Warning: This story contains upsetting content. Reader discretion advised.
A deacon in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Nebraska, was murdered by his son, prosecutors say.
Martin Zak, 36, was denied bail when he appeared in court on March 16 after being charged with first-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, attempting to evade arrest and theft, according to a March 16 report by KETV 7, an Omaha-area ABC affiliate.
He has been accused of murdering his father, Deacon John Zak of St. Peter Catholic Church, KETV 7 reported. Deacon Zak was found dead in his home on March 11, and, on March 12, police attempted to stop a vehicle of interest, which prosecutors have claimed belongs to the deacon. A pursuit ensued, and police found Martin Zak and his father’s wallet when they stopped the vehicle and searched it.
According to a separate KETV 7 report, Omaha Police Department Lt. Nicholas Andrews said he met with the Zak family March 13 to review the investigation.
“They're taking it tough. It's a large family, that sounds like they were very close-knit, and it's going to be a hard time,” Andrews said.
The outlet reported that Deacon Zak and his wife, Mary, adopted Martin when he was 3 months old, according to officials. According to the Catholic Voice of Omaha, Deacon Zak and Mary have 13 children.
The March 16 KETV 7 report stated that investigators said Martin was staying with Deacon Zak one day before the alleged homicide occurred. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said there is evidence that knives were used in the attack against the deacon.
Kleine said that Mary “was dropping Martin Zak off at a mental health programming service before going to work” March 11, the outlet reported.
According to prosecutors, Deacon Zak did not show up for work March 11 and Mary attempted to contact him. She noticed damage to the back door, the outlet reported.
“Martin Zak walked into the back door of the home, and John's wife then attempted to call the deacon, and his phone rang in Martin's pocket, prosecutors said,” according to the outlet. “Prosecutors added that Martin denied to Mary that it was John's phone.”
Police were called to Deacon Zak’s home on the evening of March 11 and found him dead; prosecutors said his “body was found dismembered,” KETV 7 reported.
Martin’s next court appearance is scheduled for April 17.
Pastor, Omaha archbishop, and community mourn death of beloved deacon
Father John Broheimer, pastor of St. Peter’s, said in a statement on the parish website that the whole parish was grieved by the sudden loss of Deacon Zak.
“His sudden and violent death has brought deep sorrow to his wife and children, to all who loved him, and to the whole parish family of St. Peter,” Fr. Broheimer said. “The circumstances of his death make this loss all the more painful. We cannot overlook that tragedy, nor should we pretend that such a loss does not wound us deeply. It does.”
“And yet even in the face of such grief, we remember him not only in the sorrow of his death, but in the quiet strength, fidelity, and sacrificial love which marked his life,” he said.
The pastor said Deacon Zak and his family have been a part of the parish for almost 40 years. He also emphasized the profound witness the deacon gave in his commitment to his vocation as a husband and father.
“Since 1988 he and his wife Mary made their home here and raised their family here, welcoming and forming his children, both natural and by adoption, in the life of faith,” he said. “His first vocation was there: as husband and father. Those who knew him understood that his ministry did not stand apart from his family life, but flowed from it.
“He loved his wife, he loved his children, and he gave himself to them with the same steadiness and self-sacrifice which he brought to every other duty entrusted to him. He was what fatherhood is meant to be: generous, dependable, sacrificial, and quietly strong.”
Deacon Zak loved Jesus especially in the Eucharist and regularly led Holy Hours, Fr. Broheimer said. The deacon also had a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and loved to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the Rosary. He encouraged people to reconcile with God and experience His mercy and healing, particularly through the Sacrament of Confession, the pastor said. He also spent extensive time in youth ministry, leading the youth group and teaching catechism classes for 20 years. Outside of parish life, Deacon Zak worked for decades as a respiratory therapist supervisor, and Fr. Broheimer praised him for his dedication to his vocations.
“What made this witness all the more striking was that there was nothing grandiose about him,” Fr. Broheimer said. “He did not serve in order to be noticed. He did not make a display of his sacrifices. He had no desire for the spotlight. His way was simpler than that and, for that very reason, more powerful. He seemed simply to believe: these are our duties before God, so let us do them. That conviction shaped his life.”
CHI Health, where Deacon Zak worked as a respiratory therapist supervisor, issued a statement mourning his loss.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of one of our colleagues. John Zak served as a respiratory therapy supervisor at our hospital for 38 years. He devoted his career to caring for patients and supporting his team,” CHI Health said, according to KETV 7. “We are also focused on supporting our staff who are grieving this loss.”
St. Peter will hold the deacon’s funeral Mass on March 21, with a vigil on March 20. Fr. Broheimer expressed gratitude for what he described as an “outpouring of sympathy, prayer, and charity” in the wake of the tragedy.
“So many have written, called, visited, and reached out simply to assure Deacon Zak's family and this parish of their prayers,” he said. “That great kindness has been a real consolation in a moment of profound sorrow. It has helped to sustain his family, and it has also helped to direct the grief of our parish in a way worthy of Christian faith.”
In a March 13 statement on Facebook, the archdiocese said it mourns the loss of Deacon Zak.
“As law enforcement continues investigating,” Archbishop Michael McGovern said in the post, “please join me in praying for the repose of the soul of Deacon Zak, for his family and for the St. Peter Parish community in this difficult time.”