The Sickening Crimes of Father Ryan Erickson

29 Apr

Father Ryan Erickson, a Roman Catholic priest, died by suicide in 2004. A subsequent investigation found probable cause that he was responsible for the murders of funeral home director Daniel O'Connell and mortuary science intern James Ellison, shortly before O'Connell was to confront Erickson with allegations of sexual abuse towards a teenage boy.

Who was Father Ryan Erickson

Ryan Erickson during one of his interviews with police when under suspicion of having committed the murders of Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison.

Ryan Erickson was a Wisconsin-born Roman Catholic priest, who spent his early years in Campbellsport, WI. He went on to become a charismatic and energetic figure within the church, owning 16 guns and having a reputation for being a good shot. He was known to be "ultra-conservative" and passionate about his opposition to abortion and homosexuality.

He would often chastise his congregation for dressing immodestly and found any physical affection, innocent things like hugs and shaking hands, between congregation members to be repulsive and sinful.

The Murders of Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison

Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison before they were murdered by Father Ryan Erickson — Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison. Photo: TheCinemaholic

The bodies of Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison were discovered in the early afternoon by a county medical examiner who was visiting the funeral home where they both worked to pick up a death certificate.

The examiner found the scene of the crime which clearly indicated that O'Connell was the intended target. O'Connell was found shot to death behind his desk, whereas Ellison had been shot in the back while attempting to flee the scene.

Investigators surmised that an argument between O'Connell and the perpetrator had escalated quickly into violence. Ellison was also targeted and murdered as he was a witness to the crime.

After an intensive investigation which included interviews with 1,800 individuals (including Ryan Erickson), and a $100,000 reward, the case of the double murder remained unsolved for nearly two years.

During this period, on September 16, 2003, Erickson was reassigned to Our Lady of Sorrows in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, as an assistant pastor. However, the head pastor at the church complained to the diocese Bishop that Erickson had issues with drinking. When Erickson was reprimanded for spending a weekend partying on Beer Can Island, Erickson retorted that he had not been a priest that weekend. Subsequently, on August 10, 2004, Erickson was transferred to St. Mary's of the Seven Dolors church, which was located 200 miles away from Hudson in Hurley, Wisconsin.

The Investigation of Father Ryan Erickson

A video detailing the case against Father Ryan Erickson

It was not until November 2004 that Erickson became a suspect in the case and was finally interviewed by detectives Jeffrey Knopps and Shawn Pettee. The detectives traveled from Hudson to Hurley to question Erickson about the sexual assaults which they had learned of from a male student from North Dakota and former associate of Erickson.

During the interview, the detectives asked Erickson to recount how Daniel O'Connell and James Ellison had been killed. Erickson replied by saying:

“I think James was going through a door and out a door? And Dan was behind his desk. I think that’s what I, that’s what I, I mean, if I had to say what took place, I would say James was at the door and, and Dan was at the desk.”

While Erickson claimed he learned this information from the news, police believed that these details could only have been known by the perpetrator.

These details were intentionally withheld by the police so that they could be used to test false confessions and identify individuals who knew information that only the killer would know.

After the interview, Deacon Russell Lundgren had a conversation with Erickson during which the priest allegedly said, "'I done it and they were going to catch me'". Lundgren further testified at a post-suicide judicial inquiry hearing that Erickson was worried about going to prison and what would happen to him as a young man and former priest.

The detectives obtained a search warrant for Erickson’s living quarters, hoping to uncover evidence linking him to the murders. During the search, they discovered a hidden file on his computer containing more than forty explicit images of prepubescent males. The file had been accessed just days before Erickson's suicide. On December 19, 2004, Erickson was found dead by hanging himself in the hallway of St. Mary's. The discovery of his body was made by a church janitor and a parishioner, Richard Reams.

Evidence Discovered After the Death of Father Ryan Erickson

Police investigations made note of several instances of sexual abuse in Father Ryan’s past, starting from a very young age. Their report stated:

"When Erickson was 6 years old, he had sexual contact with a 4-year-old male cousin; when he was 19, he had sexual contact with a 14-year-old boy; when he was 21, he was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a boy at a summer resort."

In the aftermath of Erickson's suicide, a hearing was held in which a teenage boy from nearby Somerset, Wisconsin testified that he had been molested by the priest. According to the victim's testimony, he had spent many weekends at the rectory with Erickson from 2000 to 2002, watching horror movies and playing drinking games.

He estimated that Erickson had provided him with over 1,200 cans of beer and the same amount of liquor shots. The victim could recall around ten instances of sexual abuse by Erickson, but was often too intoxicated to remember what happened the night before when he woke up.

The Hearing of the Evidence Against Father Ryan Erickson

In the wake of Ryan Erickson's suicide, questions about his possible involvement in the murder of two Wisconsin men lingered for months. To shed light on the case, a "John Doe" proceeding was held in October 2005 at the request of the family of Daniel O'Connell, one of the victims.

During the hearing, St. Croix District Attorney Eric Johnson presented evidence that implicated Erickson in the murders. Fifteen witnesses testified, and additional evidence was presented to support the prosecution's case.

Despite the fact that the defendant was deceased, Judge Eric Lundell presided over the hearing and ultimately found that "Ryan Erickson probably committed these crimes in question." While the case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, Judge Lundell considered it to be very strong and rated its strength as a "ten" on a scale of one to ten.

Although Erickson's attorney and parents did not attend the hearing and denied his guilt, D.A. Eric Johnson noted that the judge's ruling could be interpreted as a finding of guilt, even though the evidence was not cross-examined or heard by a jury.

The John Doe proceeding provided closure for the families of the victims and shed light on the disturbing behavior of Ryan Erickson and his history of inappropriate sexual behavior with minors.

Reaction of the Catholic Church to the Crimes of Ryan Erickson

In his notes to friends and family, Erickson denied killing anyone, but admitted that his personal flaws, such as his pride, lust, and envy, had prevented him from being the best person he could be.

The former bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior, Raphael Fliss, stated that the diocese was unaware of Erickson's improper sexual behavior until Hudson police officers informed them of the allegations in December 2004.

Leon Podles, a Catholic writer, pointed out that the diocese had not included Erickson in its own audit or the John Jay School of Criminal Justice list of sexual abusers because the incidents and accusations did not occur when Erickson was a priest, even though he had admitted to incidents of sexual abuse and been accused of abuse before and during his time in the seminary.

The family of Daniel O'Connell, one of Erickson's victims, has criticized the diocese's handling of the situation, stating that they did not receive any condolences or apologies from the diocese, and the only member of the clergy to visit O'Connell's widow after the murder was Ryan Erickson himself.