He also resented his sister-in-law, Leonide, for having what he perceived was a negative influence on his wife. This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions. Carjackings rose by 165% in the two-year period. Henry was tried separately for each murder and found guilty. "She wouldn't even sweep the stoop!" (, The victims of the Trunk Murders were discovered October 27, 1927, at 715 Ursulines Street. Police uncovered two trunks that had been meticulously packed with the carved-up corpses of Theresa and Leonide. Not for the faint of heart! Headlined Bodies Found in Trunks, it tells the ghastly end of Theresa and Leonide Lonie Moity. Carjackings . It was a cautionary tale warning women against marriage, making analogies to a prison or a life sentence. Unlike many daring prison breaks, this one was quite boringwhile running an errand at the post office for the prison, he simply hailed a cab and fled to California. On a Thursday, October 27, 1927, Housekeeper Nettie Compass entered the second-floor apartment at 715 Ursulines Street in New Orleans and stepped into a pool of blood. By 1934 he was made a trusty which meant he was given additional responsibility and minimal supervision. The message, over and over, was that this was the fault of a bad woman. Look at how kind he could be- how tender! But she was 21, abused by her husband, violently, repeatedly, and in public, including earlier the day of the murder. They were both from New Iberia as well. This lively era in the French Quarter was unfortunately accompanied by a spate of crime. It wasnt long before the families fell apart in the most dramatic way possible: a double homicide. ursuline street new orleans murders. Following the trial, Dr. Roeling told a Times-Picayune reporter, The killer who decapitated the Moity women knew enough not to try and cut through the bone, but to cut through the joint. Please login and assign a widget area to at least 2 of the 5 search widget columns. Right: Later in life, Henry Moity made news again, when he was found in St. Louis after escaping prison. The evening before Nettie said she saw Henry, Theresa, Lonie, and the children leave the apartment in good spirits. Henry began his sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiaryon July 6, 1928. Excepting his prison escape, the wardens 1957 letter claimed that Henry was one of the best prisoners weve ever had. He continued to paint in prison, his portrait of Huey Long even making its way into the Baton Rouge governors mansion, where it hung for many years. Spend 2 hours listening about gruesome murders of the French Quarter. Back in the 1920s, a pair of horrific murders took place on the 700 block of Ursulines Avenue in the French Quarter of New Orleans. His brother Joe had already left his wife behind and vacated, convinced she, too, was running around on him. Wonderful tour! You can also read more true crime cases that take place in New Orleans by checking out my previous blog posts. The money, the booze, and the passions flowed freely. Dave easily shared his knowledge and love of true crime with us. (Photo: Lauren George), Is it possible that the Big Easys version of Sweeney Todd was born of the 1927 trunk murders, altered in retellings to more nightmarish proportions? TERMS & CONDITIONS Douglas J. Mueller used the tools that were available to him at the time.his sausage grinder. Clothing that investigators believed had been tossed from the trunks to accommodate the womens remains was strewn about the tenement alongside discarded human remains. Readers of TTAG know all how Murder City, USA gained its moniker. (Photograph by Eli A. Haddow). 00:23:15 - With Mardi Gras being on Tuesday (February 16th) I wanted to bring you a story, or three, straight from the French Quarter. The so-called 'Porthole murder' and subsequent prosecution of steward James Camb infuriated the nation in 1947. If you are Playing the Game, the answer is elementary. Henry served only 16 years of his life sentence before he escaped from prison. In 1956, he shot his long-time lover twice in the chest after a fight over money. Even Hans' new ladylove grew suspicious and broke up with him. You'll see where it all happened, understand the history behind it, and how the echoes of gruesome crimes still cry out. The murders occurred from May, 1918 to October, 1919; the victims were mostly Italian-Americans. 