The Axeman of New Orleans | Unsolved Crimes

The Axeman of New Orleans is an American serial killer that was active from May 1918 until October 1919. The killer was never caught for any of his attacks, and the murders are still unsolved to this date.

The Axeman's victims were attacked using an axe as the name implies. It would usually be an axe that belonged to the victims themselves and was usually left at the crime scene. They would break into the homes of their victims, kill the occupants inside, but never steal anything.

People began to notice that many of the victims were Italian immigrants or Italian-Americans, which made them think the attacks were hate crimes. It caused hysteria throughout New Orleans, especially among the Italian community. Eventually, people would start to believe that the Axeman was not human at all, and believed they were some sort of demon.

There have been a few theories as to why the Axeman committed their crimes, but nothing is known for sure. It's believed that the crimes were targeted against females as any males that were harmed had just got in the way during the attack. This is a possibility as some men were spared when the Axeman entered their homes, and only the women were attacked or murdered.

The less likely theory was that the killer was a huge jazz fan and was trying to promote the genre of music. This theory came about because of a letter sent to the press saying they would spare the lives of anyone playing jazz in their homes on the evening of March 19th 1919. On that evening the jazz halls were full and jazz bands were playing parties at homes throughout town.

Nobody was killed that night.

Then in October 1919, the spree ended just as abruptly and mysteriously as it had begun.

In the time they were active the Axeman attacked 12 people in total, and 6 of those victims died from their injuries.

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The Victims

Joseph and Catherine Maggio. Joseph was an Italian grocer that was murdered with his wife in their home with a straight razor.

Louis Besumer and Harriet Lowe. The couple was attacked with Besumer's hatchet. They were hit over the head and found in a pool of blood. 

Anna Schneider. Attacked August 1918 when she was 8 months pregnant. She was beaten in the face repeatedly and was found by her husband. After the attack, she didn't remember anything about it but she gave birth to a healthy daughter.

Joseph Romano. He was an elderly man living with his nieces at the time of the attack. It happened August 1918 when the nieces heard noises coming from his room. When they entered his room to check they found him bleeding from 2 open wounds on his head. He would die from his injuries 2 days later.

Charles, Rosie and Mary Cortimiglia. The family were attacked at their home in March 1919. Their two-year-old daughter Mary died from a blow to the back of her neck, but Charles and his wife Rosie survived.

Steve Boca. Steve was attacked in his bedroom and hit over the head. He was knocked unconscious by the blow, but when he woke up he remembered nothing. He had suffered a serious head injury, and even though he fully recovered he never remembered what happened.

Sarah Kaumann. Attacked in her own home in September 1919. She was discovered by her neighbours when they broke in to check on her. She had a head injury and was missing some of her teeth. The weapon was found covered in blood on the front lawn. Sarah would go on to recover from her injuries but remember nothing.

Mike Pepitone. He was attacked in October 1919 in his bedroom. His wife heard the noises and woke up to find a man fleeing the scene. Mike had a serious head injury and was covered in blood. Unfortunately, Mike died of his injury, and this is the last of the Axeman's alleged murders.

The Suspects

The police questioned several suspects but no arrests were made due to a lack of clues and leads, which meant the killer was never caught. Even today nobody knows the true identity of the Axeman. 

One theory I found was by crime writer Colin Wilson, and he believed that the killer was a man called Joseph Momfre. They also stated that Mike Pepitone's widow shot Momfre dead and this is why the Axeman's spree ended so abruptly. However, there is no evidence to support this theory or any police record that proves the murder took place.

Final Thoughts

I find it crazy that there is still very little known about the killer after so many years. They don't know who actually committed these crimes, nor do they know the motivation behind them. We will probably never know the truth, but I find this case particularly interesting because of the mystery behind it. 

What do you think of the Axeman and their killing spree? Let me know in the comments.

Also please let me know if there are any unsolved cases you'd like me to cover on the blog! Thank you so much for reading.