying that an ongoing investigation was underway.
Regular church services which were scheduled to commence at 8.30 am were cancelled.
