A retired Roman Catholic priest 

A retired Roman Catholic priest who was indicted last year in Louisiana on charges related to the sexual assault of a teenage boy in the 1970s pleaded guilty to the crimes on Tuesday, just before jury selection for his trial was about to begin, according to his attorney.http://go to google

Lawrence Hecker, 93, admitted to state charges of first-degree rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, and theft over $500, his lawyer, Bobby Hjortsberg, confirmed. The charges followed allegations made last year that the Archdiocese of New Orleans had been aware of accusations against Hecker for decades.

“He ultimately accepting responsibility was the right and necessary step at this point,” Hjortsberg said. “I hope all those involved can find a way to move forward that’s best for them.”

Hjortsberg clarified that there was no plea deal in exchange for the guilty plea. Hecker is scheduled for sentencing on December 18, and he faces a potential life sentence in prison.

The trial had been delayed several times due to concerns about Hecker’s mental competency and a judge’s recusal over a conflict of interest with the prosecutors. The newly assigned judge, Nandi Campbell of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, ordered Hecker to undergo both physical and psychological evaluations before the trial. Hjortsberg later confirmed that Hecker had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Mr. Hecker’s trial had been delayed multiple times over concerns about his mental competency, and because the judge recused himself over a conflict with prosecutors. The new judge, Nandi Campbell of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, ordered Mr. Hecker to undergo physical and psychological evaluations before trial. Mr. Hjortsberg confirmed that the retired priest had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

The charges against Mr. Hecker came months after The Guardian reported that he confessed to his superiors in 1999 that he had sexually molested or committed other forms of sexual misconduct against multiple teenagers in the 1960s and ’70s. Mr. Hecker later confirmed to The Guardian and the New Orleans news outlet WWL-TV that he had committed “overtly sexual acts” with at least three underage boys.

Mr. Hecker continued to serve with the New Orleans archdiocese until his retirement in 2002. But the archdiocese did not publicly identify him as an accused sexual predator until 2018, when it released a list of “credibly accused” priests.

Thousands of Catholic priests have been accused of misconduct since the sexual abuse crisis in the American Catholic Church exploded into public view in the early 2000s. But relatively few have faced criminal prosecution. In September, a Catholic priest in Texas was indicted on felony sexual assault charges after several victims accused him of sexual and financial abuse.

The New Orleans archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in 2020 amid a flood of abuse claims, and it is among about a dozen dioceses and archdioceses that are currently in bankruptcy proceedings.

In a statement on Tuesday after Mr. Hecker’s guilty plea, a spokesman for the archdiocese said that it was the church’s “hope and prayer that today’s court proceedings bring healing and peace to the survivor and all survivors of sexual abuse.”