When the deputy came, the Nebraska priest, who was bleeding from many stabbings, shouted, "Help me."

In a disturbing incident in Nebraska, Kierre L. Williams, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder, burglary, and two weapons counts in the stabbing of Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, a priest at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun. The attack occurred during a break-in at the church rectory, leaving the small town north of Omaha shocked.

The charging documents reveal that after Gutgsell called 911 to report a man in his kitchen with a knife, a dispatcher heard a struggle and screaming. When Washington County Deputy Brady Tucker arrived, he found the front door forced open, and a man in the kitchen calling for help. Gutgsell was discovered bleeding profusely with Williams on top of him.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, and there is no apparent prior connection between Williams and the 65-year-old priest. Williams, a felon with multiple warrants, has a criminal history in several states, including Texas and Florida, where he has been convicted of drug possession and other offenses. Recently, he faced a misdemeanor assault charge in a July soup kitchen fight in Sioux City, Iowa.

Residents of Fort Calhoun, normally a tranquil town, expressed shock and concern over the incident, especially since it is the second killing this year involving break-ins with no apparent connection between the intruders and the victims. The fact that the latest incident involved a priest has intensified the unease among the community. Williams is set to make his initial court appearance on Thursday.