Outrage as New Orleans judge further delays retired priest’s rape case | New Orleans

Court watchdogs and advocates for sexual abuse victims are calling for a New Orleans judge to be punished and voted out of office after he controversially delayed the trial of a retired Catholic priest accused of child abuse and kidnapping — on the morning of jury selection.

Critics of Judge Benedict Willard say his angry outbursts have been a problem on the court for more than two decades. But they are raising new concerns after Willard’s decision to remove members of the local district attorney’s office during a rape trial in August impacted the highly anticipated trial of Lawrence Hecker, 93, on Tuesday.

According to court records, during Freddie Sterling’s rape trial on August 21, Willard was informed that a male juror had allegedly approached a female employee of the district attorney’s office. In an argument that was not heard in open court, Willard allegedly called the district attorney’s staffer a “distraction” and ordered her removed from the court, rather than replace the juror who had allegedly commented on her appearance and made suggestive remarks.

When Ned McGowan, the second in command in the district attorney’s office, asked Willard to document his actions and reasons, the judge immediately ordered McGowan removed from the court. McGowan accused the judge of “cowardice” as bailiffs escorted him out.

“Go get some more officers,” Willard said, according to a court record. “I am asking you to leave again because of the disrespect you are showing in your dealings with this court. Officer, the first assistant district attorney needs to leave. He is being disruptive, disrespectful and inappropriate.”

McGowan appeared in Willard’s court at least two more times without incident, including on Sept. 5 for a preliminary hearing in the nationally publicized child molestation case against Hecker. But when McGowan reappeared Tuesday for Hecker’s trial, the judge became angry again.

He again accused McGowan of “disrespect” and abruptly announced that he was transferring the case to another court. The court minutes state that Willard recused himself “due to the negative actions of the state against this court.”

WWL Louisiana asked the judge for an interview. Willard said he was forbidden to do so.

Willard, first elected to the bench 22 years ago, is known for his hot temper and tendency to verbally spar with attorneys and members of the media. Rafael Goyeneche of the New Orleans criminal justice watchdog, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said Willard went too far this time.

“I think he has some anger issues,” Goyeneche said. “And I’ve seen him let his emotions get in the way of his responsibility as a judge. And these are two of the most recent and most egregious that have occurred.”

In the Sterling case, Willard decided to keep a man on a jury that was to decide the fate of a defendant accused of raping a woman after that juror was accused of sexually harassing a woman on the prosecution team. The trial ended with the jury unable to reach a verdict.

In the Hecker case, Willard withdrew just as the trial was about to begin, further delaying a case he had been overseeing for a year. The 93-year-old Hecker’s physical and mental condition has deteriorated to the point that a court-appointed psychiatrist has called him only “weakly competent” to stand trial.

Outside court, a frustrated assistant district attorney, André Gaudin, compared the fallout from Willard’s behavior to the impact of Hecker’s abuse in the 1960s and 1970s, which Hecker admitted during an August 2023 interview with WWL Louisiana and the Guardian.

Hecker, “with his position of authority and esteem and respect, was able to victimize them,” Gaudin said. “And now we have another person in authority who, by their decision on the morning of the trial to do a recusal, has caused a tremendous delay. And that is extremely frustrating for everyone involved.”

Aaron Hebert is one of Hecker’s alleged victims. He also said he was frustrated with Willard.

“He should have backed off a month or so ago when all this came up about disrespecting (McGowan),” Hebert said. “This is just another method, a way to delay everything … Victims and survivors are, once again, being hurt all over again.”

The prosecution had 11 witnesses lined up to testify, including several who claimed Hecker had abused them. The alleged victim in Willard’s case was also present. He had traveled from out of state to testify about how Hecker choked him unconscious and raped him in a church in 1975, when he was still in high school.

“And (the prosecution) had to go through the sordid details of these abuses from this pedophile priest to all these victims, to prepare them for trial,” Goyeneche said. “Everyone walked into court expecting this to be a day of justice, only to find out that the judge, without any warning, had decided to transfer the case.”

Hecker’s case was immediately transferred to the court of Judge Nandi Campbell. Gaudin and his boss, District Attorney Jason Williams, said they hoped Campbell would move the case to trial soon, although a new date had not yet been set.

Hebert said he wants Willard voted out of office if he is re-elected in 2026. Willard has been re-elected unopposed three times before.

Goyeneche called on an office that oversees Louisiana judges to investigate Willard “as to whether he violated any of the legal canons.” Goyeneche said he believes Willard did so.

Such investigations are secret unless they are brought before the state Supreme Court. In the four years since the high court changed the rules to make those cases public, there have been no cases against Willard, whose taxpayer-funded salary in 2023 was $174,893.70, according to his financial disclosure statement.