KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The attorney representing a man charged with killing a Kansas priest earlier this year has asked the judge in the case to order a mental evaluation.
Gary Hermesch is charged with one count of first-degree murder in the April 3, 2025, shooting death of Father Arul Carasala in the rectory at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Seneca, Kansas.
According to court documents filed in support of the charges, following the shooting, Hermesch pulled up in a vehicle outside the Nemaha County, Kansas, Sheriff's Office.
Hermesch then got out of the vehicle and told the undersheriff that he needed to be arrested.
The undersheriff asked Hermesch what for and Hermesch said that he had just shot Fr. Arul Carasala, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church.
Parties in the case were set to convene Tuesday for a preliminary hearing. During the hearing, Hermesch’s attorney, Jason Wayne Belveal, filed a motion with Judge Scott Anson requesting a mental competency exam.
“Defendant’s counsel believes that the defendant may not be competent to stand trial,” Belveal wrote in the motion.
A status conference in the case has been scheduled for 9:45 a.m. on Dec. 18.
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