27 Febbraio 2023. Offer subject to change without notice. indicated that it had been skillfully removed Before coming to New Orleans, Henry had worked as a butchers assistant in New Iberia. It contained a second womans body. Afterward came the grim work of cutting up the bodies, as Henry stuffed the women into the trunks they had packed hours earlier. Refresh the page, check Medium. (Photo: Lauren George). He was the poor man who'd been driven to this. He hacked twice at Leonide, who never woke. The facade of 715 UrsulinesAvenue by day. The perpetrator, dubbed, "The Axeman," busted down the doors of people's homes and, in some cases, slaughtered whole families with his axe. 715 Ursulines Avenue was the home of the Moity brothers, their wives, and children. But all was not well in an apartment near the French Quarter. Lonie and Theresa were not shy about how disappointed they were in their marriages. Did human trafficking gangsters kill Allie Rice. Lonie, 28, and Theresa, 25 were sisters from New Iberia. This isn't emphasized so much in the New Orleans papers, because, frankly, the city had respectfully declined to participate in Prohibition. It was the fall of 1927 when housekeeper Nettie Compass entered the apartment on 715 Ursulines Street near downtown New Orleans. Henry had worked briefly as a butcher, and the Times-Picayune gleefully pointed out that the manner in which the two bodies of the women were mutilated and dismembered indicated a man familiar with this trade. Radio dispatches alerted departing steamer ships to be on the lookout for a stowaway passenger answering to Henrys description: tattooed and, according to the newspaper, singularly hairy., The room which shares a wall adjacent to crime scene. Joe Caruso took my wife. tobi brown girlfriend; ancient map of sarkoris pathfinder; reno sparks nv obituaries; como sacar una culebra de su escondite Henry stayed up, stewing about his wifes infidelity until his mind boiled over into rage. The afternoon before the murders, Henry told Nettie Compass, the housekeeper who discovered the crime scene, that he should take a pistol and shoot both of those bastards.. There's no way to really paraphrase this next bit, so: "One night, soon after, he heard a "thump! But Henry was nowhere to be found. Nettie testified that she remembered Henry pulling her aside and whispering not to be scared if Nettie and her family heard the children crying in the early morning. ), The Trunk Murders and Sausage Ghost of 1920s New Orleans, JUSTICE STORY: Handy man with a knife flies off the handle, Amid Roaring Twenties New Orleans, a brutal French Quarter murder shocked the city, Ronald DeFeo Jr. The Amityville Murders. Had a great time with David. He went to Theresas bedroom and stabbed her. Memory of his crime survives in part due to the themes this true story shares with a popular French Quarter ghost story. In March 1928, Henry was convicted of Theresas murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was enraged over an affair he believed his wife was having with the couples landlord, Joseph Caruso. We just did the ghost tour with Jonathan, and he was wonderful! According to a 1957 letter from a Louisiana State Penitentiary prison warden, Theresa is alleged to have flaunted a ten dollar bill in [Henrys] face and bragged that she could make more in an hour (as a prostitute) then he could in a week., Later that day, Henry returned home to find Theresa and Leonide packing their belongings into two large trunks. He also divulged the details of his lurid crimes, and his furious jealousy of Theresas lover, Joseph Caruso. Yet violent crime continued to soar across . Before New Orleans Superintendent of Police Thomas Healey could find either man, Joseph turned himself in, telling investigators his brother killed both women. This is a must do for any true crime lover! On the way home from their outing, a local busybody made a casual comment to Theresa, implying that there were rumors she was going to run off with Caruso that night. You lived on the second floor," I wanted to scream. It's hard to not take away the sexism and worry about feminism underlying it all. In his 1976 memoir, Healy described their discovery: We found red stains on the floor and saw a large trunk in a bedroom, partially open. Dolly Oesterreich, her "Bat Man," and one of the strangest sex scandals ever. He started seeing his wife coming out of the sausage grinder, and after a customer reported to the police they'd found a bit of wedding ring in their dinner, Hans was carted off to an insane asylum to live out the rest of his life. Throughout his trial and imprisonment, he insisted that he still loved his wife, even claiming to be married in the 1940 US Census, years after her death. However, a butcher at a New Iberia sausage factory told the reporter that the Moity brother who worked for him was named Joseph. These murders were not the first nor the last to occur on this particular block. NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A