Judge finds man not guilty of killing retired priest due to mental illness

Man won’t serve jail time in priest’s murder due to mental illness

A Ramsey County judge last week found a man not guilty of murder due to mental illness.

Nathan Thomas Wondra had been charged with one count of second-degree murder. A judge determined that Wondra killed Lawrence Johnson, 76, but ruled that he was not guilty due to mental illness.

Related stories:

Father of St. Paul man accused of killing priest says his son showed no signs of mental illness, violence
St. Paul man charged after ‘voices in his head’ told him to kill a retired priest
Man self-reports committing homicide along I-94 in St. Paul 

As previously reported, Wondra called 911 and said he was having a “psychotic break and choked out” an elderly man on Interstate 94 near Prior Avenue in August 2024.

Wondra told police that “voices in his head” told him to kill Johnson “to save humanity.” He added that he had been hearing voices and having visions for the past five days.

Court documents note that Johnson had been taking Wondra to the hospital for a mental health evaluation when the murder occurred.

Wondra told police he called 911 because it was “the right thing to do” and he wanted to take responsibility for what he had done.

Wondra’s father told police he hadn’t noticed any mental health issues or changes in his son’s behavior, but did note that Wondra hadn’t been feeling well lately. Court records do not show any prior civil commitment of Wondra with regard to mental health.

According to last week’s filing, the court will begin the process to civilly commit Wondra, who will be detained in a state hospital or facility pending the proceedings.
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