Judge finds man fatally strangled priest along I-94 but is not guilty due to mental illness

A judge has found a St. Paul man not guilty by reason of mental illness for fatally strangling a 76-year-old retired Catholic priest on the side of a Twin Cities interstate last year.

Nathan Thomas Wondra, 33, of St. Paul was charged with intentional second-degree murder in connection with the killing of the Rev. Lawrence Johnson on Aug. 1, 2024, along Interstate 94 in St. Paul.

After a bench trial, Judge Stephen Smith found Wondra guilty as charged but also not guilty of the same count “by reason of mental illness or cognitive impairment.”

Smith’s findings followed his review of the allegations in the criminal complaint, police reports, a 911 transcript, psychological examinations of Wondra and his statements to police.

Wondra remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail while the County Attorney’s Office prepares a petition to have him detained in a state security hospital pending completion of civil commitment proceedings.

Authorities arrested Wondra at the scene, where he said voices told him to strangle Johnson in order to “save humanity.”

According to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Johnson was ordained as a priest in 1975 and retired in 2009. He served at parishes throughout the metro, as well as southern Minnesota and most recently for seven years at Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Chaska.

Wondra called 911 at 12:40 p.m. from a vehicle on I-94 and Prior Avenue and said he was having a psychotic episode and had choked an elderly man.

Wondra said the man had not been breathing for about 30 minutes. He told dispatchers voices in his head told him to kill the man “to save humanity.” Johnson was unconscious in the driver’s seat while Wondra was in the passenger seat. Medics took Johnson to Regions Hospital, where he was pronounced dead 45 minutes later.

Wondra was arrested with blood on his left wrist and shirt. Police seized a Bible on the passenger floorboard “that Wondra hoped he could have returned as it had been a gift,” the complaint read.

He told investigators he met Johnson at his workplace last year, adding the priest was like a father figure to him — checking on Wondra and occasionally organizing lunch.

Johnson let Wondra stay at his home on July 31, and Wondra said they attended Mass together the next morning. He asked Johnson to take him to Regions for a mental health evaluation afterward. That’s when Wondra said he had a “weak moment.”

As Johnson drove Wondra to the hospital, those voices told Wondra to kill Johnson. They said the priest must be a martyr “for something bigger.” Wondra told police he knew it was wrong, but he added the voices said it was his last chance to save humanity.

Wondra said he asked Johnson to pull over and began strangling him with his hands. Wondra eventually put Johnson into a headlock and continued choking him.

Wondra said he called 911 because it was “the right thing to do.”

While at police headquarters, Wondra said he had not had any mental health difficulties diagnosed and had been trying to naturally work through his anxiety.

Wondra lived with his dad, who told investigators he noticed no mental health problems in his son. But, the father continued, his son had not felt well lately.