(OSV News) — A Catholic deacon in Omaha, Nebraska, has been murdered, with his adult son now in custody as the suspected killer.

Deacon John Zak, who served at St. Peter Catholic Church in Omaha, was found dead in his home late March 11.

The deacon’s son, 36-year-old Martin Zak, was arrested the following day on suspicion of criminal homicide, felony flight to evade arrest and felony theft of at least $5000. 

The arrest took place after a police pursuit, after law enforcement attempted to stop Zak’s vehicle.

He is currently being held in the Douglas County jail on $1 million bond, the Douglas County attorney’s office told OSV News. Zak appeared in court for a bond hearing March 13.

Catholic deacon’s death shocks community

Father John Broheimer, St. Peter’s pastor, released a statement posted to the parish website, describing the deacon’s death as “a great shock to his family and to our parish.”

In a statement posted on Facebook, Archbishop Michael G. McGovern of Omaha said he was “saddened” to learn of the “tragic death” of Deacon Zak, who had been ordained in 1998.

The archbishop noted that the deacon had also “directed the parish’s youth group and served as a teacher in the parish catechism program.”

“As law enforcement continues investigating, 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,” said Archbishop McGovern.

In a March 13 Facebook post, the Omaha Police Officers Association said its members’ thoughts were with Deacon Zak’s family.

The association described the deacon as “an active member of the community,” and credited “outstanding investigative work by our detectives” in identifying a person of interest.”

Police still investigating

How Deacon Zak was killed is “still under investigation,” Lt. Neal Bonacci of the Omaha Police Department told OSV News.

He said that Martin Zak’s prior encounters with law enforcement appear “to be mostly traffic-related.”

He confirmed that the Douglas County Attorney’s Office will prosecute the case.

In its initial press release, the Omaha Police Department said on March 11 at approximately 11:30 p.m., officers had responded to a missing persons call, arriving at a residence on Cass Street to find “a deceased man.”

“The circumstances surrounding the death” were considered “suspicious,” said the police department, adding that a Blue Mazda SUV was initially named as “a vehicle of interest.”

On March 12, officers observed the SUV around 8:30 a.m. and attempted to make a traffic stop, said the police department.

However, “the driver refused to pull over and led officers on a pursuit,” the department said.

That pursuit ended at an Omaha intersection just under 4 miles away, with the driver “taken into custody as a person of interest in the case,” police added.

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

This story was updated March 13, 2026, at 5:21 p.m. EDT.

The post Omaha police arrest son suspected of murdering his father, a Catholic deacon first appeared on OSV News.