Ex-New Orleans priest pleads guilty to rape and kidnapping in sexual abuse case ahead of trial

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A disgraced 93-year-old New Orleans priest pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges involving the sexual assault of a teenage boy in 1975. Lawrence Hecker had been scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday. Multiple media outlets report Hecker entered his plea before Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Nandi Campbell moments before jury selection was to begin. The charges include aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature, first-degree rape and theft. Sentencing was set for Dec. 18. He faces life in prison. The trial had been delayed for months over concerns about Hecker’s mental competency. Hecker’s defense team has said doctors confirm Hecker has Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,but Hecker was found competent to stand trial.