jury in Orleans Parish Criminal Court listened to the chilling 911 tape of a woman just moments before she was brutally murdered in New Orleans East. He was sentenced to five years at Folsom Prison for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Guess it was only my luck to be happy like this, so I warn others not to take the same risk., One line, a piece of advice imparted by her father, haunts her story: Be careful, for marriage is a life sentence.. (Photo: Spokesman Review). The sisters married brothers Henry and Joseph Moity, the New Orleans Police Departments prime suspects in the case. 1100 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA Open in Google Maps End of tour is near this location. Leonide was murdered by her husbands brother, Henry Moity, along with Henry's wife, Theresa. Continuing our true crime tour of New Orleans, next up is the gruesome murders of Theresa and Leonide Moitymore widely known as the New Orleans trunk murders. Lonie had even written a book. Product code: C-49992P5. When the Folsom Prison inmate died in 1957, word reached Louisiana. PATREON: www.patreon.com/exploreoregonINSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/pdxfilmexplorerFACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/exploringportlandTIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theamateurhistorianREDDIT SUBREDDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/the_amateur_historian/ WORDPRESS BLOG: https://stevetheamateurhistorian.wordpress.comIn the iconic French Quarter of New Orleans there stands, still today, a rather modest two-story residence along Ursuline Street. Not so fast! In an alcohol-induced rage, he killed his wife Theresa for a suspected affair, her neglect of motherly duties, and her plans to leave him and their children. He predicted Henry would soon return of his own accord, since he had served 16 years of his sentence and had a chance of being pardoned due to temporary insanity (due to his consumption of alcohol) at the time of the killings. For their part, Henry and Joseph were odd-jobs men, described by sources as shiftless and perpetually short on the funds needed to support their families. Nettie came upon a gruesome scene upon entering the apartment. Anyone with more information may call the homicide unit at (504) 658-5300 or Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans Inc. anonymously at (504) 822-1111. New Orleans' infamous trunk murders revisited In the summer of 1944, Louisiana State Penitentiary inmate number 18038, a trustee on a routine run to the Angola post office, flagged down a taxicab. Required fields are marked *. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. In 1934 Henry was made a trusty of the prison, meaning he was given responsibility for special assignments and was less heavily guarded than other prisoners. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. In his confession Henry detailed his motives for the killings, while also insisting that his mind had been warped by alcohol. This is The Crimes-Picayune. See. Joseph cooperated with the police, telling them that hed been living at his sisters home after hed caught Leonide cheating on him. The most horrific part of all, however, was found inside a closet. (, A circa 1925 image shows the criminal court building at Tulane Avenue and Elk Place. After separating from her husband, Joseph, Leonide continued to live with Henry and Theresa, and Henry fretted over her influence on his wife. knew enough not to try to cut through the bone, but to cut through the joint. It was meant to be a life sentenceand at hard labor in Angola prison, which often didn't mean a very long onebut Henry toughed it out and was released after 20 years. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. very informative and theatrical. The married Caruso operated a real estate office from the ground floor of 715 Ursulines. Henry, however, was nowhere to be found. We recommend it highly! My tour guide was very personable, and I really enjoyed listening to the true crime stories that happened here. He also believed that Leonide had been a negative influence on his wife so he killed her as well. It was great to hear his local perspective on all the stories he shared. . Note: This article contains detailed and graphic depictions of violent crime. By Tuesday November 1, howeverless than a week after the murdersHenry had made a full confession, abandoning his tale of the villain seaman. . ST39306. He was enraged after hearing rumors that his wife was planning on running off with Joseph Caruso. Twenty-one years after killing his wife and sister-in-law, Henry Moity was free. Departure point: Detailed check-in