Ryan Erickson (Father Erickson)

Ryan Gene Erickson was born on January 17, 1973, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He was raised Catholic and developed an interest in the priesthood from an early age. He eventually entered religious training and was ordained as a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Superior on June 4, 2000.

Erickson became known as an energetic and personable priest. He served at St. Patrick Church in Hudson, Wisconsin, where he worked as an associate pastor and became involved with young parishioners. Later assignments included Our Lady of Sorrows in Ladysmith and St. Mary's of the Seven Dolors in Hurley.

Public accounts of Erickson's life after his death revealed troubling allegations concerning his behaviour toward young people. Investigators also learned that he owned numerous firearms and had a particular interest in guns.

On February 5, 2002, funeral home director Daniel O'Connell, 39, and mortuary science intern James Ellison, 22, were shot to death inside O'Connell's funeral home in Hudson.

O'Connell was found dead behind his desk. Ellison had apparently witnessed the shooting and was shot as he attempted to leave the room. Neither victim had been robbed, and the killings initially appeared to be a targeted attack rather than a conventional robbery.

The investigation remained unsolved for almost three years.

A significant breakthrough eventually emerged when investigators began examining allegations concerning Erickson. Prosecutors later presented evidence suggesting that O'Connell had learned of allegations that Erickson had sexually abused a teenage boy and may have been preparing to confront him.

The prosecution theory was that Erickson killed O'Connell to prevent him from exposing the allegations. Ellison was believed to have been killed because he happened to witness the attack.

The murders were carried out with a 9mm handgun inside O'Connell's funeral home during the middle of the working day.

O'Connell was shot in the head at close range. Ellison was also shot in the head after apparently encountering the killer and attempting to escape.

Investigators believed the attack was targeted rather than random. Erickson's familiarity with firearms became significant during the investigation because he owned numerous guns, although investigators were unable to conclusively match a specific weapon to the murders.

The strongest evidence against him ultimately came from his behaviour and statements after the killings, including his knowledge of details about the crime scene that had never been publicly released.

Erickson was never formally arrested for the murders.

In 2004, investigators investigating allegations of sexual misconduct involving Erickson began examining whether he could also be connected to the unsolved Hudson killings. Detectives interviewed him at his rectory in Hurley on November 11, 2004.

During the interview, Erickson demonstrated knowledge of details from the 2002 crime scene that police had deliberately kept confidential. When questioned about how he knew the information, he gave explanations that investigators subsequently determined were not credible.

Investigators also learned that Erickson could not adequately account for his whereabouts during the period when O'Connell and Ellison were murdered.

According to testimony later presented at the probable-cause hearing, Erickson subsequently told a church deacon, "I done it and they're gonna catch me."

Police searched his rectory on December 16, 2004, seizing computers, clothing, papers and other items. Three days later, on December 19, Erickson died by suicide by hanging himself outside the rectory.

Because Erickson died before he could be arrested or prosecuted, there was no criminal trial or conviction.

However, authorities continued investigating the murders after his death. In October 2005, St. Croix County Circuit Judge Eric Lundell conducted a special John Doe probable-cause hearing to determine whether sufficient evidence existed to establish Erickson's responsibility for the killings.

After hearing testimony from 15 witnesses and reviewing the evidence, Judge Lundell concluded that Erickson probably committed the murders of Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison. He described the circumstantial case against Erickson as exceptionally strong, effectively closing the investigation without a criminal conviction.

The case became particularly disturbing because Erickson had continued working as a priest after the murders and even participated in O'Connell's funeral. O'Connell's funeral was held at St. Patrick Church, where Erickson was serving as an associate priest, and Erickson participated in the service.

The investigation into the murders also uncovered allegations concerning Erickson's sexual misconduct with a teenage boy. According to investigators, O'Connell may have learned about those allegations shortly before his death. A witness reported that O'Connell had asked about Erickson and whether anyone had seen the priest behave inappropriately with a child on the morning of the murders.

Erickson's own suicide note denied that he had killed anyone. He wrote that he had "hurt" people but explicitly denied committing murder. Nevertheless, investigators developed substantial evidence against him, including his apparent knowledge of confidential crime-scene information and the alleged admission to the deacon.

The 2005 judicial finding of probable cause is the strongest formal legal finding concerning his responsibility for the two killings.

Sources:

• Hudson Police Department
• St. Croix County District Attorney's Office
• St. Croix County Circuit Court
• Diocese of Superior
• Associated Press
• CBS News
• TIME
• Star Tribune
• Hudson Star-Observer
• Duluth News Tribune
• Washington Post