Man accused of strangling a priest to death officially aquitted of murder charges due to mental illness

Almost a month after being found not guilty of murder due to mental illness, Nathan Thomas Wondra has been acquitted of criminal charges.

Wondra had been charged with one count of second-degree murder after calling 911, admitting that he had killed Lawrence Johnson, 76, while the retired priest had been taking him to the hospital.

Related stories:

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

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 

Wondra told police that “voices in his head” told him to kill Johnson “to save humanity.”

Johnson had been taking Wondra to the hospital so he could have a mental health evaluation done, when Wondra attacked him on Interstate 94 in St. Paul.

Wondra reportedly told police that he knew killing Johnson was wrong, but said the voices told him “Johnson needed to be a martyr for something bigger.” After he believed Johnson had died, Wondra stayed at the car and called 911 to inform authorities of what he had done.

Court records showed that after his arrest, Johnson continued to show signs of mental illness and was diagnosed by a doctor with major depression and recurring severe psychotic episodes.

He was ultimately found not guilty of criminal charges as a result.

Court documents indicate Wondra will be civilly committed and detained in a state hospital or facility.
The post Man accused of strangling a priest to death officially aquitted of murder charges due to mental illness first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.