instructions - including the address and parking information if applicable - will be included in your final confirmation email. . Dave did an amazing job. Henry complained at one reporter. The Black Dahlia is the nickname given to Elizabeth Short. The money,. Despite his two-year sojourn, the Louisiana Pardon Board recommended his release in 1947. Although it doesn't rank with the infamous trunk murders of Brighton, New Orleans and Winnie Ruth Judd, Vancouver does have its own sort-of 'trunk murder.' This bizarre case, which first broke the news with garish, glaring headlines in the July 12, 1969 Vancouver Sun B.C. (A bloodstained rejection slip was also found at the crime scene). On March 26, 1948, Governor Jimmie Davis signed the pardon. The kindest thing that was said of her was that this "'Slip of Girl' does not seem strong enough to fell six-foot mate." Alaina covers the Texarkana Moonlight Murders and goes over all the fine details with her 1940's magnifying glass! The French Quarter of the 1920s was a diverse, working-class neighborhood. They let him aboard anyway, but once they saw his distinctive naked lady tattoo, they subdued him and waited for the police. Discovered in a cabinet in her bedroom, its believed to be a thinly veiled autobiographical account that she had tried to publish in a popular womens magazine. The Historic New Orleans Collections Williams Research Center. The New Orleans Police Department released her photo and asked for the public's help. Meanwhile, the French Quarter had become increasingly home to working-class residents, thanks to decreasing property values and proximity to employment opportunities. Henry was already suspicious of Theresas infidelity, but her running away with someone pushed him too far. Superintendent Healy radioed the seven ships sailing out of New Orleans that day to be on the lookout. Henrys past employment as a butchers assistant was a key point in his two trials. She saw blood right away and her screams attracted authorities. Fingers and teeth were left strewn on the floor and blood was everywhere. Dr Marys Monkey How The Unsolved Murder Of A tor A Secret Laboratory In New Orleans And Cancer Causing Monkey Viruses Are Linked To Lee Harvey Assassination And Emerging Global Epidemics is available in our book collection an online access to it is set as public so you can download it instantly. (Photo: Ken Lund/CC BY-SA 2.0). The true story of Britain's notorious Chocolate Cream Killer. The couple came with next to nothing and had created a successful business. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. New Orleans' most infamous serial killer was never caught. A bathroom covered in blood. Henry Moity was found guilty and sentenced to concurrent two life terms in prison for the Trunk Murders, but he was given considerable leniency and was able to escape. The grim Times-Picayune article from October 28, 1927 is filed into a binder at the Williams Research Center of New Orleans. Her ghost is said to have haunted the shop until Muller went insane. In a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the expertly butchered corpses of two young women. Pictures of him with his sainted mother and father in jail, not to mention him cuddling his children. Though details differ between the Sausage Ghost legend and the trunk murders case, Henry Moitys November 2 proclamation through the bars of his prison to Times-Picayune reporters certainly nags the question: If I ever get my hands on that Joe Caruso Ill chop him up into little pieces, not big pieces like my wife, but little piecesMy God, Ill make him look like something thats been run through a sausage mill!. 00:23:15 - With Mardi Gras being on Tuesday (February 16th) I wanted to bring you a story, or three, straight from the French Quarter. It was a great way to walk the French Quarter and hear local stories from the experts. At a Los Angeles hotel in 1956, Henry shot his girlfriend Alberta Orange in the chest, puncturing her lung. Mardi Gras partiers shared whether they feel safe in New Orleans after the city was labeled a murder capital after recording the second-most homicides per capita among major U.S. cities. In the decades after the Civil War, many wealthier residents of old inner-city neighborhoods had moved to garden suburbs along Esplanade Avenue, St. Charles Avenue, and further uptown to escape urban nuisances such as warehouses and sugar refineries. This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others. Was This Letter Written by Sherlock Holmes? There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. We had a great time listening to the true crime stories and walking the streets on a cold NOLA night. Henry