“Hecker the Pecker Checker”: The Life of the Priest-Rapist

“Hecker the pecker checker.” That’s what one survivor referred to as him. Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker, of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled responsible to aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime in opposition to nature, and theft on December 3, 2024. He was sentenced to life in jail on December 18. He died on December 26, 2024.

Hecker was ordained a priest in 1958. Sexual assault allegations in opposition to him date again to the Sixties. Why did it take till 2024 to convict him?

This put up explains that Hecker repeatedly assaulted youngsters whereas remaining free from authorized legal responsibility. Ramon Antonio Vargas of The Guardian, David Hammer of WWL, and Aubry Killion of WDSU supplied detailed accounts of Hecker’s therapy by his archdiocese and by the courts of regulation all through these troublesome years. I’m grateful for his or her tales.

1958-Sixties

Hecker was ordained a priest in 1958 and rapidly began molesting. One early sufferer was a preteen altar boy who swam nude with the priest, an occasion that normally ended with sexual assaults of that boy and others. A Gretna, Louisiana, altar boy stated Hecker had molested him within the Sixties.

In 2020, Plaintiff J.W. Doe alleged that Hecker sexually assaulted him in 1968. He additionally sued the church for its negligence in permitting the hurt to happen to him.

Hecker gave the abused boys feathers to hold once they met a brand new priest. Apparently the feather signaled that the boy may very well be a simple goal for abuse, after which grew to become one as the brand new priest acknowledged the sign.

1975

Extra abuse occurred in 1975. As a teen at St. John Vianney Excessive College, one scholar grew to become Hecker’s good friend. The coed would work out on the close by church weight room. Hecker used to go to him there. Hecker arrived in the future, talked to him about his curiosity in sports activities and in wrestling. Hecker then put the boy right into a wrestling headlock. Hecker raped him after he fell unconscious from the assault.

The coed instructed his mom and college officers what had occurred, which is strictly what survivors are alleged to do. Nonetheless, Paul Calamari, the varsity’s principal, didn’t report Hecker to anybody. As an alternative, he instructed the scholar to go for psychological therapy for his “anger points and fantasy tales,” and threatened to expel him from the varsity. The survivor described the very destructive impact the rape had on his life and his private relationships from 1975 till at present.

For the file, Calamari was later included on the archbishop’s record of credibly accused abusers.

This case lastly resulted in Hecker’s confession of abuse, nearly fifty years later, which is described under.

Nineteen Eighties

Within the Nineteen Eighties, consideration was paid to priest abuse in Louisiana because the horrible tales of abuse by Father Gilbert Gauthe surfaced. Gauthe pled responsible to quite a few sexual crimes and went to jail. One in all this 12 months’s information tales revealed that Hecker and Gauthe molested the identical sufferer within the Seventies. This survivor was abused whereas swimming nude at a well being membership and taking journeys with in a single day lodge stays with the priest. Hecker later confessed he was unaware his conduct was fallacious till Gauthe was prosecuted for it. He thought it was okay to do something he needed except it was with a lady.

Throughout these years, New Orleans Archbishop Philip Hannan obtained a criticism about Hecker’s abuse. A girl complained that Hecker had intercourse together with her son. Hannan despatched Hecker to Fordham College’s lessons on pastoral counseling, and allowed him to return to work in Louisiana thereafter.

1996

In 1996, Louisianan Robert Melancon was convicted of raping an altar boy and sentenced to life in jail. Extra complaints had been made about Hecker, just like what occurred when Gauthe was prosecuted. Both the identical lady talked about in 1988, or a special one, complained to Archbishop Francis Schulte that Hecker abused at the very least considered one of her three sons. Throughout the evaluate of that declare, a church official remembered listening to tales about Hecker making “bodily contact within the nude” with boys swimming with him. Hecker admitted he had shared a mattress with a boy and maybe showered with him. He stated he had stopped the swimming after a police officer warned him in opposition to it. The archdiocese stated it didn’t have sufficient proof to help the girl’s claims.

A memo to Archbishop Aymond stated Hecker’s abuse continued by 1997.

