NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WDSU [New Orleans]
December 8, 2024
By Aubry Killion
NEW ORLEANS — WDSU Investigates has obtained documents sealed in a case involving New Orleans clergy sex abuse.
The documents paint the picture of abuse from about a dozen victims of a former New Orleans priest, Lawrence Hecker.
After his historic guilty plea this week, one of Hecker’s accusers is speaking up to let sex abuse survivors know there is hope. The man WDSU spoke with did not want his identity revealed.
Warning: The details in this story are graphic.
“Passed around like meat, and we all suffered,” the victim said. “It is impossible to describe.”
WDSU asked what his reaction was to Hecker pleading guilty.
“It brought a great deal of resolution to what we have been dealing with,” he said.
The victim shared his most vivid memory from almost 60 years ago when he says Hecker took him to a local pool to swim naked.
“He came up from behind me, grabbed me and started fondling me. I kind of kicked away, and my friend told me, ‘You screamed like a pig,'” he said.
The secret records show abuse occurred all across southeast Louisiana and in Mississippi, dating back to the 1960s.
Another man described being raped by Hecker as a teen. Records show the principal said the child needed to see a psychiatrist or be expelled.
The unsealed records state altar boys would be penetrated by clergy members, with Hecker as the instigator.
“He destroyed a lot of people’s lives,” the victim said.
The records show a child was given a box with a feather in it.
“They gave that to a person they were still involved with to give to a priest who let them know he was available,” the victim explained.
The documents also state abuse occurred during altar boy trips in limousines.
“He was a guy that took total advantage of innocent kids,” the victim said.
The records describe Hecker in a Mississippi hotel room in bed with a boy.
“He changed our lives,” said the victim.
The unsealed records show that in 1999, the archdiocese sent Hecker for an evaluation, where he was diagnosed as a pedophile. Prosecutors say Hecker admitted to sex abuse in a confession. For about three years after he was diagnosed as a pedophile, he was allowed to continue working under the archdiocese. In 2002, Hecker was allowed to retire.
Some are questioning whether the diocese has downplayed clergy abuse.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond has denied multiple on-camera interview requests for more than a year.
It’s a different approach than after he became archbishop in 2009. In 2010, on Easter Sunday live on WDSU, Aymond spoke about clergy abuse.
“I say I am sorry we must move forward,” Aymond said. “People like to find fault, and that is part of where the media can come in.”
Aymond, back then, made himself much more available to the media, releasing names of credibly accused priests in 2018.
“When someone is declared a danger to children, they should not be a minister,” Aymond said in 2018.
“I have no doubt this will make us a stronger church,” Aymond said in 2020 after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy.
Interviews with Aymond have paused. Hecker was eventually arrested in 2023 for rape and kidnapping.
WDSU asked Aymond if he thought Hecker should be in jail.
“I have Mass this evening,” Aymond said in 2023.
Aymond said Hecker was reported to law enforcement.
This week, Hecker pleaded guilty just as his trial was about to begin.
District Attorney Jason Williams says the media played a role in this case.
“The press pressed something that it seemed like the system institutions wanted to look away from and forget about that also feels criminal,” Williams said.
While the diocese says it reported Hecker to law enforcement, the diocese is under investigation by state police.
While it’s been a controversial year, they say progress is being made to heal and move forward.
The diocese will release records linked to child sex abuse for the public to see. It is a major step to improve transparency and to ensure child sex abuse never happens again.
Records show Aymond will meet with abuse survivors individually and in groups.
Sen. Royce Duplessis also spoke up about records linked to child sex abuse being sealed.
“There is absolutely no place for records being sealed if it relates to information pertaining to children who were victimized or someone confessing to committing a crime,” Duplessis said. “There’s no place for records of that nature being sealed, and I am certainly glad that they were unsealed.”
The archdiocese declined to go on camera for this story.
It issued the following statement:
“The Archdiocese of New Orleans has cooperated with the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office in connection with the investigation into Lawrence Hecker since prior to his indictment in 2023. Our cooperation is continuing.”