Priest ‘attacks homeless man with axe then sets him on fire’ in ‘cruel’ killing

The priest has reportedly admitted to the shocking axe killing, and is also accused of staging a similarly violent attack weeks before on the same man

A priest has been accused of hacking a homeless man with an axe before setting him on fire while he was still alive, having allegedly tried to kill the same victim just weeks earlier.

The former parish priest, described as Mirosław M. by local media, is accused of killing 68-year-old Anatol C. with “particular cruelty” after the homeless man was found engulfed in flames on a country road near the Polish village of Lasopol in July last year, according to Polish publication Super Express.

Prosecutors claim that the pair, who had known each other for around 25 years, became embroiled in a furious row over a promise by the priest to buy or rent the homeless man an apartment in the Polish capital Warsaw.

They claim that the argument escalated after the two pulled over on a quiet roadside, at which point Mirosław allegedly grabbed an axe from his car and began repeatedly striking Anatol in the head before dousing him in petrol and setting him alight, potentially while he was still alive.

An autopsy found the 68-year-old suffered devastating head injuries as well as burns to around 80% of his body.

The former priest has reportedly admitted carrying out the killing during questioning, with prosecutors saying he gave a detailed account of the violent attack. And investigators now allege the murder came just weeks after an earlier failed attempt on Anatol’s life.

According to the indictment, on June 5, 2025, Mirosław M. allegedly stopped on a remote road and asked Anatol to check his car’s engine before striking him on the head. Prosecutors say the attack was interrupted when a witness happened to wander nearby, prompting the former priest to stop his alleged attack.

Psychiatric experts have reportedly found the former priest fully sane and fit to stand trial.

Mirosław M. faces charges of murder with particular cruelty and the attempted murder of the same victim.

Warsaw Archbishop Adrian Galbas has apologised to worshippers and asked the Vatican to dismiss the priest from the clergy.

The Archdiocese also arranged the victim’s funeral, with the homeless man buried in Warsaw after a Mass led by the city’s Archbishop himself.

If convicted, the former priest reportedly faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars.

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