|
|
| |
| |
Criminal Records - Most Wanted |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Profile |
|
| |
Name: Unknown Hudson Funeral Home Double Murderer
|
|
| |
Race: White |
|
| |
Wanted for :
Murder, 2 counts, Hudson, WI;
Feb 05, 2002
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Location(s) |
|
| |
Last Seen : Hudson, WI |
|
| |
Possible Location : Unkown |
|
| |
Last Known : Unkown |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Traits |
|
| |
Witnesses reported seeing man wearing a ball cap, dark pants and a light-colored t-shirt |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Case Story |
|
| |
Who Killed the Pepper King? |
|
| |
Dan O'Connell was the most popular man in Hudson, Wisconsin. Rotaries, Boy Scouts, YMCA fundraisers. You name it, Dan was involved. That's why it was no surprise when he was named the King of the North Hudson Pepper Fest.
James Ellison was a young college student, interning at the O'Connell Funeral home. He had no skeletons in his closet and very little ties to Hudson. That's why everyone in Hudson was scratching their heads when on February 5, 2002, both men were found murdered inside the O'Connell Funeral home. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Witnesses |
|
| |
Theory after theory bounced around town. Some thought drug dealers pulled off I-94 to steal the funeral home's embalming fluid and use it to spike cigarettes. Cops discount this theory for two reasons: First, none of the fluid was stolen. Second, adding embalming fluid doesn't do anything to cigarettes. It is useless.
The next theory came days after the murder when funeral homes in Wisconsin began receiving letters from The Rest of Jesus Ministry, a religious sect which views the embalming process as desecration. The letters contained threats to those who conduct the embalming process. That lead, however, has not gone anywhere.
As with any murder investigation, cops dug deep into the lives of the two victims, Dan O'Connell and James Ellison. And they developed information that would stun the town again.
Police believe the two men were killed by a priest. |
|
| |
|
|
| |
Prosecutors Present Their Case |
|
| |
The case began to come together last November when Hudson cops paid a visit to Reverend Ryan Erickson. They didn't say he was a suspect, but called him a person of interest in the funeral home murders. They interviewed him and he voluntarily surrendered his guns to authorities.
But on Sunday, December 19, 2004, Erickson was found dead. It appeared as though he had committed suicide on the grounds of the St. Mary of the Seven Dolors, the church where he preached.
Reports have surfaced suggesting after he was visited by investigators, he was very disturbed and nervous. Were his actions those of a killer afraid to be discovered or just those of a troubled man?
A lurid tale began to emerge. Apparently, Erickson was under investigation for sexual misconduct with local boys. Since Dan O'Connell was well respected in both the community and the church, it wasn't uncommon for parishoners to turn to Dan for advice. Because of that, prosecutors surmise Dan O'Connell became aware of the allegations against Reverend Erickson. If Erickson suspected O'Connell knew his dirty secret, he'd have ample motive to commit the murder.
In the first day of a hearing, prosecutors presented witnesses who provided a motive for Erickson to kill Dan O'Connell and James Ellison -- and also an apparent confession to the crime.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the court heard from a woman who'd spoken to Dan O'Connell shortly before the murder. In that conversation, she said he asked her whether she'd ever seen Erickson touch any boys inappropriately. Apparently, O'Connell knew something was up. Prosecutors also presented testimony from Russ Lundgren, a co-worker of Erickson's. Shortly after the murder, the Star Tribune reports, Erickson confessed to Lundgren, saying, "I've done it, and they are going to get me." |
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
|
|