The Murder of Alfred Kunz.
It is a story that scares rural and small town priests to this day...
Father Alfred Kunz, (April 15, 1931 - March 4, 1998), was a Catholic priest who was found with his throat slit in his Roman Catholic church in Dane, Wisconsin. His murder has never been solved. The Kuntz murder investigation has been described as the most expensive and time-consuming investigation in Dane County's history.
Kunz, though he continued to say the Latin Mass, also said the Mass in English and was in communion with his diocesan bishop. "Father Kunz was a well-known expert in cano law, so he knew how to walk the lines," Bill Brophy, a spokesman for the Madison Wisconsin Catholic Diocese said shortly after his murder. Kunz was pastor at the church for 32 years before his death.
Prior to his death, Kunz had his own radio show and had been a close associate of Malachi Martin, an author and exorcist! After Kunz was murdered, Martin alleged that the priest had been killed by "Luciferians" and said Kunz had performed several exorcisms before his death. Martin said Kunz felt his life was in danger in the weeks before his murder. Kunz's friend, Abbot Ryan St. Anne Scott felt Kunz's murder was related to Kunz's investigation of sexual abuse scandals in the diocese. The Dane County Sheriff's Department also investigated a calf mutilation 15 miles from Kunz's church the day before his murder that a farmer attributed to a cult. Kunz had allegedly been investigating reports of homosexuality and sexual abuse by priests within the diocese of Springfield, Illinois. There were also allegations that Kunz had been involved with female parishioners.
"The motives are all over the place, anything from jealousy, power and control to betrayal and fear of exposure," Dane County Sheriff's Lieutenant Kevin Hughes said in 2001. "So take your pick at this point. We just don't know yet." In 2002, Dane County sheriff Gary Hamblin stated that his department was still receiving tips about the case. By this time, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, investigators had concluded that the killer knew Kunz and was familiar with the church property. Dane County Sheriff David Mahoney stated in March 2008 that his department no longer uses the term "intimate" in regard to the murder investigation of Father Kunz, which dispels any hint of impropriety. Mahoney is also willing to cooperate with "cold case" investigators, even though his department does not consider the Kunz investigation "cold."
By 2009, investigators with the Dane County sheriff's department were willing to state that they have a long-time suspect, who has never been named as they lack sufficient evidence to indict him. Steve Gilmore, lieutenant of detectives with the department, said that the suspect left town soon after Kunz's death, and that "We still know where he's at and what he's up to. If indeed he had committed this one, he's stayed pretty clean. We certainly don't think there's any threat to the public out there." Gilmore has also stated that the suspect is alive (as of 2008) and under constant surveillance, although no longer living in the Dane County jurisdiction. - Wiki
Very scary - and the killers are still out there.
I understand it had very much to do with Exorcism.
ReplyDeleteA Death Warrant was probably issued against him by a secret society upset his Exorcisms were interfering with their occult rituals.
If a movie were made of it, the public probably would not see it.
Truth doesn't sell very well.
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That isn't what we hear around these parts Pablo...
ReplyDeleteVery good of you to post about him.
ReplyDeleteMany Priests are looking for resolution of this murder.
We will remember him in our Holy Rosary prayers.
What you hear through the grapevine you may discard; what people are saying is never correct.
The only Truth you can count on comes from the Mass and Holy Scripture.
Very good post Mr. Nelson.
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"the only truth you can count in comes from the Mass and Scripture"
ReplyDeleteUm, that is not the Catholic position, never was.
"...Um, that is not the Catholic position, never was..."
ReplyDeleteThis was not an ex-cathedra pronouncement.
I guess you did not notice I took my mitre off and set aside the crosier while giving that o-p-i-n-i-o-n.
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Sorry, Pablo, sometimes I am too confrontational to you.
ReplyDeleteTerry, this is a strange case indeed. Perfect for a movie. And I wouldn't be so sure that the public would reject such a film - I think movies that show evil for what it is and show the Catholic beliefs as true actually fascinate people, because hey, they ARE true. I know Protestants who have found great comfort in the Rosary prayed as their loved one's lay dying, or Protestants who have asked Catholic priest to give the Last Rites to the dying. And, as Fr. Longnecker pointed out, I someone suspects haunting or demonic activity, they turn to a Carholic priest, a real live Ghostbuster (though admittedly not as funny).
ReplyDeleteBut what is your view on Malachi Martin, Terry? He seems like a sensationalist, and his conspiracies require that one believes all popes since and including Pius XII have been involved in deception and grave evil, as well as the vast majority of bishops and cardinals. It would lead to an atmosphere where the bishops and the Holy Father himself are to be treated with suspicion, where they couldn't teach without people constantly comparing their teachings to twit subjective understanding of tradition, "I know what the Pope says, but this is how it should be." The conspiracy crap basically neuters the Magisterium, and proposes that we treat it with suspicion.
Mercury - I've deliberately not read much of Martin's work save for excerpts - which tend to be sensationalized. Otherwise I've just read things 'about' him. From what I know of his work and 'ministry' he strikes me as being a notch or two up from Dan Brown - in the sense he has more intellectual and theological credibility. However, the disgruntled never have the same credibility as the saint. In other words, I have no confidence that he was guided by the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Terry, I figured as much. What would Saint John of the Cross think, haha.
ReplyDeleteBy the way "twit subjective" up there should be "their subjective." Stupid iPhone auto-correct.
"...But what is your view on Malachi Martin..."
ReplyDeleteFather Malachi Martin was given a special commission by the Holy Father.
He did not have to ask anyone's permission to get at things the Holy Father needed to know; everyone in the Hierarchy had to allow him access.
Unprecedented access.
It is good that you not read Father Martin's books; some could be too harsh for you and damage your soul, especially Hostage to the Devil.
As well you should not read David Saint Clair's book Satan Rocked Her Cradle.
Mr. St. Clair took thousands of pages of Vatican documentation and wrote the story.
I tell you this because I don’t want you to stumble into something harmful.
It should only be read by those engaged in hand to hand combat that we understand the nature of some of the enemies assaults.
Pray for Father Martin, and all deceased Priests.
Father Martin’s books have helped many Priests.
The information in his books and that which he disseminated privately are much help.
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Crazy! I just started reading about this a few days ago on another blog. If I was a real journalist, I'd start an investigative report. Martin, Kunz, and Fr. John Hardon were all friends. Fr. Hardon in one of his audio talks discusses the occult and talks about the murder of a close friend of his, who it turns out was Fr. Kunz. I read that although Fr. Kunz was investigating the Diocese of Springfield, he found a great scandal within the Archdiocese of Chicago that he was about to blow the lid off of...
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