by chiggerbit » Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:28 pm
I get up so Minnesota for frequent visits, and have seen the development of a news story that began with the murders of two men, a funeral home director and an intern, in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2002. Not living near enough, I didn't hear the conclusion of the story until the last visit. Apparently, police believe that they have solved the mystery to their satisfaction, but no charges could be brought because the accused hanged himself. In a type of hearing that is not provided for in most states, a judge concluded in a John Doe hearing that it is likely that Fr. Ryan Erickson had committed the murders. Evidence was also presented to the hearing involving allegations of sexual abuse, having pornography on his computer, providing minors with alcohol, and possession of firearms.<br><br> <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/oct05/361145.asp">www.jsonline.com/news/sta...361145.asp</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br>clip<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Details paint disturbing picture of priest <br>Probable murderer committed suicide<br>By MEG JONES<br>mjones@journalsentinel.com<br>Posted: Oct. 5, 2005<br><br><br>Hudson - Pornography, alcohol, weapons, animal cruelty and homicide - they're all in the court documents that portray a troubling portrait of a Catholic priest believed to be the killer of two men in a funeral home.<br><br> <br>If what authorities say is true, then Ryan Erickson, who served this community for almost three years, was not the man most thought him to be.<br><br>The 31-year-old priest served hundreds of beers and shots of alcohol to teenage boys, kept pornographic pictures on his computer under the label "holy Mass prayers," sexually assaulted an altar boy as many as 10 times and carried a handgun in his car, according to testimony and documents released this week.<br><br>He also pointed a gun out a church window at people he didn't like, beat his dog, drank so much alcohol another priest requested Erickson be transferred from the parish and placed firecrackers in the mouths of fish and watched them blow up, according to police documents.<br><br>Erickson hanged himself last December three days after authorities seized his computer and questioned him in the killings.<br><br>During the years he spent in a Minnesota seminary and in Wisconsin parishes as a priest, psychological and alcohol evaluations were ordered of Erickson, who was accused of sexually assaulting a minor at a Vilas County resort in 1992. The Vilas County district attorney decided not to charge Erickson; a county investigator later told officials that although he felt a crime may have occurred, it would have been difficult to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.<br><br>Court documents show Catholic officials, including Bishop Raphael Fliss, were aware in 1994 of the sexual misconduct allegations against Erickson, who enrolled in Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Winona, Minn., in the fall of 1992.<br><br>The Rev. Philip Heslin, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior, did not return a phone message Wednesday.<br><br>The allegations paint a troubling picture of a priest who most likely killed Dan O'Connell and intern James Ellison at O'Connell's funeral home in February 2002. On Monday a St. Croix County judge ruled, following a daylong John Doe hearing closed to the public, that there was probable cause that Erickson shot the men to death a few hours before comforting O'Connell's family and then later presiding over portions of O'Connell's funeral.<br><br>Testimony and documents showed that O'Connell probably confronted Erickson with allegations that the priest was either molesting or providing alcohol to teen boys, and Erickson shot the funeral home director to silence him.<br><br>Two years after Erickson was ordained as a priest in 2000 and sent to St. Patrick's Church in Hudson, a psychological evaluation was ordered with the results sent to the diocese....<br><br><hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--> <br><br><br>See also:<br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.catholicherald.org/archives/articles/fr.ryanericsondecision05.html">www.catholicherald.org/ar...ion05.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.forestlaketimes.com/2005/October/5kern.html">www.forestlaketimes.com/2...5kern.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://209.236.225.83/54848LN/LadysmithNews.taf?function=detail&Layout1_uid2=14356">209.236.225.83/54848LN/La...uid2=14356</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--><br><br><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_272183721.html">wcco.com/topstories/local...83721.html</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> <p></p><i></i>