1999

Early in 1999, Hecker obtained the honorary title of “monsignor” from the church. Why would an abuser get such optimistic recognition? A number of months later, in writing, Hecker confessed to church officers that he had sexually assaulted various youngsters. The abuse occurred over fifteen years, beginning within the Sixties. Hecker stated the world had modified rather a lot in that period and at the moment he “succumbed to its zeitgeist.” He confessed to abuse of seven youngsters between 1966 and 1979. “Hecker, within the remaining circumstances, reported both fondling, mutual masturbation, nudity or mattress sharing, together with as soon as on an in a single day journey to a Texas amusement park.”

Archbishop Francis Schulte despatched Hecker to a psychiatric facility in a special state. That facility decided that Hecker had additionally had a sexual encounter with somebody who had a psychological incapacity. The power additionally instructed the archbishop that Hecker was a pedophile and shouldn’t work with youngsters. Nonetheless, post-treatment, Schulte despatched Hecker to a put up that included a grammar faculty.

The church obtained 9 complaints in opposition to Hecker. One accuser’s daughter wrote to the church, asking why Hecker was nonetheless a monsignor, and what would occur to her father, however by no means received any solutions from the archdiocese. Her father’s case led to a $37,000 settlement, which he didn’t obtain till 2012.

2002

Underneath some stress from the abuse studies, Hecker retired in 2002. He was allowed to retire with advantages, together with insurance coverage, housing, and retirement revenue. The following archbishop, Alfred Hughes, didn’t reveal Hecker’s abusive historical past. The archdiocese’s attorneys despatched a memorandum to police saying Hecker had as soon as been accused of abuse. Their letter didn’t point out the seven names recognized within the confession or any of the opposite complaints. A evaluate board advisable that Hecker be laicized, that means lose his priesthood, however Archbishop Alfred Hughes didn’t laicize Hecker. As an alternative, he warned Hecker to not costume as a priest or have a good time public mass.

Hecker did proceed to say mass for different monks, nonetheless.

2005

A girl instructed the church her ex-husband had been fondled by a priest on an in a single day fishing journey.

2012

Archbishop Gregory Aymond licensed a $37,000 settlement with considered one of Hecker’s victims, the daddy who was talked about above.

2018

In 2018, the church celebrated Hecker’s sixtieth 12 months as a priest.

Philadelphia obtained nationwide consideration in 2018 for its studies on abusive Catholic clergy. Archbishop Aymond determined he ought to publish an inventory of clergy credibly accused of abuse, and included Hecker on that record.

The following 12 months, the church settled after mediation with an altar boy and Boy Scout who had accused Gauthe, Hecker, and a 3rd priest, James Kilgour, of abuse. The survivor obtained $275,000.

2019

Aaron Hebert filed his civil lawsuit in opposition to Hecker for molestation. His was considered one of quite a few lawsuits introduced in opposition to Louisiana monks and the church after adjustments within the statute of limitations.

2020

In 2020, the church filed for chapter safety because of the quite a few sexual abuse claims filed in opposition to it. The church stopped paying Hecker’s month-to-month funds solely after it filed for chapter. The decide didn’t enable the church to maintain paying abusers. Chapter has broad confidentiality guidelines that preserve some data from being launched. Lots of the abuse circumstances are placed on maintain whereas the chapter is settled.

The 2020 Docket for Doe v. Archdiocese of New Orleans Indemnity, Inc. et al., 2:20CV01138 (2020) lists in Merchandise 46, in a listening to earlier than Justice of the Peace Choose Michael North, on November 20, 2020, that “Tentative dates for the depositions of Lawrence Hecker and Paul Calamari had been mentioned. No later than November 25, 2020, the events are to submit letter briefs to the Courtroom concerning the scope of the meant depositions and whether or not that scope ought to be restricted in any method. The invention convention will then be reconvened by way of phone on a date and time to be decided.”

