In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans became a city stripped to its bones. Power was gone. Tourists vanished. And for a brief moment, life in the French Quarter felt suspended outside of time. Zack Bowen, a former soldier, and Addie Hall, a poet and bartender, chose to stay. They scavenged food, cooked in the streets, drank beneath darkened skies, and were photographed by national media as symbols of defiance; young lovers riding out the end of the world together.

A year later, Addie was dead. Dismembered in an apartment above a voodoo temple. Zack would take his own life days later, leaving behind a confession and one of the most disturbing crime scenes New Orleans has ever seen.

This episode traces the arc from disaster romance to domestic horror, from Katrina’s strange, intoxicating aftermath to addiction, untreated trauma, and a relationship collapsing under the return of ordinary life. It asks why this story became framed as a “voodoo murder,” what we miss when we reach for supernatural explanations, and how catastrophe can amplify the quiet damage already living inside people.

If you have a story where crime and the otherworldly intertwine, something strange, unexplained or just plain haunted, get in touch at paranormia@alwaystruecrime.com.

Paranormia is an Audio Always production.

Presented by Elizabeth McCafferty.

Written and produced by Mansi Vithlani.

Executive produced by Ailsa Rochester.

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Support & Resources:

This episode discusses suicide, domestic abuse, addiction, and trauma. If you or someone you love needs support, help is available:

United Kingdom:

Samaritans - Call 116 123 (24/7) or visit samaritans.org

National Domestic Abuse Helpline - Call 0808 2000 247 (24/7) or visit nationaldahelpline.org.uk

United States:

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - Call or text 988 (24/7) or visit 988lifeline.org

Veterans Crisis Line - Call 988, then press 1, or text 838255

National Domestic Violence Hotline - Call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit thehotline.org

Australia:

Lifeline Australia - Call 13 11 14 (24/7) or visit lifeline.org.au

1800RESPECT - Call 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au

Global:

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Find local helplines at findahelpline.com

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