SERIAL KILLER: The Axeman of New Orleans Pt. 2

Vanessa Richardson (0:06)

This is Crime House.

Most of us have gotten a message that immediately changes our mood. Maybe it's a text from a boss, a strange voicemail, or an email with a subject line we already know we don't want to open. But usually, whatever news the message brings isn't as terrifying as we imagined. But in 1919, a New Orleans newspaper published a message allegedly written by a killer who had spent the past year slipping into homes at night and attacking people with an axe. And the murderer wasn't just threatening the city, they were telling people exactly what they needed to do if they wanted to survive. According to the letter, there was only one way to stay safe. You needed to play jazz music.

The human mind is powerful. It shapes how we think, feel, love and hate. But sometimes it drives people to commit the unthinkable. This is Serial Killers & Murderous Minds, Crime House Original. I'm Vanessa Richardson.

Tristin Engels (1:26)

And I'm Forensic Psychologist, Dr. Tristin Engels. Every Monday and Thursday, we uncover the darkest minds in history, analyzing what makes a killer.

Vanessa Richardson (1:36)

Crime House exists because of listeners like you. Want even more? Join Crime House Plus and get both parts of every story dropped on the same Monday, completely ad free. No waiting three days for part two, plus Crime House bonus episodes every month. To join, go to crimehouseplus.com. Or if you listen on Apple Podcasts, tap Try Free at the top of the Serial Killers & Murderous Minds page.

Before we get started, be advised that this episode contains discussion of extreme brutality and violence against children. So please listen with care.

Today, we're concluding our deep dive on the Axeman of New Orleans. A killer who left an entire city wondering who could be next. He slipped into people's homes in the middle of the night, attacked them with terrifying force, and managed to disappear before anyone could catch him. As the attacks continued, patterns started to emerge, and the killer's reputation became as frightening as the violence itself.

Tristin Engels (2:36)

As Vanessa goes through the story, I'll be talking about things like what it does to a community when a violent crime spree ends without any real resolution.

Why potential suspects can become even more compelling once they're no longer alive to be questioned? And how unanswered crimes can leave behind theories, suspicion, and fear long after the attacks themselves are over?

Vanessa Richardson (2:59)

And as always, we'll be asking the question, What Makes A Killer?

By March of 1919, the Greater New Orleans area had been terrorized by a string of brutal attacks in the middle of the night. At least five people were dead, and four others had been seriously injured. Most of the attacks looked eerily similar. The victims were all bludgeoned while they slept. Axes were often left behind. And in several cases, the killer had chiseled a panel out of a back door to get inside. Most of the families targeted were also Italian American and connected to small grocery stores. But without modern forensic tools, it was incredibly difficult to know exactly which attacks were actually connected. Some may have been committed by the same person. Others could have been copycats. And some may have had nothing to do with the Axeman at all. Up to this point, police had only made an arrest in one of the attacks. Louis Bessemer had been taken into custody after his companion, Harriet Lowe, accused him of attacking her. But as the attacks continued, people couldn't help but wonder whether the police had gotten it wrong. And that question became even harder to ignore after another attack. It happened on March 9, 1919, just across the river from New Orleans, in Gretna, at the home of Charlie and Rosie Cortimiglia. The couple were asleep with their two-year-old daughter, Mary, when someone broke into their home and attacked all three with an axe. Charlie and Rosie were gravely injured but survived. Mary did not.

Soon after the attack, the police learned that the Cortimiglias had been involved in a dispute with another family of grocers who lived nearby, the Jordanos. The disagreement centered around a grocery store lease, and investigators believed it could have given the Jordanos a motive to want the Cortimiglia family dead.

But there was one major problem. While recovering in the hospital, Charlie and Rosie told police they'd gotten a glimpse of their attackers, and neither of them identified anyone from the Jordano family. Still, investigators pushed the theory. Police repeatedly questioned them about whether the Jordanos could have been responsible, and when Rosie was finally well enough to leave, authorities took things even further. Instead of allowing her to go home, police took Rosie to jail as a material witness, and refused to release her until she gave them the answer they were looking for.