In a later case, Doe v. Archdiocese of New Orleans Indemnity, Inc., 2021 WL 4460465 (E.D. La. Sept. 29, 2021), Choose North noticed that within the Hecker case, the plaintiffs had requested for a restricted keep of the chapter guidelines to permit Hecker and Calamari to be deposed “due to their superior age,” out of “concern that these monks might move away previous to the decision of the Archdiocese’s chapter case.” North allowed the depositions to proceed, stating:

The depositions would go ahead with no limitations on the scope of questioning of Mr. Hecker and Mr. Calamari, with out prejudice to the Debtor’s proper to maneuver to exclude such testimony from use in any future proceedings.
The transcripts of these depositions would initially be sealed as a prophylactic measure.
A protecting order akin to the one in place in 20-CV-1321 was to be submitted to the Courtroom for its approval and use in 20-CV-1338 (this case).
I additionally made my courtroom accessible for the deposition to make myself instantly accessible if and when points arose within the deposition.

These depositions came about on December 14 and 15, 2020. Choose North famous the plaintiffs’ speedy attraction for them to be unsealed. He agreed with among the plaintiffs’ arguments however denied their movement:

Plaintiffs’ counsel complained – fairly accurately – that the deposition suffered from “main problems” resulting from Hecker’s refusal to reply questions instantly, his sporadic invocations of his Fifth Modification privilege, his counsel’s loquacious makes an attempt to restrain and redirect Hecker and the arguments between them that ensued, and ANO’s counsel’s obstructive and pointless type and talking objections. (Id.).

Nonetheless, North reiterated his determination that the transcript intertwined the archdiocese and Hecker a lot that they might not be disentangled in a method that met the chapter courtroom’s ruling about entry. Finally, each circumstances had been assigned to North, and he repeated his earlier ruling.

The later media launch of Hecker’s deposition had an enormous impact on the case.

2022

We realized in 2022 that the FBI is investigating little one intercourse trafficking throughout state strains. If the Louisiana monks and kids traveled to Mississippi, Texas, or Florida, because the details counsel, interstate crime and the Mann Act may very well be concerned in prosecutions.

2023

In 2023, The Guardian obtained a duplicate of Hecker’s confession and launched it to the general public. A replica of Hecker’s 2020 video deposition from the civil litigation by Aaron Hebert was additionally made accessible to them. The deposition defined how the 4 archbishops [Hannan, Schulte, Hughes, and Aymond] “helped [Hecker] keep away from accountability.” Within the deposition, Hecker talked about his safety underneath the Fifth Modification 117 occasions, “about as soon as each 4 minutes.” Hecker disgustingly instructed them “we had been inspired to be with youthful individuals, particularly youthful boys.” Allegedly so the boys would grow to be monks, however clearly Hecker’s objectives had nothing to do with priesthood.

Lastly, in 2023, Hecker was indicted for aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime in opposition to nature, and theft. Nearly a dozen witnesses had been accessible who would testify about abuse by Hecker from the Sixties to the Nineteen Eighties.

In one other 2023 case, about Hecker’s 1968 abuse, Doe v. Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, No. 20-1321 Part “H,” 2023 BL 414082 (E.D. La. July 7, 2023), plaintiff survivors moved to disqualify United States District Choose Jane Triche Milazzo from the lawsuit as a result of she is a loyal Catholic. Within the case, J.W. Doe alleged that Hecker sexually assaulted him and that the archdiocese didn’t forestall the hurt from occurring. Triche Milazzo stated from the beginning she had introduced that she and her husband are Catholic and that they contribute to their church parish. She denied the movement, saying quite a few circumstances had proven that being of 1 faith doesn’t disqualify you from all of the spiritual circumstances.

In the identical J.W. case, Choose Donna Phillips Currault rejected a movement for media to intervene within the lawsuit to be taught extra in regards to the particulars. This opinion mentioned the keep that chapter had placed on the litigation of the abuse circumstances. The opinion famous that Choose Meredith Grabill held that the chapter keep didn’t prolong to “non-defendant debtor monks” like Hecker. That allowed Doe to proceed with restricted discovery, and depositions had been held. Choose Michael North had beforehand refused Plaintiff’s request to unseal the deposition. On this case, the courtroom stated the media had been in search of the identical factor plaintiffs had sought, particularly “elimination of the protecting order protections over the deposition and displays.” The present events had sufficient entry to guard the paperwork, so “intervention is improper.”

