Inside vicious murder of priest Fr Kunz who had throat slit in Catholic church after probing sexual abuse within clergy
A PRIEST had his throat slit in a Catholic church after probing sexual abuse within the clergy.
While the case remains unsolved, Real Life Nightmare, an HLN original series, will explore Father Alfred Joseph Kunz's horrific death on Sunday.
The priest was "nearly decapitated" when he was found with a slash to the throat at the St Michael School in Dane, according to a police report at the time of the 1998 Wisconsin murder.
Kunz was born on a Wisconsin farm in 1930 and was one of eight children.
He helped at the family’s cheese factory and as a child, he developed appendicitis.
When he woke up from surgery, he told his mother that he wanted to be a priest.
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Kunz went on to become a powerful priest who clung tightly to convictions that he held within the church, such as hosting mass in Latin, the Journal Sentinel reported.
He was passionate about reforming the church after the sex-abuse scandal in which priests were systematically accused of sexually abusing children, mostly young boys.
Father Charles Fiore had reportedly said that he and Kunz were compiling a list of priests involved in abuse, according to the Sentinel.
However, they were not authorized by church leadership to do so, putting their status at risk.
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Stephen Brady, a Catholic activist from Illinois, told the newspaper that Kunz helped him report allegations against a bishop, who passed away in 2015.
A report from the church found the bishop did have relations with male prostitutes, deacons, and other priests, the Sentinel reported.
MURDER THEORIES EMGERE
St Michael's Church was robbed in the months before the murder, and police thought it could be connected to the killing.
A police officer and uncle of Joseph Cavanaugh, a man who served time in prison for sexual assault, said that he thought his nephew committed the murder given the timeline of where he was that night, according to the Sentinel.
However, he was ruled out as a suspect, according to a Catholic World report.
Police documents obtained by the Sentinel show Brian Jackson, the teacher who discovered Kunz's body, was initially questioned but was also ruled out as the killer, according to the Catholic Exchange.
Police told WKOW last year that they have "viable" suspects and are actively working on the case.
Detectives told the outlet that they continue to respond to tips and use new technology to process evidence.
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They won't stop looking for clues and information that will bring the murderer to justice, cops said.
The Real Life Nightmare episode airs at 8pm on December 4.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.