Dolly Oesterreich, her "Bat Man," and one of the strangest sex scandals ever. Youll find out in a moment how this tragedy got its grisly nickname, and how it inspired a famous New Orleans urban legend. Both couples and their young children lived in the small apartment. Hitmans rap sheet only scratches the surface. Two days later, Saturday, October 29, crew members from the freighter Gem delivered Henry Moity to the Lafourche Parish Sheriffs Office. . It was a smaller group than other tours we saw and very entertaining! Joseph said Henry fled to a Camp Street boarding house and planned to board a ship soon. This imagefrom the New Orleans Item shows Leonide Moity with an unnamed sister and child. Pictures of him with his sainted mother and father in jail, not to mention him cuddling his children. Description Panicked, Nettie ran out of the apartment, screaming, prompting two men in the street to join her while another ran for the police. His brother Joe had already left his wife behind and vacated, convinced she, too, was running around on him. Special thank you to our sponsors for this episode: Violet and Suds - Get 20% off your order using our code, WICKED20. 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. Seemingly inspired by some details of this case, particularly Henrys background as a butcher, the story goes that a German immigrant opened a sausage factory on Ursulines Street. Wood | Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved. Henry began his sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary on July 6, 1928. Required fields are marked *. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. All rights reserved. In 1927, Theresa and Leonide shared a crowded existence with their husbandsbrothers Henry and Josephand Theresa and Henrys three small children in the second-floor rooms of 715 Ursulines Avenue. Thank you for a great time! INFAMOUS AMERICA | New Orleans Ep6 "The Trunk Murders" - YouTube INFAMOUS AMERICA presented by Black Barrel Media. The story of the unknown 'Somerton Man,' which included murmurs of espionage, crime, murder, cipher code, and love triangles. Headlined Bodies Found in Trunks, it tells the ghastly end of Theresa and Leonide Lonie Moity. 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. (, A circa 1925 image shows the criminal court building at Tulane Avenue and Elk Place. Made with Squarespace. She survived, and he went back to jail. 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. Clothing tossed from the trunks littered the living room where police found the severed fingers. (Photo: Lauren George), On Wednesday October 26, things had come to a head in the Moity household when Theresa and Leonide revealed their plans to move out. thump! Both women had to sew and pick up other work to supplement their income. The Trunk Murders and 'Sausage Ghost' of 1920s New Orleans. 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. Available now through most major bookstores and Amazon. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. New Orleans' most infamous serial killer was never caught. Lonie had even written a book. It was a great way to walk the French Quarter and hear local stories from the experts. The New Orleans Police Department released her photo and asked for the public's help. The all-male jury couldn't decide if that was a valid defense or not, and compromised on a verdict of "guilty without capital punishment," rejecting the prosecution's death penalty recommendation. "She'd killed her husband because he said she couldn't go to a party!" You'll see where it all happened, understand the history behind it, and how the echoes of gruesome crimes still cry out. Buried in a deep gash on one of the victims backs, the coroner found a gold wedding band. In a closet, police found two small traveling trunks packed with the expertly butchered corpses of two young women. In fact, Chicago has earned that spot for eleven years in a row!. By the 1920s the neighborhood, especially in the areas closer to Esplanade Avenue, was heavily populated by first- and second-generation Sicilians, who joined the racially and ethnically diversecommunity. New Orleans recorded 266 homicides in 2022 a 116% increase from 2019, according to the New Orleans City Council crime database. In 1927 a large family lived in a 2nd-floor apartment at 715 Ursulines Avenue. Lessons from History is a platform for writers who share ideas and inspirational stories from world history. A pair of gruesome murders in the French Quarter, remembered as the New Orleans Trunk Murders, was one of the most violent crimes in 1920s New Orleans. Realizing he had the best method of disposal possible, he pushed his wife into the huge meat grinder in their factory. They believed he was planning a getaway on a ship. She Sid great for getting put on the spot. This is our very first virtual live show from July 23, 2020 held at AS220 in Providence RI. CONTACT US There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. Upon. 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. Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. Henry complained at one reporter. Discovery The victims of the "Trunk Murders" were discovered October 27, 1927, at 715 Ursulines Street. (Photo: Lauren George). . It wasnt the departure they had anticipated. The first suspects were their husbands. The sisters married brothers Henry and Joseph Moity, the New Orleans Police Departments prime suspects in the case. He was enraged after hearing rumors that his wife was planning on running off with Joseph Caruso. The New Orleans Murder Block. This is The Crimes-Picayune. 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. 