2024

On April 22, 2024, Choose Juana Matine Lombard signed the affidavit for search and seizure warrant for Hecker’s papers. It consists of, amongst different issues, requests for “ANY and ALL complaints of sexual abuse obtained by ANY Particular person” of the archdiocese; all clergy personnel recordsdata; all documentation that led to somebody being placed on the archdiocese’s credibly accused record; and so forth. Investigator Scott Rodrigue is an investigator on the case, who wrote a couple of “Identified-Sufferer” whom Hecker raped when Identified-Sufferer was a minor. This warrant references an earlier, signed state warrant in opposition to Hecker, which had uncovered a lot of the abuse materials. A few of these paperwork, the warrant says, present that the archbishops knew in regards to the sexual abuse, didn’t report it, and “spent Archdiocese funding to help the accused.” That historical past gave them extra motive to use for this warrant.

WDSU revealed sealed paperwork through which a couple of dozen victims reveal abuse by Hecker, going again to the Sixties. We had been “handed round like meat, and all of us suffered,” stated one survivor. The information present lengthy abuse of fondling college students after swimming with them, and raping a few of them.

The prison dockets for Instances 559997 and 559803 present the prolonged particulars of Hecker’s prosecution. The fees of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime in opposition to nature, aggravated rape, and theft of $500 or extra, are listed. Hecker and/or his attorneys seem quite a few occasions. Their movement to cut back bond was denied. Generally Hecker is listed as being within the hospital. On February 26, 2024, the Clerk’s workplace obtained a movement for a psychiatric analysis. The information say the courtroom discovered him competent on September 5, 2024. On September 24, nonetheless, the decide famous “it’s in the very best curiosity for this courtroom to recuse itself for the betterment of justice.” On September 26, the file says “Because of the actions of the lead prosector [sic], it’s in the very best curiosity of justice and all events concerned; that this courtroom recuses itself.”

That was Choose Benedict Willard, who delayed the case for a 12 months whereas coping with questions of Hecker’s competence to face trial. He recused himself as famous above in September 2024, solely arguing he disagreed with the prosecutor. A reporter questioned whether or not Catholic Willard “had executed the church a last-ditch favor to see whether or not a declining Hecker would die whereas his case remained unresolved, sparing the archdiocese the painful spectacle of a trial.” Choose Nandi Campbell changed Willard. Hecker pled responsible on December 3, 2024, to the 4 prices, in Campbell’s courtroom.

No less than ten victims would have testified in opposition to Hecker if the case had gone to trial.

On the day of Hecker’s responsible plea, The Guardian reported that the cover-up failed, however not “for lack of attempting by a coalition of high-ranking church officers and sympathetic judges, who prioritized the predator’s consolation above justice for his innumerable victims till the proof in opposition to him was so overwhelming” that he pled responsible.

On the sentencing listening to, Aaron Hebert testified about Hecker’s rape of him. Hebert stated he was raped underneath the guise of a hernia examination. Hecker is known as “Hecker the pecker checker.”

Hecker was sentenced to life in jail. He didn’t apologize for his crimes. One other survivor stated that Archbishop Gregory Aymond “ought to have been sitting proper there subsequent to” Hecker as he was sentenced. However the archdiocese was absent.

The assistant district lawyer, Ned McGowan, later stated Hecker’s rape was “aided and abetted by the Catholic church.” A number of the state’s attorneys credited the journalists for persevering with to pursue the tales because the decide and the church tried to dam the case.

As Guardian reporter Vargas concludes: “The paperwork set up that New Orleans’s final 4 Catholic archbishops—the primary of whom took workplace within the Sixties—had substantial motive to consider that Hecker was a baby molester. Three stayed silent, and the present one waited a number of years earlier than acknowledging that Hecker preyed on youngsters.”

Don’t count on the archdioceses and their monks to obey the regulation and defend youngsters. In Hecker’s case, youngsters constantly obtained the worst therapy because the bishops and monks had been well-treated whilst they outrageously abused youngsters and lined it up.

Hecker’s responsible plea was December 3, and his dying was December 26. When he realized of Hecker’s dying, New Orleans District Lawyer Jason Williams commented, “We had no time to waste.” That was true. After sixty years of abuse, Hecker’s life ended with a responsible plea and a life sentence. Simply in time.