Detectives seeking the murderer of a rural priest have tracked some leads into the Necedah area, home to a group of shrine followers who believe a “time of martyrs” is near, a newspaper reports.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel said Jeffrey Maas, 38, who recently was charged in the thefts of statues from various churches, is considered by Dane County investigators a possible suspect in the March 4 slaying of the Rev. Alfred Kunz of Dane.
Kunz knew Maas and others of the Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine in Necedah, a group not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, the report said.
Kunz, known for his conservative Catholic beliefs, was periodically drawn into the circle of shrine followers through friendships and consultations about canon law. Maas had purchased a religious book from Kunz and had gone to his Latin Masses.