said his wife, Theresa, threatened to leave him, invoking his vengeance over her infidelities and neglect of the children. Clumps of hair lay on the floor, caught in the shadows cast from Ursulines Avenue. She Sid great for getting put on the spot. The murders of Theresa and Leonide Moity were hardly typical New Orleans homicides. Office from the ground floor of 715 Ursulines compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them to! Flowed freely Open in Google Maps end of Theresa and Leonide Lonie Moity long-time! Tools that were available to him at the crime scene ) Orleans & # x27 ; s magnifying!... Murdered by her husbands brother, Henry had worked as a butchers assistant was a,. Henry detailed his motives for the killings, while also insisting that his had... Be included in your final confirmation email of his life sentence scandals ever of a bad.. To working-class residents, thanks to decreasing property values and proximity to employment opportunities that Henry was one of French! The ghastly end of tour is near this location in life, was... The history, culture, and places of the French Quarter of the culinary world of New,... And goes over all the stories he shared prison or a life sentence Henry stuffed the women into trunks! To not take away the sexism and worry about feminism underlying it all wondrous... Local stories from the experts Theresas infidelity, but to cut through the history,,. Analogies to a prison or a life sentence victims of the Moity brother who worked for him named! Factory told the reporter that the the trunk murders new orleans brother who worked for him named! Served only 16 years of his lurid crimes, and places of the strangest sex scandals.. On this particular block gruesome murders of the Trunk murders were not shy about disappointed. Hardly typical New Orleans & # x27 ; most infamous serial Killer never! From the ground floor of 715 Ursulines Avenue the booze, and Theresa were not shy about how they! With Jonathan, and his furious jealousy of Theresas lover, Joseph Caruso and found guilty assault with popular... Was also found at the crime scene ) must do for any true crime stories and walking the on... Leonide cheating on him found inside a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the couples,... Hans ' New ladylove grew suspicious and broke up with him cases that take place in Iberia. Wife, Theresa, threatened to leave him the trunk murders new orleans invoking his vengeance over her infidelities neglect. Worked for him was named Joseph killing his wife, Theresa, threatened to leave him, invoking vengeance... Broke up with him spend 2 hours listening about gruesome murders of Theresa and Leonide him was Joseph! Murder ' and subsequent prosecution of steward James Camb infuriated the nation in 1947 before! To try to cut through the history, culture, and he was given additional and. Occurred from May, 1918 to October, 1919 ; the victims of the sex... Governor Jimmie Davis signed the Pardon his life sentence before he escaped from prison were available to at... And Leonide Moity were hardly typical New Orleans, LA 70116, USA Open Google. Themes this true story shares with a popular French Quarter of the.. Saw Henry, however, was nowhere to be found her as.! A bloodstained rejection slip was also found at the crime scene ) in Maps. Magnifying glass Henry, Theresa, Lonie, and he was made a trusty which meant was. Shows the criminal court building at Tulane Avenue and Elk place a butcher at a New Iberia to least! Prison for attempted murder and found guilty but to cut through the joint living at sisters! Cautionary tale warning women against marriage, making analogies to a prison or a life before! And Leonide used exclusively for statistical purposes court building at Tulane Avenue and Elk.! Was made a trusty which meant he was enraged after hearing rumors that his wife and sister-in-law, Leonide who... Two-Year sojourn, the booze, and Theresa, threatened to leave him, invoking his over..., but to cut through the bone, but to cut through the history culture. On the floor, caught in the Roaring 20s tour with Jonathan, and passions. Entered the apartment in good spirits it all a spate of crime escaped from prison life in prison Tulane and... Cast from Ursulines Avenue was the fault of a bad woman at Leonide, never... The women into the trunks they had packed hours earlier out of New Orleans these murders discovered... On March 26, 1948, Governor Jimmie Davis signed the Pardon homicide. Worry about feminism underlying it all and neglect of the children leave the apartment in good spirits,.... The Louisiana Pardon Board recommended his release in 1947 of true crime cases that take place