Gone South

New Orleans. 1918. A killer the papers call “The Axeman” breaks into homes at night, mostly targeting Italian grocers, and attacks with an axe taken from inside the house. No robbery. No clear motive. Just terror. The case is never officially solved.In this episode of Gone South, former Times-Picayune editor James Karst walks Jed Lipinski through what the archives actually show: the earliest attacks, the infamous Axeman letter demanding jazz music, and the overlooked suspect Joseph Mumfre, a Black Hand linked extortionist whose name keeps resurfacing. Subscribe to our newsletter:⁠https://jedlipinski.substack.com/⁠ Connect with Jed Lipinski: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/gonesouthpodcast/⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/gonesouthpodcast/⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jed-lipinski/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A unaccredited private school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana became a national sensation when its students began landing acceptances at Harvard, Stanford, and other Ivy League universities. The viral videos were inspiring. The story seemed almost too good to be true. It was.New York Times reporters Katie Benner and Erica Green investigated T.M. Landry and uncovered a years-long college admissions fraud: fabricated transcripts, invented extracurriculars, and personal essays built on trauma the students never experienced. Behind it all was the school's charasmatic and manipulative founder, Mike Landry.This episode explores the rise and fall of T.M. Landry, the college admissions scandal it exposed, and who really pays the price when a system built to exclude finally gets gamed. Subscribe to our newsletter:⁠https://jedlipinski.substack.com/⁠ Connect with Jed Lipinski: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/gonesouthpodcast/⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/gonesouthpodcast/⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/jed-lipinski/ Katie Benner and Erica L. Green's book is "Miracle Children: Race, Education and a True Story of False Promises": https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Children-Education-Story-Promises/dp/1250759102 To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Concerned citizens in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana follow a trail of corruption that starts small and ends with a shocking revelation. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mobile, Alabama’s biggest cold case reopens when Jim Barber, a police officer and adjunct professor, re-examines the 1980 murder of college freshman Katherine Foster.  ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A promising you tech entrepreneur arrives in Opelika, Alabama, promising to make it, "The Silicon Valley of The South."  And that was a hard promise to keep.  ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a Louisiana defense attorney, Pat Fanning thought he'd seen it all. That was until Harold "H" Landry, who shot the husband of a woman he'd been sleeping with, walked into his office claiming he'd done absolutely nothing wrong. H's trial came to a shocking conclusion, but it was really just the beginning.  ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A recent New Orleans resident becomes immersed in the city's LBGTQ history. But his commitment rises to a whole new level when he makes inroads on an obscure cold case known as "The Hammer Murders.” ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

New evidence emerges that casts doubt on the legend of Buford Pusser. The story behind the ambush that killed his wife, Pauline, may not be what it seems. As buried secrets surface, Mike Elam's discoveries may finally force the truth out of the shadows. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Buford Pusser is an iconic American law enforcement figure. The film series "Walking Tall," most recently starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is based on Pusser's life as a cop. But recent revelations are turning Pusser's legacy on its head. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A promising math and science student at the University of Georgia has an interesting side gig. He runs a hedge fund for his fraternity brothers which rakes in massive returns. But with the reward comes a massive risk.  ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As Reconstruciton-era politics in New Orleans empowers blacks and angers ex-confederates, an Afro-Creole Detective named Jean-Baptiste Jourdain sets out to solve the kidnapping of a white baby. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

True-crime author Diane Fanning stumbles upon the case of Julie Rea, convicted of murdering her son. As she uncovers flaws in the prosecution’s argument, Fanning interviews a serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells. With new evidence in hand, she wonders if her discovery could exonerate an innocent woman. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The point of view switches from Batman to Darryl Smith. Darryl gives us his side of the story and explains how one goes from being a promising young med student to a prolific meth manufacturer. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DEA Agent Steve Peterson, nickname "Batman," hunts down a prolific meth manufacturer in Atlanta. But as he closes in on his prey, Steve is stunned by the meth maker's identity. This is the real life "Breaking Bad." ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Jimmy Cox arrived at the Lousiana State Penetentiary (AKA "Angola") to serve two life sentences, he had one goal in mind: escape. And that's exactly what he did. But while escaping Angola was impressive, escaping his own past would prove a greater challenge. ***Gone South has been nominated for a Webby Award, but we need your VOTE! It takes 10 seconds, all you have to do is click HERE. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gone South, the Edward R. Murrow award-winning podcast, is back for a fourth season. Unlike previous seasons, writer and host Jed Lipinski brings listeners new episodes every week with no end in sight. Each episode of Gone South Season 4 tells a different story about one of the South's most interesting crimes. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Many who knew Ortiz were shocked to hear about his crimes. Had this seemingly kind family man always had a dark side, or did something turn him into a killer? As those involved in the case would discover, the answer isn’t so simple. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As disconcerting details about Ortiz’s life stack up in the interrogation room, the investigators know they have the right guy. But after he confesses, they quickly learn just how much they didn’t know. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After escaping a man named David, Erika Peña leads the cops to the man’s house where they find a troubling scene. Troopers attempt to arrest David on the other side of town, but he bolts and a frantic foot chase ensues. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a second body is found near the first crime scene, Laredoans start to fear the perpetrator could be a serial killer. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The investigation takes to the streets of Laredo, where peers of the victim suggest possible suspects and motives. Binge Gone South Season 3: The Sign Cutter Exclusively on Audacy: https://go.audacy.com/gone-south-season-3 Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After discovering a woman’s body on a desolate road on the outskirts of Laredo, the police come to a chilling revelation: the killer they’re looking for may be one of the people working on the case. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, Gone South with Jed Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A rancher in Laredo, Texas discovers a woman’s body shot execution-style on the side of the road. When authorities identify her as a local sex worker, their investigation takes them into the darkest corners of the city, triggering a manhunt for a serial killer. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of denial, Biloxi strip club owner Mike Gillich agrees to help the government solve the Sherry murders. His cooperation reveals the true trigger man and the people responsible for the killings, including former Biloxi Mayor, Pete Halat. But as a new trial unfolds, Pete maintains his complete innocence.  A Special Thanks to Celia Tisdale and the Mississippi Department of Archives & History To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To build a case against a Kirksey Nix and his collaborators, Agent Keith Bell and Captain Randy Cook descend into the criminal underworld. A trial results in convictions, but the Sherry murders have yet to be solved. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of inmate Bobby Joe Fabian’s stunning allegations, Pete Halat and Kirksey Nix strongly deny their involvement in the murders. But a new sheriff’s investigator suspects they know more than they’re letting on. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After trying to solve the case herself, the Sherry's oldest daughter hires a notorious Mississippi private eye named Rex Armistead. His connection to an Angola inmate and Dixie Mafia killer soon breaks the case wide open. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FBI agent Keith Bell discovers a link between the murders and a Biloxi strip club owner. But a bizarre prison scam conducted by Kirksey Nix may have even bigger implications. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While many believe Margaret Sherry was targeted for political reasons, Biloxi police suspect the killer was one of Vince’s disgruntled clients. But as missteps in the investigation pile up, the Sherry family wonders: Were the cops somehow involved? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kirksey Nix, the supposed leader of the Dixie Mafia, has been described as a psychopathic killer. Jed connects with Kirksey in prison in an effort to set the record straight.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

