
Convicted Louisiana Priest Dies Days After Receiving Life Sentence
Lawrence Hecker, a disgraced former New Orleans priest convicted of raping and kidnapping a teenage boy nearly 50 years ago, has died at the age of 93, just nine days after being sentenced to life in prison. His attorney confirmed his death but did not disclose the cause.
On December 3, Hecker pleaded guilty to a series of charges, including aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, and theft. The charges stemmed from a 1975 assault in which Hecker suffocated a 16-year-old boy until he lost consciousness and then raped him in a church.
The victim, now an adult, provided gut-wrenching testimony during the sentencing hearing, refusing to forgive Hecker and calling out the Archdiocese of New Orleans for its role in enabling decades of abuse. “In my opinion, the archdiocese should be sitting there with him – because they are complicit in this as well,” the victim stated.
Other survivors also came forward during the proceedings, recounting their own experiences with Hecker’s abuse and condemning the church for its long history of cover-ups. One described Hecker as “an animal” who destroyed lives while the church shielded him from accountability.
Hecker’s crimes spanned decades, with documented abuse of at least seven known victims. Despite his admissions to church officials in the late 1990s, Hecker was allowed to continue in ministry and was even promoted to monsignor in 2000.
In a 2020 deposition obtained by WWL and The Guardian, Hecker detailed how archbishops Philip Hannan and Francis Schulte knowingly concealed his actions.
Though Hecker was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia before his trial, he was deemed competent to face the charges. His guilty plea averted a trial that would have put the church’s complicity further in the spotlight.
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Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff