NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WGNO [New Orleans LA]
May 31, 2024
By Bella Dardano
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
An attorney for former New Orleans priest Lawrence Hecker is withdrawing from the case.
Attorney Robert Hjortsberg told WGNO Thursday that his reason for withdrawing is “a confidential matter” between himself and Hecker.New details in investigation of skull found in Bayou St. John
The 92-year-old priest faces charges of aggravated rape, kidnapping, crimes against nature and theft.
A grand jury indicted him on those charges in September 2023, after a 1999 document surfaced, containing what is believed to be his confession of sexually molesting and harming several teenagers between 1966 and 1972.Louisiana governor signs 25-foot police buffer bill into law
Hecker last appeared in court on May 23 for a competency hearing, where he was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair with medical supplies and a space heater.
The next court hearing is scheduled for June 13.