HUDSON (WI)
Pioneer Press
BY KEVIN HARTER
Pioneer Press
The Rev. Ryan Erickson likely would have been charged with killing two men in 2002 at a Hudson, Wis., funeral home as well as sexual abuse of a minor and possession of child pornography.
But Erickson hanged himself outside his Wisconsin church last December.
On Monday, prosecutors will lay out the case against Erickson in a private hearing in a St. Croix County courtroom.
District Attorney Eric Johnson and Hudson Police Chief Dick Trende declined to talk about the details Thursday, but they said a strong case will be presented placing Erickson at the funeral home at the time of the fatal shootings.
"I think the case is fairly compelling," Johnson said. "I don't know if it will solve it. If the testimony meets the probable cause standard, I think it will provide some closure."
Neither Johnson nor Trende would reveal specifics, but sources with knowledge of the investigation who spoke on the condition that their names not be used said Erickson engaged in sex with a boy younger than 15. The sources also said the priest gave alcohol to minors and possessed child pornography involving boys, some of which included bondage.