COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A woman charged with stalking the Rev. Michael Pfleger was found not guilty by reason of insanity more than a year after she told authorities that God had ordered her to marry the well-known Chicago priest, according to court documents.
Lidia Kuzniar, a 57-year-old Deerfield woman, was acquitted of the charges Friday when a Cook County judge found her not guilty by reason of insanity, records state.
Kuzniar was arrested in November 2012 at Saint Sabina Catholic Church after allegedly telling Pfleger's assistant that nothing would stop her from marrying the priest, including a restraining order that Pfleger had against her, according to a report published by the Sun-Times.
Prosecutors alleged after Kuzniar's arrest she felt she didn’t have to adhere to the restraining order because “she only listens to God’s law and not man’s law,” the Sun-Times reported.
Kuzniar was arrested for trespassing on church property, located at 1210 W. 78th Place, on more than one occasion and tried reportedly tried to rush at the priest while he was celebrating mass at the altar.
After her final arrest, Kuzniar allegedly told authorities that she fell for Pfleger watching him on TV, the Sun-Times reported.
Pfleger told DNAinfo Chicago on Wednesday that he was in court when the ruling was handed down.
"It was sad to see her because it reminded me [of] the mental illness that exists in our society," Pfleger said. "There are countless other Lidia Kuzniars out there who are mentally ill."
While he said his personal safety was a concern, what disturbed him more "was that she believed that God sent her to do this and that she was on a mission from God."
"When people do wrong, thinking that this is what God instructed them to do, that frightens me the most," Pfleger said.
On Friday, Judge Matthew Coghlan found Kuzniar innocent and remanded her to the care of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
