WISCONSIN
WKOW
Thu 04/27/2006 -
Thousands of Catholic priests stand accused of sexual abuse. And a Cross Plains couple believes if the church were more open about them, a family member would still be alive. They believe their case may be the most heinous in the history of the sex abuse scandal. And now the family is hoping their story will serve as a wake up call to the Catholic Church.
It all began four years ago, when Tom O'Connell was told that his brother Dan had been shot and killed at the family funeral home in Hudson, Wisconsin along with intern James Ellison. For years, the murder remained a mystery, until police discovered the killer was the family's parish priest...Father Ryan Erickson. The O'Connells say the church had known for some time about Erickson's dark past.
“They didn't do anything to stop him, and I am convinvinced that if they had taken action, both Dan and James would be alive today," Tom says.