“But Benjamin, a Black girl, was a homeless teenage mother, and Orleans Parish prosecutors were immediately skeptical of her story despite the fact that she had no criminal record. They acknowledged that Hecker solicited the teenagers for sex and that a struggle ensued afterward. But they also insisted that Benjamin and Desilva did not act in self-defense; they were instead greedy, evil murderers who sought to rob and kill Hecker.“

The Appeal

February 11, 2019