Suspect in Nebraska priest’s murder enters ‘not guilty’ plea

BLAIR, Neb. (WOWT) – The man suspected in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest in a Fort Calhoun church rectory submitted a plea of “not guilty” in Washington County Court on Thursday.

Kierre Williams, 43, was arraigned Thursday morning on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Father Stephen Gutgsell.

No trial date has been set yet. In the meantime, Williams is being held without bond.

The prosecution has said that Williams had no prior connection to Father Gutgsell. The court was also previously informed that Williams had warrants in five other states. Investigators didn’t know then why he was in Fort Calhoun.

Previous reports indicated Williams was from Sioux City, Iowa, but authorities have said they don’t know for sure where he’s from, though he apparently had been working at a meatpacking plant in Sioux City.

Father Gutgsell died after deputies found him stabbed in the rectory of a Catholic church in Fort Calhoun on Sunday, Dec. 10. Authorities said he had been stabbed in the face and twice in the back, and had made the call to 911 himself.

Father Gutgsell’s murder, mere months after the death of Linda Childers in August, “spooked” the small-town community.

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