A man accused of killing a priest in a small Nebraska town pleaded not guilty Thursday to first-degree murder and other charges.
Kierle Williams, 43, of Sioux City, Iowa, is also charged with using a deadly weapon to commit a felony, robbery and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. His next court date is March 5, according to KETV-TV.
Prosecutors say there appears to be no connection between Mr. Williams and the Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, who was stabbed to death on Dec. 10 inside the parsonage of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska. said.
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This booking photo released by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office shows Kierle L. Williams on December 10, 2023. Williams was arrested in connection with the stabbing death of a Catholic priest in a small Nebraska community in his church parsonage, authorities said. (Washington County Sheriff’s Office, via AP)
Williams’ attorney declined to discuss the case.
The priest’s death came four months after another round of home invasion murders in the town of 1,100 people shook residents’ confidence in their safety.
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At a hearing last month, Washington County Deputy Brady Tucker testified that he found Williams lying on top of Gutgsell, her face covered in blood. Williams was unarmed, but investigators later found a broken knife with a serrated blade in a blood stain on Gutgsell’s bedroom floor, authorities said.
Mr. Williams has been convicted of several felonies in other states.
