On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina swept through the coastal areas of the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi, USA. One of the hardest locations hit was the city of New Orleans in Louisiana. Labeled a Category 5 storm, Winds In New Orleans gusted over 100mpg (160km/h). In total, the storm killed over 1,800 people and damaged or destroyed 275,000 homes. Addie Hall survived Katrina, but would only live to see one more birthday.
Adriane “Addie: Hall was born on January 15, 1976. She grew up in an abusive home, and over the years, found herself in abusive relationships. Addie drank heavily, and her friends believed she was struggling with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, even noting that she could be aggressive and abusive toward her friends. She lived as a “free spirited-person.” That lifestyle made her perfect for life in the French Quarter, an area of New Orleans known for its colorful buildings, and vibrant nightlife.
Addie was a bartender, and her patrons loved her.
Zack Bowen, born on May 15, 1978 in Bakersfield, California. He moved to New Orleans in the 1990’s, where he met 28-year-old Lana Shupack while bartending on Bourbon Street. When the couple found out that Lana was pregnant, they got married and prepared to be parents. After the birth of their first child, Jackson, he quit his bartending job and enlisted in the army in May 2020.
Zack served in Iraq and Kosovo, and received a NATO Medal and Presidential Unit Citation for his service. While in the service, he met and befriended a young Iraqi boy and his family. The family, including the boy, were killed as punishment for interacting with Americans. And, as so many soldiers did, he returned with PTSD.
According to Deseret News, “[Zack] was a completely different person when he returned, and they soon faced marital problems and eventual separation.” Despite having two children, the couple divorced, and Zack was left paying child support
Zack met Addie when he got a job bartending at the same bar she was. It wasn’t long before the two of them got together. It started with harmless flirting, and became more as they both enjoyed the wild and crazy nightlife they were surrounded by. They loved to party, do drugs, and drink – a lot. They were happy.
Their friends, however, were worried about them. Their lives were being fueled by drugs and alcohol. A constant craving for the next adrenaline rush. A rush that wasn’t sustainable, despite the two believing they had fallen in love.
Then came Hurricane Katrina. The people of New Orleans were warned to evacuate in the days and weeks leading up to the storm. They were encouraged to seek shelter elsewhere, but Zack and Addie weren’t interested in leaving. Though Lana, Zack’s ex-wife, asked him to evacuate with her and the children, he didn’t want to leave. Addie invited Zack to wait out the storm with her, in her apartment, an act that Lana described as immature and reckless.
Katrina devastated much of the Gulf Coast states, yet somehow the French Quarter did not flood and they were spared. The area was without electricity, and the flooding in surrounding areas kept their little community of people who hadn’t evacuated, isolated and sheltered from the nightmare facing the outside world.
No electricity meant no heat or air conditioning. No running water and limited resources. One might imagine Zack and Addie would be miserable – yet somehow this only made their lives more exciting.
They went from bar to bar, gathering up alcohol, before returning home and setting up their own make-shift bar right outside. There, they served up drinks in exchange for food and water. They collected debris and lit fires in the street to cook by, and to stay warm at night. It was like an exciting, urban, camping trip.
As far as their personal safety goes, Addie made sure the police kept an eye out. She became known for flashing her breasts at the police, and they kept on coming.
Their efforts gained media attention, and they were featured in several newspapers, including The New York TImes. They were called the “King and Queen” of the Hurricane Katrina survivalists. The couple, in love before the tragedy, now found themselves “head over heels.”
Then the real world came flooding back. As the waters subsided, and power was restored, it was time for the city to start cleaning up and getting back to normal. But that was not the life Zack and Addie wanted.
Zack wasn’t interested in dealing with Lana, or the children. He didn’t want to pay child support or even co-parent. They didn’t want to return to normal, they didn’t want to work or pay bills. Zack and Addie wanted to remain free.