While investigating the death of Margaret Coon for Season One, Jed learns about a notorious gang of criminals that terrorized the South in the 1960s and 70s.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Season Two of Gone South, the Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary podcast. Starting in the sixties, a loose-knit confederation of traveling criminals known as the Dixie Mafia terrorized every state from Georgia to Oklahoma. Its hundreds of members, unofficially headquartered in Biloxi, Mississippi, specialized in scams, heists and murder. Their alleged leader — the estranged son of a prominent Oklahoma politician — was a skilled and charismatic outlaw named Kirksey Nix. When Nix was sentenced to life in prison at Angola for a murder he committed in New Orleans, the Dixie Mafia was thought to be extinct. But fifteen years later, a sitting criminal court judge named Vincent Sherry and his wife Margaret, a mayoral candidate for the city of Biloxi, were assassinated. As the case ran cold, authorities were forced to confront a disturbing reality: the Dixie Mafia was not done yet. Gone South is an Audacy Original produced in association with Jed and Tom Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two women with intimate knowledge of the leading suspect come forward, and Jed receives new information about the night Margaret Coon was killed. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As investigators dig up information on a new suspect, they uncover a baffling series of events that occurred in a condo across the street from where Margaret’s body was found. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Margaret's homicide case lands in the lap of a decorated ex-DEA agent, leading him down the same path as previous investigators. But a bizarre incident involving an infamous Beau Chene resident exposes an overlooked suspect. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly a decade after Margaret's murder, the investigation has gone ice cold. But there was a secret side to Margaret’s life that may hold the key to finding her killer. If you have tips or information that you’d like to share related to the unsolved murder of Margaret Coon or other relevant topics, you can call us at (650) 746-GONE or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the sheriff’s investigation at a standstill, Margaret’s father and a rogue private detective take center stage. As a new profile of the killer emerges, they close in on a compelling suspect. If you have tips or information that you’d like to share related to the unsolved murder of Margaret Coon or other relevant topics, you can call us at (650) 746-GONE or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The murder of Margaret Coon conjures memories of St. Tammany's checkered past. As pressure mounts to solve the crime, authorities turn their attention to a disgraced cop and an enigmatic drifter. If you have tips or information that you’d like to share related to the unsolved murder of Margaret Coon or other relevant topics, you can call us at (650) 746-GONE or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Detectives examine the victim's complicated love life and look deeper into her professional history. Margaret defies expectations, becoming a Louisiana trial lawyer in the 1970s. When she’s hired by the DA’s office in St. Tammany, she specializes in sex crimes and crimes against children, prosecuting dozens of violent men who might have left the courtroom with grudge. If you have tips or information that you’d like to share related to the unsolved murder of Margaret Coon or other relevant topics, you can call us at (650) 746-GONE or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a regular day in Beau Chene, an exclusive gated community 35 miles north of New Orleans, Louisiana. At dusk, a prominent ex-prosecutor takes her Afghan hound for a jog on the busiest street in the neighborhood. The next morning, a neighbor discovers her lying in a pool of blood, launching a murder investigation in which everyone is a suspect. If you have tips or information that you’d like to share related to the unsolved murder of Margaret Coon or other relevant topics, you can call us at (650) 746-GONE or email us at [email protected]. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In February of 1987, a former prosecutor named Margaret Coon went for a jog in one of the safest and wealthiest neighborhoods in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The next morning, she was found dead on the side of the road. St. Tammany advertises itself as a safe haven from the crime and corruption of New Orleans, attracting thousands of residents over the last several decades. But there is a darker side to the parish, and that darkness ultimately consumed Margaret Coon. Over the course of this documentary podcast series, journalist Jed Lipinski investigates Margaret Coon’s unsolved murder, shedding new light on a bewildering crime that has haunted the region for over 30 years. Gone South is an Audacy Original produced in association with Jed and Tom Lipinski. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices