Ryan Erickson

Ryan Gene Erickson (January 17, 1973 – December 19, 2004) was an American Catholic priest who served as associate pastor at St. Patrick Church in Hudson, Wisconsin, and died by suicide in 2004. In 2005, a judge found probable cause that Erickson had murdered funeral home director Daniel O'Connell and mortuary science intern James Ellison in 2002, shortly before O'Connell was to confront Erickson with allegations that he had sexually abused a teenage boy. Just prior to his suicide, police had questioned Erickson about the two killings, searched his rectory and seized his computer, finding images of child sexual abuse.

An example of his concern for the temptations of the flesh was expressed in a "thought for the day" e-mail to his supporters at St. Patrick's church: "Even Sunday Mass is not safe from the immodest dress of some devils. They come to read, give out Holy Communion, etc....looking like an advertisement. There [sic] immodest dress says to all present: I'm easy! Please go home and masturbate to my beautiful body. The sad thing is that some do."

Erickson's strict, conservative views led to tensions with more liberal Catholics at St. Patrick's church and the resignation of the principal at the school, but the priest also had his share of supporters.

Despite a reward of $100,000 and police interviews of 1,800 people (including Ryan Erickson),

During this time (on September 16, 2003)

Investigation, suicide, and ruling Investigation Erickson did not become a suspect and was not interviewed by police until November 2004, when detectives Jeffrey Knopps and Shawn Pettee traveled from Hudson to Hurley to interview Erickson about the sexual assaults they had heard about from a male student from North Dakota and former associate of Erickson that Knopps had interviewed. The provisions of Wis. Stat. section 968.26 currently define the scope of a John Doe proceeding in Wisconsin, which is intended as an independent, investigatory tool to ascertain whether a crime has been committed and if so, by whom." "The goal is to allow the judge to determine whether it appears probable from the testimony given that a crime has been committed, and whether to file a complaint. But the proceedings are also designed to protect innocent citizens from the fallout of frivolous prosecutions." |group=Note was held at the request of the family of Daniel O'Connell. On October 3, 2005, St. Croix District Attorney Eric Johnson presented the evidence to St. Croix County Judge Eric Lundell Erickson's attorney and parents refused to attend the hearing and deny his guilt. Reportedly, "the only member of the clergy to call on the widow in the three and a half years after the murder was Ryan Erickson, the murderer."