Hold My Sweet Tea
Where True Crime collides with chilling ghost stories and Southern folklore. Join us, sip sweet tea, and uncover shocking tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural, all with a healthy dose of Southern charm and a touch of sass!
Hold My Sweet Tea
Ep. 24-(Part 2): New Orleans Trunk Murders: Blood, Betrayal and Butchery
The butcher, his knife, and two trunks packed for departure—these are the elements of one of New Orleans' most gruesome yet strangely forgotten crimes.
When two women were found dismembered and packed into travel trunks at 725 Ursuline Avenue in 1927, the city was horrified. Sisters-in-law Theresa and Leonide Moity had been planning to leave New Orleans the following day, but their husbands had other ideas. While Joseph turned himself in, Henry—a skilled butcher—fled after confessing his crimes to his brother.
We unravel how Henry's background as a butcher played into the methodical way he dismembered his victims, cutting through joints rather than bones with practiced precision. The coroner's observations about the "skillfully removed" heads paints a chilling picture of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.
What's truly shocking isn't just the brutality of this crime but the justice system's response. Despite being sentenced to life, Henry was made a prison trustee and eventually escaped during a routine trip to the post office. After being recaptured, he was pardoned in 1948 on grounds of "temporary insanity due to alcohol consumption"—a justification that completely ignores his premeditated actions.
The story doesn't end there. Eight years after his release, Henry shot another girlfriend during an argument, proving his violence wasn't a one-time occurrence. More disturbing still is how these murders have morphed in local memory, elements of the crime seemingly absorbed into the urban legend of the "Sausage Ghost" while the actual victims have been forgotten.
Why do some crimes fade from memory while others become defining stories? How does truth transform into legend? Join us as we explore this deeply disturbing case that raises profound questions about justice, memory, and the stories we choose to tell—or forget.
Have you heard other forgotten crimes that deserve remembering? Share your thoughts with us and subscribe to hear more tales of justice and injustice from America's most haunted city.