Kansas Catholic priest was shot ‘intentionally and with premeditation,’ prosecutor alleges

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Kansas Catholic priest dies after being shot at his church’s rectory

Father Brian Schieber, a Vicar General at the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, reacts to the killing of Father Arul Carasala.

The murder of a Kansas Catholic priest at his church’s rectory was carried out “intentionally and with premeditation,” a prosecutor said. 

Gary Hermesch, 66, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, remains in custody Monday at the Nemaha County Jail following the shooting death of Father Arul Carasala last week. The 57-year-old was found “suffering from gunshot wounds” Thursday when police responded to a 911 call at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, and later died at a local hospital, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI). 

A charging complaint alleged Hermesch – who is facing one count of first-degree murder and is being held on a $1 million bond – “intentionally and with premeditation” killed Carasala, The Associated Press cited Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert as saying. 

Lipper did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

KANSAS CATHOLIC PRIEST DIES AFTER BEING SHOT AT HIS CHURCH’S RECTORY, LEAVING PARISH IN ‘STATE OF SHOCK’ 

Father Arul Carasala, a pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, Kansas, was fatally shot on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP/The Leaven)

Kris Anderson, the parish’s director of religious education, told the AP last week, “From what we know, an older man walked up to him [Carasala] and shot him three times.” 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Father Brian Schieber, a vicar general for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, said, “We’re all just still in a state of shock. 

“I mean, this is small-town America. And Father Arul was such a beloved pastor in Seneca, Kansas. He’s been a pastor there for over 13 years,” Schieber said last week. 

“A good shepherd knows his people by name, and Father Arul knew everybody. He, over these years, baptized so many people, did so many weddings, funerals, he was such a good confessor and present to people who were sick, had such pastoral wisdom, he is really beloved by everybody,” Schieber added. 

EXPERTS REVEAL DETAILS ABOUT A 16TH-CENTURY CATHOLIC SAINT FOUND ‘PERFECTLY PRESERVED’   

Gary Hermesch was taken into custody in connection to the shooting of Father Arul Carasala. (Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office)

Schieber described the shooting as a “senseless act of violence.” 

“We have no idea what the motive for this was. And, you know, we’re really praying for the person that killed Father Arul as well. And thank you all for your prayers,” he said. 

Deputies from the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Seneca Police Department responded to a 911 call “reporting shots fired at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church rectory” around 3 p.m. local time Thursday, the KBI said.  

When they arrived, they discovered Carasala “outside the residence suffering from gunshot wounds,” it added. 

Archbishop Joseph Naumann leads a mass on Thursday, April 3, at the Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca following the death of Father Arul Carasala. (Jay Soldner/The Leaven)

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“Seneca EMS arrived and transported Father Carasala to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital. Despite life-saving measures, he died at the hospital from his injuries,” the KBI also said in a statement.   

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.