These 5 Stories of Serial Killers in New Orleans Will Make You Think Twice
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Kezia Kamenetz
Author
New Orleans is not a place for the faint of heart. There’s a lot of things that continue on the streets of New Orleans that can easily make you wish you lived somewhere else, where things were a little bit more quiet. Here are some stories of grizzly serial killers who are from New Orleans, that have definitely made their mark on the city.
This creole socialite who lived in the French Quarter was born in 1780 during the Spanish colonial period. Two of her husbands died while married to her under some suspicion, but it wasn’t until 1834, when firemen came to her door because of a fire in her kitchen, that her true crimes were revealed. Although rumors had swirled previously that Madame LaLaurie mistreated the slaves in her care, when firemen discovered the torture chamber that she kept in her home and the deplorable conditions the individuals living and working in her house had to endure, an angry mob rose up in New Orleans and ran her out of the city.
This notorious serial killer of New Orleans was active in the city from 1918-1919. Panic descended on the city with reports of individuals being attacked by an axe. Items were never robbed from the home, and since most of the victims were Italian-Americans, there was fear that the crime was mafia related and/or a hate crime against Italians. The killer was never discovered, although he did send a letter to the newspaper, where he claimed to be a big fan of jazz music and stated that "I swear by all the devils in the nether regions that every person shall be spared in whose home a jazz band is in full swing at the time."
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Mr. Essex was a member of the US Navy who went AWOL in 1970, eventually given a general discharge from the Navy in 1971 for having ‘behavior disorders.' In 1972, he found himself living in New Orleans, and began a rampage focused on killing cops on New Years Eve that year. He murdered a police cadet, Alfred Harrell, that night, and then evaded capture by police. He continued his killing for the next few days, coming to a head on January 7, 1973, when he drove to the Howard Johnson hotel on 330 Loyola Ave., where he kidnapped some guests and engaged in a shoot out with authorities. By the time the dust cleared, Essex had shot 19 people, 10 of them policemen. 9 of those that he shot died. He was ultimately shot by police to end the stand off at the hotel.
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Mr. Ellwood was arrested in 1997, after being suspected of killing over 26 women between 1991 and 1996. Most of those killed were prostitutes and were strangled and then raped. Mr. Ellwood was never conclusively found to be the one who committed all of these crimes, but there was a number of murders that were pinned on him. He is now in prison for life.
The most recent serial killer in New Orleans, Gregory Stewart admitted to over 12 murders before he reached the age of 20. Known as Rabbit on the streets, Stewart admitted to playing a role in over a dozen homicides, including the killing of well known rapper Magnolia Shorty. He confessed to all of these crimes in an effort to receive a better plea deal with the FBI.
Have you heard of these serial killers who are from New Orleans? Let us know what you think about about them. We love to hear your feedback!
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