"Just wondering, did anyone by chance follow this case at all? HUDSON, Wis. -- A prosecutor says he will present ''strong circumstantial evidence'' next week that a Catholic priest killed a funeral home director and an intern more than three years ago. ... St. Croix County District Attorney Eric Johnson told The Associated Press the evidence, which he said will include a motive but no murder weapon, will be presented during a so-called John Doe hearing behind closed doors before Circuit Judge Eric Lundell. ... Lundell will rule whether evidence gathered by police provides probable cause that the late Rev. Ryan Erickson killed the two victims at their funeral home and committed other crimes, Johnson said. He said the hearing is expected to last three days and involve 15 witnesses, both men and women and people of all ages. ... Rev. Ryan EricksonMargaret LevraAssociated Press''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.'' ... No charges have ever been filed in the Feb. 5, 2002, deaths of Dan O'Connell, 39, and 22-year-old James Ellison, who were shot in the funeral home office during afternoon business hours in this city across the St. Croix River from the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Several shells fired from a handgun were found, investigators said. ... For months, investigators said the killings were not random and the motive was personal. ... O'Connell's father, Tom, said the victims' families have received hours-long private briefings from police and prosecutors on the evidence against Erickson but he was told not to talk about it. ... ''It all makes sense to me now,'' the father said. ''I am sure justice will come. It is hard for anyone to look at the fact there is a priest involved.'' ... Erickson, 31, was found hanged last Dec. 19 from a fire escape at St. Mary's Church in Hurley in far northern Wisconsin several days after police questioned him about the killings and he denied any involvement. ... Before the assignment in Hurley, Erickson was an associate pastor at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Hudson in 2002 and officiated a portion of O'Connell's funeral as associate pastor. ... Authorities have never said why Erickson became a target of the investigation, other than he was questioned about the murders after a separate investigation was launched last fall into an allegation he was involved in a possible crime involving a child or children, Police Chief Richard Trende said. ... A judge sealed court documents in the case, including search warrant records. ... ''I think we will show through strong circumstantial evidence all the things that are necessary to prove the criminal elements under the legal standards,'' the prosecutor said. ''My goal is to present an objective, unbiased presentation of the evidence. We are not going to get into reputation and character issues.'' ... Attorney Patrick ''Buck'' Schilling released a statement from Erickson's parents, Dennis and Mary Erickson of Minocqua, saying the evidence that was shared with them was ''very weak'' and would never be enough for a jury to convict their son if he were still alive. ... ''We know in our hearts that our son had nothing to do with this awful crime and feel tremendous sympathy for the families of Mr. O'Copnnell and Mr. Ellison,'' they said. ... The Rev. John Parr, now the pastor at St. Patrick, declined comment. ... Only the victims' and the priest's families will be allowed to attend the John Doe hearing, Johnson said. Transcripts of the testimony and other police documents will be released afterward, Johnson said. ... Trende likens the case against Erickson to a ''puzzle that you put little pieces together. Based on the information we have at this time, we have gone as far as we can.'' ... The police chief is unsure whether the priest's supporters will be satisfied that police solved the case. ... ''Whether they accept it or not, they will see things they at least have to pay attention to,'' Trende said. ''I have tried to warn them. This is stuff that is unpleasant that is going to come out.'' ... He added, ''There may always be that one question mark sitting out there too.'' ... Tom O'Connell used the word unbelievable to characterize the evidence he has seen and heard. ... ''You will be saying to me Wednesday, 'Oh my Lord,''' he said. ''You probably won't believe some of the things. ... I want to get out everything that this fella did. I want the people to know everything. I want nothing held back.'' ... Secrecy about what police suspect about Erickson has surrounded the case from the beginning. ... For example, police seized computers from the priest's rectory in Hurley to search them for both existing and deleted programs and e-mails. ... Asked whether the information recovered from them turned out to be important, Trende would say only the computers ''were a value'' for a couple of issues. ... Craig Schauffert, a Main Street businessman, said Wednesday that talk about the case has died down in town but people want answers, especially because it's so hard to believe that a priest could be involved. ... ''I would like some kind of concrete information,'' he said. ''Whether or not they will (provide it), I don't know. My reaction is they won't.'' ... "
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