But, as we all know, that wasn’t realistic, and they had responsibilities. Zack had to deal with Lana, and Addie was sick of it. She was in love with Zack, not his life. Their drug use was through the roof, a friend of theirs, nicknamed “Squirrel,” supplied them with a steady stream of cocaine.
Both Zack and Addie were done. They began to have explosive arguments. They would break up, and then get back together. Zack complained to his friends about Addie. Addie complained to her friends about Zack. They went on like this for months and just when Zack was ready to end it for good, Addie wanted one more chance.
Addie asked Zack if they could “start fresh.” They moved into a new apartment, above the Voodoo Spiritual Temple at 826 N. Rampart Street.
The fresh start wasn’t enough though. The arguments continued, and Zack, being known for his looks, became unfaithful. Once Addie found out, this was the final straw for her.
On October 4, 2006, Addie went to the landlord and asked to modify the lease to their apartment. She wanted Zack’s name removed so she could formally, and legally kick him out. The landlord told her she needed to work it out with him instead. This was the last time the landlord would ever see her.
That night, they fought once again and Zack was heard talking about having to “get rid of her.” The next day, neither Addie, nor Zack, showed up for work.
On October 17, 2006, at about 8:30pm, New Orleans police received a call from the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel. They had found a man’s body on the roof of their parking garage.
At the scene, it was clear that he had been pushed, jumped, or accidentally fallen from a great height, and died on impact. Police searched his mangled body for an ID, and found his army dog tags, a key, and in his back pocket found a note addressed to “police only.”
“This is not accidental. I had to take my own life to pay for the one I took. If you send a patrol to 826 N. Rampart you will find the dismembered corpse of my girlfriend Addie in the oven, on the stove, and in the fridge along with full documentation on the both of us and a full signed confession from myself. The keys in my right front pocket are for the gates. Call Leo Watermeier to let you in.
Zack Bowen.”
Police rushed to the address, finding the apartment above the Voodoo Spiritual Temple. Inside was a scene from a horror movie.
The first thing they noticed was the temperature. Though it was a warm October day, the apartment was cold – the air conditioning was set to 60. On the walls were messages written by Zack in spray paint. They read, “I’m a total failure,” “I love her,” and “look in the oven.”
One message directed police to the stove where, in a pot on one of the burners, was a human head, burned beyond recognition. They found hands and feet in another pot, and inside the oven, in a large roasting pan, were arms and legs. All were burnt.
Investigators noticed that there appeared to be seasoning on the limbs, along with cut up potatoes and carrots on the counter by the stove.
Opening the refrigerator, they discovered the torso in a large plastic bag.
Further search of the apartment turned up Addie Hall’s journal, which had a few entries written by Zack. “Today is Monday 16 October, 2:00 AM. I killed her at 1:00 AM, Thursday, 5 October. I very calmly strangled her. It was very quick.”
Another entry read, “Halfway through the task, I stopped and thought about what I was doing. The decision to halt the first idea and move to Plan B (the crime scene you are now in) came after a while. I scared myself not by the action of calmly strangling the woman I’ve loved for one and a half years, and then (desecrating) her body but by my entire lack of remorse. I’ve known for forever how horrible of a person I am — ask anyone — and decided to quit my jobs and spend the 1,500 cash I had been happy until I killed myself. So, that’s what I did: good food, good drugs, good strippers, good friends, and any loose ends I may have had. I didn’t contact any of my family. So that’ll explain the shock. And had a fantastic time living out my days … It’s just about time now.”
Though Addie’s limbs had appeared to be seasoned, and carrots and potatoes were found nearby, Zack’s autopsy showed that he had not consumed her. Some reports have gone on to claim that he had had a sexual relationship with her corpse – claims that the police have denied.
The apartment that Zack and Addie once inhabited has since been renovated and opened to New Orleans tourists as part of a Ghost Tour.
If the contents of Zack and Addie’s fridge didn’t shock you, check out what Charles Rogers kept in his.
