Bishop meets with parishioners whose priest was accused of murder

Published: 2006-01-17

HUDSON, Wis. (CNS) -- At a Jan. 15 meeting with members of St. Patrick Parish in Hudson, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss of Superior acknowledged failures in dealing with a former associate pastor who apparently molested minors, killed two men when confronted about his actions and committed suicide when police questioned him. The meeting was held in hopes of beginning a healing process in the wake of the string of tragedies involving the former associate pastor, Father Ryan Erickson. Last October a St. Croix County judge ruled that circumstantial evidence pointed to Father Erickson as the murderer in 2002 of Hudson funeral home director Dan O'Connell, a St. Patrick parishioner, and his intern, James Ellison. O'Connell allegedly knew that Father Erickson had sexually abused minors and was murdered shortly after he confronted the priest about it. The evidence indicated that when the priest went to the funeral home to kill O'Connell, he also killed Ellison because Ellison would have been a witness to the murder. In December 2004, less than two weeks after police questioned him about the double murder, Father Erickson hanged himself. Following the October 2005 hearing on the case, Judge Eric Lundell said if the priest were still alive the evidence would have been sufficient to try him for murder and probably convict him.

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