NEW ORLEANS — A 93-year-old former Catholic priest has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual assault of a teenage boy that took place many years ago.
Lawrence Hecker pled guilty to various charges, including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping, just prior to the start of jury selection for his trial this month.
His sentencing is part of the ongoing challenges faced by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, which is grappling with numerous sexual abuse lawsuits and allegations of negligence concerning known abusive priests. This situation has led to a prolonged bankruptcy process for the archdiocese.
The victim in this case recounted that Hecker had initially offered to teach him wrestling techniques ahead of a school team tryout in the mid-1970s, recalling that their training sessions “started innocently enough.” However, those sessions soon took a dark turn when Hecker assaulted him.
“I tried to get up. I pulled up,” the victim stated. “I realized his left arm was over my neck. I don’t remember much after that.”
After disclosing the incident to his parents and church officials, the survivor faced threats of expulsion and was required to go through a psychiatric examination, according to local reports.
During the sentencing, witnesses were ready to share their own experiences of abuse at Hecker’s hands and contributed impact statements regarding their trauma.
Hecker was ordained as a priest in 1958 and had a history of troubling behavior, including past admissions of misconduct and an undeniable child molestation complaint noted in the late 1980s. He officially exited the priesthood in 2002.
Legal processes surrounding Hecker’s case had been postponed for several months due to questions regarding his mental competency.
Aaron Hebert, another survivor, alleged that Hecker sexually assaulted him in the late 1960s when Hebert was in eighth grade at a Catholic elementary school near New Orleans. He claimed that Hecker groped him and his classmates while attempting to demonstrate a medical examination technique.
While the media generally refrains from identifying victims of sexual assault, Hebert has been candid about his ordeal.
“In my opinion, the Archdiocese of New Orleans is morally bankrupt, not financially bankrupt,” Hebert expressed in a letter addressed to a federal judge.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans, who has faced pressure from victims of clergy sexual abuse to resign, released a statement expressing hope that Hecker’s sentencing would bring some form of closure to the victims.
“On behalf of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, we extend our deepest apologies to the survivors for the pain inflicted upon them by Hecker over the years,” Aymond stated.
However, attorney Richard Trahant, representing one of Hecker’s victims, argued that Aymond has not adequately supported survivors.
“Aymond’s words are hollow and false,” Trahant remarked. “Aymond should have been sitting right there next to Hecker.”