NEW ORLEANS (LA)
Times-Picayune [New Orleans LA]
December 27, 2024
By Poet Wolfe
Lawrence Hecker, an elderly and enfeebled former Catholic priest who pleaded guilty this month to raping a boy in a church gym in New Orleans nearly 50 years ago, died Thursday morning in prison only days after he began serving a life sentence.
The 93-year-old Hecker died at 3 a.m. inside Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel of “natural causes,” said Ken Pastorick, a spokesperson for the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Robert Hjortsberg, one of Hecker’s attorneys, also confirmed the death.
Hecker had arrived at the prison from Orleans Parish on Monday to determine his long-term placement, Pastorick said. Prior to that, he had undergone a routine medical screening at Orleans Justice Center, where he was found to be in stable condition with no signs of distress, according to Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Casey McGee.
Judge Nandi Campbell had just handed Hecker the mandatory life sentence at an emotional Dec. 18 hearing, during which Hecker sat fidgeting and grunting in a wheelchair while three of his accusers testified. The retired clergyman was indicted last year after an investigation revealed that he admitted to molesting multiple juveniles over decades while serving in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Claims of Hecker’s mental and physical collapse had delayed a trial for nearly a year before he abruptly pleaded guilty as charged on Dec. 3 to first-degree rape, aggravated crime against nature, aggravated kidnapping and theft. Hecker’s attorneys had argued that he couldn’t assist in his defense. Tests showed mild-to-moderate dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, though a panel of psychiatrists deemed him fit enough for trial.
“Hecker’s measure of earthly justice was certainly not enough for his crimes,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said in a statement. “It seems his maker was anxious to meet him after there was no longer any question about his guilt here.”
A reckoning
Hecker’s guilty pleas halted the start of a trial on charges that involved a single victim, though several of his accusers were lined up to testify. Three of them took the stand last week at Hecker’s sentencing.
The man at the center of the case detailed an incident in which he said Hecker choked, then raped him as a boy in a church gym. Another said that Hecker fondled and molested him for nearly three years, and he described the former priest as “an evil predator.” The third survivor said Hecker fondled him under the guise of a hernia exam in 1968.
“My guilt all these years was not telling anyone in authority what had happened,” the man said. “If only I would have told someone about you, perhaps, just perhaps, I could have saved others.”
Hecker did not offer an apology before Campbell tearfully sentenced him.
Upon learning of Hecker’s death, the survivor of the assault to which Hecker pleaded guilty said he felt “vindicated and free,” according to a statement his attorney, Richard Trahant, provided to the Associated Press.
“The only prayer I can come up with I hope he spends eternity in hell after God’s judgment of him,” it read.
The Times-Picayune does not identify those who have been sexually assaulted.
Rare prosecution
The criminal case marked a rarity for an accused former priest in the New Orleans archdiocese, which is mired in a lengthy federal bankruptcy over several hundred claims of clergy abuse.
The prosecution of priests is also unusual across the country. Only one in seven allegations of abuse by clergy are brought to court, according to one national study, and only 3% of cases result in convictions.
Even more unusual was an investigation into the archdiocese that spawned from an investigation into Hecker. In court documents, Louisiana State Police detectives this year claimed to have uncovered records that “back the claim that previous Archbishops, not only knew of the sexual abuse and failed to report all the claims to law enforcement but spent Archdiocese funding to support the accused.”
Those claims were used to support a remarkable search warrant served this year on the archdiocese. What comes of that probe is uncertain. As part of a proposed settlement to the bankruptcy, Archbishop Gregory Aymond agreed to create a public archive of files detailing allegations of sexual abuse committed by local clergy.
On Friday, Williams expressed gratitude to Campbell, the judge, for setting Hecker’s trial for this year after a previous judge, Benedict Willard, recused himself. Williams credited the survivors who persevered to see justice despite being “ignored, disbelieved, and admonished” as children.
“I am thankful to these once boys, now grown men who were willing to trust me and my team to fight for them after so many other adults chose not to,” Williams said. ‘”These are the most courageous people I have ever met. I am honored to know them.”
The Associated Press and Missy Wilkinson contributed to this story.
Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@theadvocate.com.