Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 15, 2023 / 14:36 pm
The suspect in the murder of a Nebraska priest was discovered lying on top of the victim forming the shape of a cross as the pastor was bleeding to death, according to an affidavit filed in the Washington County Court.
The responding officer said in the court filing that he saw the suspect, 43-year-old Kierre L. Williams, lying perpendicularly across 65-year-old Father Stephen Gutgsell’s chest after the stabbing. Gutgsell, who served as the pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, died from his injuries later that morning.
“On top of the white male [Gutgsell], there was a black male [Williams] laying on top of him with his back pressed on the white male’s chest area,” the responding officer said. “The black male was laying on him in a perpendicular fashion (T) with his feet facing the kitchen.”
The officer said he entered the parish rectory shortly after 5 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, after the priest called 911 to report a home intruder with a knife, according to the affidavit. When the officer arrived six minutes later, he unholstered his pistol, entered the building, and announced his presence.