Coroner awaits test results as friends of convicted Mascoutah priest mourn ‘sad end’
The Perry County coroner is waiting for a doctor’s report before he makes a public determination on what caused the death Friday of a former Mascoutah priest who was serving time in prison for possession of child pornography and methamphetamine.
Gerald R. Hechenberger, 56, was pronounced dead Friday morning at Pinckneyville Community Hospital. He had just started a nine-year sentence at Pinckneyville Correctional Center.
It could be weeks before the doctor gets results from toxicology and other medical tests, Coroner Paul Searby said late Monday afternoon, shortly after an autopsy was performed. “We want to cover all our bases and make sure everything is done correctly.”
Searby declined to comment on possible causes of death related to reports of Hechenberger’s poor physical and mental health.
The prison has referred questions to Lindsey Hess, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections, who did not return calls for comment Monday.
Hess emailed the following statement Friday afternoon:
“Gerald Hechenberger died on March 6, 2020 while in the custody of the Illinois Department of Corrections. The Department immediately launched an investigation and an autopsy is being performed by the Perry County coroner. To protect the integrity of the investigation, no further details can be released at this time.”
Hechenberg’s autopsy was performed at Searby Funeral Home in DuQuoin because Perry County doesn’t have its own morgue. Autopsies are common in deaths of correctional center inmates, Searby said.
Hechenberger was associate pastor at Holy Childhood of Jesus Catholic Church and School in Mascoutah at the time of his arrest in 2018.
‘He will be greatly missed’
George Renner & Sons Funeral Home in Belleville has published an obituary for Hechenberger on its website. A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home and 9 to 10 a.m. Friday at St. Luke Catholic Church in Belleville.
A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10 a.m. Friday at the church, officiated by Monsignor David M. Darin, pastor of St. Luke and St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Belleville.
“Gerald was loved by his family, friends and parishioners,” the obituary stated. “He will be greatly missed.”
Hechenberger grew up in Belleville and attended Althoff Catholic High School before graduating from Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. He was ordained a priest in 1996 and served parishes in Olney, Fairfield, Mount Carmel, Cahokia, Dupo, Smithton, Mascoutah, Fayetteville and St. Libory.
Hechenberger is survived by two sisters, a brother, a sister-in-law, nieces and nephews.
On Friday afternoon, Bishop of Belleville Edward K. Braxton sent a letter to priests and deacons, asking them to pray for Hechenberger and his family.
“From the perspective of the Christian faith, his death is a call to each of us to pray for him in the hope that God in his love and mercy will give him a share in the eternal life that is promised to those who strive to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ,” Braxton wrote.
Several people have expressed condolences on the Renner website, fondly remembering Hechenberger’s friendship and pastoral service involving baptisms, communions and funerals.
One referred to his “wonderful voice” and participation in high school musicals.
“He was an amazing priest with the knowledge and wisdom of being a caring human being even through his own pain,” another wrote. “He helped each of us to move through the deaths in our family through prayer and allowing us to realize that God is with us through all our pain.”
‘Perfect storm’ of health issues
Hechenberger was arrested at Holy Childhood by Belleville police on Jan. 8, 2018. The investigation grew out of a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which flagged an image coming into his Google account as child pornography.
On Nov. 7, 2019, Hechenberger pleaded guilty to four of the 17 counts with which he was charged, including three counts of possessing pornographic photos of children and one count of possessing methamphetamine.
On Jan. 14, Hechenberger was sentenced to nine years in prison by St. Clair County Circuit Judge Zina Cruse, despite defense lawyer Randall Kelley’s argument that any form of incarceration would be a “death sentence” because of his poor health.
At the sentencing hearing, Hechenberger told the court that his behavior resulted from a “perfect storm” of mental health issues, including depression and bipolar disorder; drug use, hypersexual thoughts and grief over the death of his father in 2014.
In his letter Friday to priests and deacons, Braxton noted that he had visited Hechenberger in St. Clair County Jail, before he was transferred to Pinckneyville in January, and that Braxton had serious concerns about Hechenberger’s well-being due to health problems.
“Humanly speaking, Father Hechenberger’s untimely death is a sad ending to what has already been a sad story,” Braxton wrote.
Pinckneyville Correctional Center is a medium-security prison for adult males with 19 buildings on 148 acres. It has more than 2,000 inmates, who are allowed seven visits per month.
Neither Perry County Sheriff’s Department nor Pinckneyville Police Department was dispatched to the prison after Hechenberger’s death, according to dispatchers.
Hechenberger’s obituary directed memorials to the Karla Smith Foundation, now known as Karla Smith Behavioral Health, an O’Fallon-based nonprofit that helps people with “mental and behavioral health challenges.” Smith, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, committed suicide in 2003 at age 26.
This story was originally published March 10, 2020 at 12:58 PM.
