SENECA (KSNT) – A man accused of killing a northeast Kansas priest will remain confined after a court found him incompetent to stand trial for a second time.
Prosecutors accuse Gary L. Hermesch, 67, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, of killing Father Arul Carasala in April 2025 at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca. Hermesch is charged with first-degree murder.
At his competency hearing on Sept. 3, Director of Communications for the Office of the Kansas Attorney General Danedri Herbert confirmed to 27 News that the court ruled Hermesch remains incompetent to stand trial. The court ordered involuntary commitment proceedings to move forward.
A previous ruling also found Hermesch incompetent for trial. In March, the court ordered him to undergo competency evaluation and treatment with Larned State Hospital.
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