May 13, 1892 New Orleans, Louisiana Dr. Etienne Deschamps (61) is hanged for the sexual assault and murder of 12-year-old Juliette Dietsch Deschamps was described in newspapers as a quack doctor, using hypnotic and magnetic techniques on his patients when he wasn’t practicing dentistry. He eventually became friends with Juliette’s father, Jules Dietsch, and Jules’… Continue reading Man murders 12-year-old after months of sexual abuse
Category: Louisiana
Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
November 28, 1942 Lake Charles, Louisiana Toni Jo Henry is executed in the electric chair Henry was 26 when she was executed for murder, carried out to get her husband released from his 50-year jail term. In 1940, Henry devised a plan with Harold Burks to rob a bank to fund a defense team for… Continue reading Toni Jo Henry: first woman executed in Louisiana
4-year-old disappears, “found” in another state
August 23, 1912 St. Landry Parish, Louisiana 4-year-old Bobby Dunbar disappears during a trip, later sparking a mystery solved nearly 100 years later Bobby’s family had been on a fishing trip when the boy disappeared. His parents frantically looked for him before calling police when their own search turned up nothing. Authorities dissected alligators in… Continue reading 4-year-old disappears, “found” in another state
Jayne Mansfield’s fatal car crash
June 29, 1967 New Orleans, Louisiana Actress Jayne Mansfield, attorney Sam Brody, and driver Ronnie Harrison are killed in a car accident The trio of adults were driving with three of Mansfield’s children, including future Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay. The children were asleep in the car’s backseat at the time… Continue reading Jayne Mansfield’s fatal car crash
An arsonist sets a fire at the UpStairs Lounge, killing 32 and injuring 15
June 24, 1973 New Orleans, Louisiana An arson attack at the UpStairs Lounge kills 32 and wounds 15 During the final day of Pride Week, members of the Metropolitan Community Church, a pro-gay rights church, had been discussing a fundraiser benefitting the local Crippled Children's Hospital. A door buzzer rang and when the door was… Continue reading An arsonist sets a fire at the UpStairs Lounge, killing 32 and injuring 15
