Former priest Lawrence Hecker denied lower bond

By Aubry Killion and Travers Mackel

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    Louisiana (WDSU) — A judge has denied a lower bond request for retired Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker. His bond is set at $855,000.

Earlier this month he entered a not guilty plea in court.

Previous Reporting

Retired Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker turned himself into the NOPD this morning.

He was transported to the Orleans Parish Justice Center and booked on charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape, aggravated crimes against nature, and theft.

Hecker was indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury Thursday.

Hecker, who’s 91 years old is a retired priest, is accused of being a serial child molester.

Survivors are demanding answers and closure, while the bankrupt Archdiocese of New Orleans says they are cooperating with law enforcement.

WDSU spoke with Archbishop Gregory Aymond Wednesday briefly as he was entering a mass last month.

Aymond from a distance said he reported to law enforcement and did not take any additional questions.

WDSU asked to interview Aymond after mass and has not heard back.

“I see that face looking up at me when he is going through my genitals at the time,” one of Hecker’s accusers said.

The survivor alleges Hecker molested him in the 1960s when he was a child. He responded to the moment WDSU Investigates tracked Hecker down.

“There is good and bad in everybody,” Hecker said.

WDSU asked Hecker if he’d ever touched a child.

“Oh my goodness, you mean touch a child?” Hecker said.

WDSU also asked him, “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 also asked, “Have you ever in your life as a former priest touched a child?”

“No comment,” Hecker said.

Hecker’s accuser showed anger and frustration while watching the interview.

“The problem is he doesn’t know how to answer you to make himself look innocent,” Hecker’s accuser said.

The Archdiocese released this statement:

“The Archdiocese of New Orleans reported Lawrence Hecker to law enforcement authorities in different jurisdictions multiples times since 2002. We have fully cooperated and will continue to cooperate with any law enforcement investigation into Lawrence Hecker.”

The legal team representing one of Hecker’s alleged victims sent out this statement:

“Our client is grateful to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office because after nearly fifty years of living the horror inflicted on him by then Father Lawrence Hecker, someone with authority finally listened. Our client was first interviewed by the FBI in June of 2022. Then the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office took the case in 2023. Our client would like to thank the Louisiana State Police for its investigation into this matter and the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s office for finally indicting this serial child rapist. Lawrence Hecker got away with grotesque sexual felonies against children for many decades under the protection of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Our client and several other Hecker victims whom we represent believe that he should spend the rest of his life in prison where he should have been for at least the last sixty years. This indictment is a victory for all victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse.”

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