Catholic Priest in Nebraska Dies After Attack in Church, Suspect Arrested

The Washington County Sheriff's office investigates the scene of a fatal stabbing on a Catholic priest in the rectory of St. John the Baptist Church in Fort Calhoun, Neb., on Dec. 10, 2023. Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via AP

OMAHA, Neb.—A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest who was attacked over the weekend in a church rectory in a small Nebraska community, authorities said.

The Rev. Stephen Gutgsell was assaulted Sunday “during an invasion” of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the Archdiocese of Omaha said in a statement.