Killer Priest: The Crimes, Trial, and Execution of Father Hans Schmidt (Crime, Media, and Popular Culture) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[M]ark Gado, a former detective, has come out with an excellent book-length account of the trial based on the transcript and newspaper accounts: Killer Priest....It reads like a Gothic Gilded Age novel in the style of Alfred Hitchcock.”–New York Law Journal Magazine

“[A]s compelling as any popular work of crime fiction.”–Internet Law Book Reviews

“Father Hans Schmidt was convicted of the gruesome murder of Anna Aumuller in 1914, in a case that was widely covered in the New York papers of the time. In this book New York City police detective Gado reconstructs Schmidt's early life, describes the events of the case, and considers lingering questions of whether Schmidt was responsible for other murders as well.”–Reference & Research Book News

“In Killer Priest, Mark Gado recounts the true story of a Catholic priest from Germany who, after what Gado believes were actually a string of killings, ends up an inmate on Sing Sing's death row convicted of the murder of the rectory housekeeper he impregnated.”–Journal News (Westchester)

Product Description

He was a Catholic priest and a killer. Hans Schmidt, ordained in Germany in 1904, arrived in the United States in 1908 and was assigned to St. John's Parish in Louisville, Kentucky. Arguments with the minister resulted in Schmidt's transfer to St. Boniface Church in New York City. There he met beautiful Anna Aumuller, a housekeeper for the rectory who had recently emigrated from Austria. Despite his transfer to a Church far uptown, Father Schmidt and Anna continued a romantic affair and, in a secret ceremony he performed himself, they were married. When he discovered she was pregnant, Father Schmidt knew his secret life would soon be exposed. On the night of September 2, 1913, he cut Anna's throat, dismembered her body, and threw the parts into the Hudson River. When the body was discovered, he was arrested and charged with the murder. A media circus ensued, as the New York papers became fascinated by the priest and his double life. After feigning insanity during his first trial, which ended with a hung jury, Father Schmidt was eventually convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to death. He remains the only priest ever executed for murder in the United States. The public fascination with cases involving husbands suspected of murdering their pregnant wives predates Scott Peterson and Mark Hacking. When the press learned that Father Schmidt was suspected of killing his pregnant wife, it generated the kind of flashy headlines and gossipy speculation similar crimes elicit today. The case provided a spectacle for the media and captured the imagination of a city. Not only did Father Schmidt kill his young, pregnant bride, but further investigation proved that he had a second apartment where he had set up a printing press and counterfeited $10 bills. In Louisville, the dismembered body of a missing nine-year-old girl was found buried in the basement of St. John's church, where Schmidt had previously worked. In addition, German police wanted to talk to Father Schmidt about a murdered girl in his hometown. Though he was never charged, it was strongly suspected that Father Schmidt committed these murders as well. On February 18, 1916, Father Schmidt was executed in the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison. This book tells this tale in vivid and lively detail and looks at the man, the crime, and the attention both received in the popular press and the city at large.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 252 pages
• Publisher: Praeger Publishers (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275985539
• ISBN-13: 978-0275985530
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #641,236 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Killer Priest is an excellent book, May 1, 2006

By	Crime Library Editor (Savannah, GA) - See all my reviews

Killer Priest by Mark Gado is an electrifying story expertly told. Hans Schmidt, the only priest ever to be executed for murder in the U.S., had character flaws that surfaced during his childhood in Germany. He had no use for his brothers or friends, but became transfixed with religion and killing. When adolescent sexual fantasies become intertwined with images of death and slaughter, problems are almost certain to arise. As an introverted teenager, the intelligent and scholarly Schmidt drifted into ecclesiastical studies. However, the character flaws and sexual conflict deepened and he ran afoul of the law. He became a thief and a forger who was ostracized by the clerics that knew him.

Gado's meticulous research traces Father Schmidt's twisted childhood in Germany, through his years at the seminary in Mainz, his flight from Europe and eventually his first clergy assignment in Louisville, Kentucky. A missing nine-year-old girl case raised questions at his parish and Father Schmidt suddenly leaves Louisville and heads for New York City. There, he secretly married a beautiful young woman in a ceremony he performed himself. When her dismembered body parts turned up in the Hudson River, a city became mesmerized by the spectacle of a Catholic priest arrested for a murder...and the possibility he was a serial killer!

As a seasoned detective, Gado carefully lays out the investigation and the manner in which the detectives built the case against Schmidt. Once it got to court, Schmidt, ever the manipulator, attempted to hide behind the insanity defense - creating the disturbing risk that the killer could have been turned over to the custody of the Catholic Church.

Gado's experiences in homicide and death investigation, his first-hand understanding of the criminal mind and his ability to dramatize a story so effectively combine to make Killer Priest an excellent read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting topic & wonderful new author, April 24, 2006

By	[e-mail] (lakewood, colorado) - See all my reviews

I was very interested in reading this book when I heard of it. I was born and raised a Catholic and enjoy reading books of all topics about my faith and I especially love true crimes.....my husband is a police officer! So when I saw both areas of interest twisted together in one book I was fascinated!! I really enjoyed this book and this authors writing style! He masterfully captured this priest and his crimes with such imagery.....as I read the book I could envison what was taking place and I kept thinking this book would make a great movie!
I hope to see more books by this author!

2.0 out of 5 stars Killer Priest, August 23, 2008

By	B. A. Blackburn - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just finished reading the book. The material about Hans Schmidt, taken from the local newspapers, trial transcripts, and other documentation was fairly interesting, but the material about the Louisville case of the murdered child is pure fiction. Schmidt was never assigned to St. John's church. He was a visitor at another church. I saw one newspaper article that stated mistakenly that Schmidt was assigned to St. John's. I've been researching this case for a number of years and have found no evidence that Schmidt was ever at St. John's. The child who vanished had only been to the church once before and did not attend St. John's school. If there is evidence that Schmidt was at St. John's the day the child disappeared or the day her body was found, I'd love to see it.