Man charged with murder in stabbing of Nebraska priest who yelled ‘help me’ when deputy arrived
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska prosecutors charged a man with first-degree murder Tuesday in the fatal stabbing of a Catholic priest, who authorities say was attacked during a break-in at the church rectory and called out “help me” before he died.
Prosecutors also charged Kierre L. Williams, 43, Tuesday with burglary and two weapons charges in the case that rocked the small town of Fort Calhoun where the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell preached at St. John the Baptist Catholic church.
An affidavit filed along with the charges details what deputies found when they arrived at the home minutes after Gutsgell called to report the break-in just after 5 a.m. Sunday.
But the documents did not detail any motive for the attack except to say the killing was premeditated and done deliberately during a burglary. There is no mention of any connection between Williams and the 65-year-old priest.
The affidavit said that after Gutgsell called 911 to report that a Black man was standing in his kitchen with a knife, the operator heard a struggle and screaming over the phone.
Deputy Brady Tucker said in the affidavit that the front door was forced open when he arrived first at the house, and after he identified himself, he heard a man call out “I’m here” from the kitchen and “Help me.” When the deputy asked who else was in the home the voice said “an intruder.”
Court documents say Gutgsell was bleeding profusely from wounds on his face, hands and back when he was found lying in his kitchen with Williams lying on top of him.
The bloody knife used in the attack was found later in a bedroom of the home next to a large pool of blood. Court documents did not explain why the blood and knife was found in a bedroom when the 911 call appeared to come from the kitchen where both men were found.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Williams is from Sioux City, Iowa, which is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Fort Calhoun. The Nebraska town of about 1,000 residents is located about 16 miles (26 kilometers) north of Omaha.
Tucker said in his affidavit that he learned Williams was a convicted felon with multiple warrants from various states shortly after he was taken into custody.
Public records show Williams has an extensive criminal record in Texas and Florida, including a 2008 felony conviction in Florida for cocaine possession and fleeing from police.
Williams is facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Sioux City. He is accused of punching someone at a soup kitchen there after getting in an argument in July. The criminal charge against him in that case lists him as homeless.
Williams does not have a lawyer yet in Nebraska and he will not make his initial appearance in court until Thursday afternoon. His public defender in the Iowa assault case said he did not know anything about the Nebraska case and hung up on an Associated Press reporter Tuesday morning.
Gutgsell’s stabbing is the second killing in Fort Calhoun this year, unnerving residents of the normally tranquil town. Both killings happened during break-ins where there was no clear connection between the intruders and the victims, making them all the more troubling.
“It shouldn’t happen in a small town like this,” bar owner Andy Faucher said Monday while people gathered a few blocks from where Gutgsell was stabbed to eat and talk about what happened. Faucher said the fact that this latest killing involved a priest only “intensifies the scariness of the situation.”
Public records detail Williams’ criminal history.
In the Pensacola area in Florida, he was frequently in trouble. It began in his teenage years with convictions for robbery with a firearm and possession of firearm by a minor. As an adult, he had a string of convictions that included possession of cocaine, delivering or selling controlled substances, fleeing law enforcement and driving under the influence. Other charges were filed but dropped, including grand theft auto, loitering and battery.
Prosecutors ultimately turned him over to collection for failing to pay some fines.
In the Houston area, he pleaded guilty in 2014 to possession of a controlled substance and sentenced to 60 days in jail. Court records identified the drug as the sedative alprazolam, often sold under the brand name Xanax.
Williams never served time in the Texas penal system, a spokesperson said.
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Associated Press writer Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report.
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