715 Ursulines Avenue was the home of the Moity brothers, their wives, and children. Theresa and Leonides personal effects lay strewn among the gore: childrens clothing, unfinished sewing projects, the womens lace garments, silk stockings, and beauty creams. DISCLOSURE STATEMENT, By Dylan Jordan, interpretation assistant, A photograph shows Governor Nichols and Royal Streets in 1928. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Listen to the story of The New Orleans Murder Block. ). The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. TERMS & CONDITIONS Joseph cooperated with the police, telling them that hed been living at his sisters home after hed caught Leonide cheating on him. by Jackson Square Cat August 28, 2016 New Orleans' French Quarter, at the. No purchase necessary. Unable to lay low, Henry once again attacked another young woman. Henry first tried to say that a red-headed Norwegian sailor had forced him to commit the crimes but he couldnt get the story together and quickly confessed. The victims, later identified as Theresa and Leonide Moity, were both in their mid-twenties and natives of New Iberia. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Hailing from New Iberia, Louisiana (pop 6,278), they'd hoped to find more opportunity in the city, but the brothers did mostly odd-jobs, doing their best to provide. (Photo: Lauren George). They'd greet everyone with a smile, and happily called out their regular customers' names as they walked through the door. By 1934 he was made a trusty which meant he was given additional responsibility and minimal supervision. The only window into the womens interior lives is preserved in a story written by Leonide. Afterward came the grim work of cutting up the bodies, as Henry stuffed the women into the trunks they had packed hours earlier. As reporters and police took stock of the grisly tableau, there was one thing notably missing: Henry Moity. She called out for help until two men nearby noticed and alerted the police. (Mobile Users:. In 1957, he died of a stroke in Californias Folsom Prison, where he is buried. The women and children went to bed. When the coroner and Healys female colleague, Gwen, arrived. New Orleans recorded 266 homicides in 2022 a 116% increase from 2019, according to the New Orleans City Council crime database. Resting on the torso was a bloodied cane knife, of the type used on sugar plantations. Henry died of a stroke in 1957 while serving his term at Folsom. (Photo: Ken Lund/CC BY-SA 2.0). This is a must do for any true crime lover! We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the worlds hidden wonders. (THNOC, gift of Waldemar S. Nelson, 2003.0182.523). He went to Theresas bedroom and stabbed her. Saxon credits a "Miss Rica Hoffman" as "remembering" the story, "which occurred in the city some years ago.". Wonderful tour! There was no place like New Orleans in the Roaring 20s. please think ahead of you and do not make the mistake Ive made, because it does not always turn out the right way, you can still be disappointed. Meanwhile, in terms of the homicide rate, New Orleans captured the crown for . As he later recounted to the DA, She didnt say a word or move. He was a free man for 2 years before the police in California found out his true identity and returned him to the Louisiana prison system. But Wirepoints, a non-profit research service, evaluated homicide statistics from America's 75 largest states and confirmed that in sheer numbers, Chicago easily earns the top spot. One night as she was sweeping up the floors he came behind her and strangled her to death. It might have been the height of Prohibition, but liquor was never hard to find in New Orleans. 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. Orleans Parish Coroner Dr. George Roeling determined that the killer had first bludgeoned the women with a lead billy club, before decapitating them with a machete and amputating their arms and legs. According to some stories, Mueller hired a young woman, a much younger and very attractive woman, to assist his wife with the day-to-day duties of running the household. Call Us, Text Us, or Live Chat to speak with a Destination Specialist The newspapers focused most of their attention on the victims husbands, whodwelled mainly on the womens alleged infidelities and careless parenting. I will post images of some of the actual newspaper clippings below, if you want to blow them up and read for yourself. 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. Seller of Travel Ref. Our tour guide was amazing when it came to the city's history in general but also knew both personal and commonly known areas where gruesome murders have occurred in New Orleans. 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This article talks about who she was before being remembered as just a murder victim. (Photo: A newspaper report of the crime at 715UrsulinesAvenue. Leonides husband, Joseph, turned himself in that evening. The same line about Theresa Moity not sweeping was even used on Velma. After his release, the convict moved to Los Angeles, California, where he shot a woman in the chest, puncturing her lung and leaving her to suffocate in a hotel room. Listen to the story of The New Orleans Murder Block. Newly arrived immigrants from Sicily settled in large numbers beginning in the 1880s. Used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes identified as Theresa and Leonide Lonie Moity in Californias Folsom Prison, he. A smaller group than other tours we saw and very entertaining, too, was running around him. His term at Folsom tossed from the freighter Gem delivered Henry Moity before being remembered just... 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