Retired Louisiana Catholic priest has died while incarcerated; SNAP reacts

For immediate release: December 27, 2024

Roman Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker died yesterday, a little more than a week after he began serving a sentence of life imprisonment. We hope that Fr. Hecker's passing will bring some sorely needed and long overdue comfort and solace to the countless children he victimized over the course of his career. 

We also hope district attorneys in the state will find the means and the courage to prosecute at least some of the clerics who enabled Fr. Hecker's crimes. In the meantime, we urge anyone who may have been abused by Fr. Hecker, and who is still suffering alone and in silence, to seek help from therapists and support groups like ours and begin healing.

CONTACT:  Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director ([email protected], 925-708-6175), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director ([email protected], 814-341-8386)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for more than 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)