NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WDSU [New Orleans]
June 15, 2023
By Aubry Killion
A New Orleans priest accused of sex crimes is under investigation by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office.
Lawrence Hecker, a retired priest, is accused of being a serial child molester.
Hecker was named in a list by the New Orleans Archdiocese of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse.
Hecker has never been arrested or criminally charged. The investigation by the district attorney is the first step in years of looking into the crimes he is accused of.
On Thursday, attorneys for the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the accusers’ attorneys were in federal court to discuss the possibility of unsealing a deposition in Hecker’s case.
WDSU Investigates spoke with one of Hecker’s alleged victims.
“If I would have only told somebody, maybe I could have prevented others to feel the wrath of Father Hecker, and I still feel that way today. Every Catholic in New Orleans should know the atrocities that was done against us. I just pray for the victims, pray for the survivors. I pray and wish and hope that the church comes forward and becomes transparent and accepts accountability for the sins they have committed.”
WDSU Investigative reporter Aubry Killion spoke with Hecker Thursday.
“It’s hard to sum up in a couple of words. What makes somebody good, what makes somebody bad,” Hecker said. “There’s good and bad in everybody.”
WDSU asked Hecker have you ever touched a child?
“Oh my goodness, you mean touch a child?” Hecker said.
WDSU asked Have you ever physically or sexually assaulted a child?
“I am afraid there’s some trick or something. I just don’t want to get involved with all this,” Hecker said.
WDSU asked have you ever in your life as a former priest touched a child.
“No comment,” Hecker said.
“There has been intense law enforcement interest in Lawrence Hecker in the documents and the deposition that we took from Hecker in December of 2020, which is to this day the most disturbing, fascinating, disgusting testimony I’ve ever taken as a lawyer,” attorney for the alleged victim Richard Trahant said.
District Attorney Jason Williams announced the investigation into Hecker after court.
Williams said in a statement that he believes there is evidence of abuse against multiple children in the sealed record and that the secrecy of his case is an obstacle to a proper investigation.
Williams’ entire statement can be read here:
“The District Attorney’s office is tasked with assessing facts and evidence surrounding the commission of a crime to determine whether formal charges are warranted. It is immeasurably problematic anytime documents pertaining to a crime are concealed or inaccessible to law enforcement and prosecutors with jurisdiction. A single sentence, a photograph, or a phrase from a deposition, file or statement could be the determining factor in whether a survivor of sexual abuse ever achieves justice.
“There is possibly evidence of abuse against a child or even multiple children within these sealed records. We won’t know unless we see it. The continued secrecy of these documents serves as a major obstacle to a proper investigation. Sworn deposition testimony concerning the commission of a crime should not be withheld from a prosecutorial authority merely because reputations may be harmed. The physical, emotional or mental harm from sexual abuse lasts a lifetime. Evidence that a crime has been committed should be brought before the proper criminal court. Thus, we are urging the federal court to unseal the sworn testimony of former Rev. Lawrence Hecker, as well as any other records held in secret by the New Orleans Archdiocese regarding Hecker. This is necessary to determine whether criminal charges are warranted against an accused child rapist.”
The judge did not rule on any records being released.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans did turn over “a voluminous amount of evidence” to Williams’ office Wednesday.
Attorneys for the Archdiocese of New Orleans believe Hecker’s records should remain sealed.
This is a developing story. Stick with WDSU.com.