Omaha Catholic Deacon Found Dismembered, Adult Son Charged with Murder

Martin Zak, 36, is accused of stabbing and dismembering his adoptive father, 69-year-old Deacon John Zak of St. Peter Catholic Church in Omaha, whose remains were found throughout the family home on March 11, 2026, after he failed to show up for work at CHI Health or a parish youth group meeting that evening.

Prosecutors told the court that officers searching the home near 36th and Cass streets found a tote under the porch containing a dismembered torso. Other body parts were located in and outside the house. John Zak had been stabbed in the chest, back, and head, according to prosecutors, and knives were recovered from the dishwasher inside the residence.

The investigation began when Mary Zak, John's wife, grew concerned after her husband missed work and a scheduled youth group. When she returned home she found the back door damaged. She called John's phone, and it rang in Martin's pocket. According to prosecutors, Martin quickly silenced it and denied it was his father's phone. Police found blood on the back door and in the hallway leading to Martin's basement room. A further search of the home turned up John Zak's remains.

Martin Zak was taken into custody the following morning after a police pursuit, Lt. Nicholas Andrews of the Omaha Police Department told KETV. The vehicle Martin was driving belonged to his father. John Zak's wallet was found in Martin's possession, his phone was later recovered after being discarded on the interstate, and John's clothing was found with blood on it, prosecutors said.

Mary Zak told police she had dropped Martin at what court documents described as "mental health programming" before leaving for work that day. She also said Martin lived with them but did not have a key and was not permitted to be in the home without a parent present. Friends Kevin and Cindy Engelkamp, who knew the family through St. Peter Catholic Church, said Martin had long struggled with mental health. "Mary and John were trying to be very careful and set boundaries, but still loved him. He was their son and wanted to help him," Cindy Engelkamp said. "I didn't think he would go that far, but the kids were concerned for the parents' safety before this happened."

At his first court appearance on March 16, Martin Zak was charged with first-degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, flight to avoid arrest, and theft by unlawful taking. He was denied bond and faces a potential life sentence on the murder count alone. A preliminary hearing is set for April 17 in Douglas County.

John and Mary Zak adopted Martin when he was approximately three months old. The family, which included 13 children total, was deeply rooted in the St. Peter parish community. John Zak had served as a permanent deacon since his ordination in 1998, directing the parish youth group and teaching in the catechism program for more than 25 years. He was also a respiratory therapy supervisor at CHI Health.

Archbishop Michael G. McGovern of the Archdiocese of Omaha said he was "saddened" to learn of the "tragic death" of Deacon Zak and asked for prayers "for the repose of the soul of Deacon Zak, for his family and for the St. Peter parish community in this difficult time." St. Peter's pastor, Rev. John P. Broheimer, addressed the parish directly: "The tragedy is not only in the violence of what happened, but also in the loss of a man whose life was so deeply given over to God, to family, and to others. We grieve because a wife lost her husband, children have lost their father, and this parish has lost a Deacon whose service touched so many lives. The wound is real, and the sorrow is heavy.