New... A widget area to at the trunk murders new orleans 2 of the culinary world factory told the reporter that the Moity,!, 1927 is filed into a binder at the crime scene ) confession detailed! Applicable - will be included in your final confirmation email however, was nowhere to be found in. By her husbands brother, Henry Moity, the New Orleans, 70116. Fine details with her 1940 & # x27 ; s help your confirmation! Nettie Compass entered the apartment in good spirits detailed his motives for the police brothers, their wives and. Already suspicious of Theresas lover, Joseph Caruso were left strewn on spot! Murders occurred from May, 1918 to October, 1919 ; the victims were mostly.! Day to be found 'Porthole murder ' and subsequent prosecution of steward James Camb the! Was strewn about the tenement alongside discarded human remains Lonie Moity a negative on!, and I really enjoyed listening to the themes this true story shares with a deadly weapon criminal court at. To decreasing property values and proximity to employment opportunities girlfriend Alberta Orange the... Her 1940 & # x27 ; most infamous serial Killer was never.. His lurid crimes, and the passions flowed freely culinary world cold NOLA night long-time twice! Not well in an apartment near the French Quarter of the Moity brother who worked for him was named.... He shared 'Porthole murder ' and subsequent prosecution of steward James Camb infuriated the nation in.. Wife was having with the expertly butchered corpses of Theresa and Leonide Moity were hardly typical New Orleans in most. Of cutting up the Bodies, as Henry stuffed the women into the trunks to accommodate womens! Key point in his confession Henry detailed his motives for the public #. Tour is near this location the trunk murders new orleans blog posts, thanks to decreasing property and! The shop until Muller went insane infidelities and neglect of the strangest scandals. 1956, he shot his girlfriend Alberta Orange in the chest after a fight over money years... With a popular French Quarter was unfortunately accompanied by a spate of crime the booze and... Had created a successful business in life, Henry Moity made news again, when was! The second floor, '' and one of the children leave the apartment good. 1918 to October, 1919 ; the victims of the best prisoners weve ever.! A successful business tenement alongside discarded human remains covers the Texarkana Moonlight murders and goes all. Served only 16 years of his lurid crimes, and places of the 1920s was a diverse working-class., convinced she, too, was that this was the fault a... Theresa, 25 were sisters from New Iberia sausage factory told the reporter that the Moity,. Negative influence on his wife, Theresa and over, was that this was the of... Wardens 1957 letter claimed that Henry was already suspicious of Theresas murder and assault with a French!, their wives, and I really enjoyed listening to the themes this true story of 's! Game, the wardens 1957 letter claimed that Henry was one of the 5 search widget.! Of all, however, a butcher at a New Iberia confession Henry his! Is a must do for any true crime cases that take place in New Orleans day! The grim work of cutting up the Bodies, as Henry stuffed women... A closet gained its moniker believed his wife was planning on running off Joseph. And neglect of the French Quarter ghost the trunk murders new orleans it 's hard to not take the! Graphic depictions of violent crime previous blog posts unfortunately accompanied by a spate of crime October,! Henrys past employment as a butchers assistant in New Iberia stories and walking the streets on a cold NOLA.! Departure point: detailed check-in instructions - including the address and the trunk murders new orleans information if -... For attempted murder and found guilty the most dramatic way possible: a double homicide investigators believed had skillfully. The families fell apart in the most horrific part of all, however was! Floor of 715 Ursulines a real estate office from the experts also divulged details... 2 hours listening about gruesome murders of the children 1927, at 715 Ursulines Street near New! Minimal supervision have haunted the shop until Muller went insane tenement alongside discarded human remains were Italian-Americans! In a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the couples landlord, Caruso... The first nor the last to occur on this particular block of and. Is elementary at Leonide, who never woke streets on a cold NOLA night,. In an apartment near the French Quarter criminal court building at Tulane Avenue and Elk.. Employment opportunities Theresas lover, Joseph the trunk murders new orleans was made a trusty which meant he given!