Louisiana Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 4 serial killers whose murders took place in Louisiana, with first known killings from 1918 to 1998. 3 of them were caught; 4 linked case files document their victims. The earliest series is Axeman of New Orleans (1918) and the most recent is Derrick Todd Lee (1998). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 4 profiles
Axeman of New Orleans
The Axeman
Unidentified. An unknown attacker killed at least six people and injured six more in night-time axe attacks on homes in New Orleans and Gretna, Louisiana, between May 1918 and October 1919, most of them Italian-American grocers.
Robert Charles Browne
Robert Browne
Serving life. Robert Charles Browne pleaded guilty to the 1991 murder of Heather Dawn Church and the 1987 murder of Rocio Sperry near Colorado Springs.
Danny Rolling
The Gainesville Ripper
Executed in Florida in 2006. Danny Rolling pleaded guilty in 1994 to murdering five college students in Gainesville in August 1990 and, days before his execution, confessed in writing to the 1989 killing of three members of the…
Derrick Todd Lee
The Baton Rouge Serial Killer
Died in prison. Derrick Todd Lee was convicted of murdering two women in south Louisiana in 2002 and sentenced to death; DNA linked him to five more killings between 1998 and 2003.
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axeman of New Orleans | The Axeman | Louisiana | 1918 to 1919 | — | — | At least 6 killed and 6 injured in the attacks attributed to the series in 1918 and 1919; historians dispute which attacks belong to it, and totals of up to 17 killed have been cited | Unidentified | Unknown |
| Robert Charles Browne | Robert Browne | Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas | 1980 to 1991 | 2 | 48 | 9 to 48 | Convicted | Imprisoned |
| Danny Rolling | The Gainesville Ripper | Florida, Louisiana | 1989 to 1990 | 5 | 8 | 8 | Convicted | Executed |
| Derrick Todd Lee | The Baton Rouge Serial Killer | Louisiana | 1998 to 2003 | 2 | — | 7 | Convicted | Died in prison |
Serial murder case files from Louisiana
Victim-centred case pages from the cold case index, with their own timelines and sources.
Jeff Davis 8 Victims
Eight women and girls were found dead in and around Jefferson Davis Parish between 2005 and 2009. Many were involved in prostitution or drug use.
Derrick Todd Lee Victims
Derrick Todd Lee was convicted in 2004 of murdering Geralyn DeSoto and Charlotte Murray Pace and was sentenced to death for the Pace killing.
Grissom Family Murders (Danny Rolling Confession)
William "Tom" Grissom, 55, his daughter Julie, 24, and his grandson Sean, 8, were killed in their Shreveport home on November 4, 1989. Danny Rolling was long suspected but never charged in Louisiana.
New Orleans Axeman Victims
An unidentified attacker known as the Axeman struck homes in and around New Orleans between May 1918 and October 1919, killing six people and injuring several others, many of them Italian grocers and their families.