Stars Over New Orleans with Aliza Kelly

Episode of Morbid · October 22, 2026 · 1 h 43 min

Astrologer Aliza Kelly joins Morbid hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart to read the astrological charts behind the Axeman of New Orleans murders.

Summary

In the third installment of an annual October tradition, following earlier episodes on the Salem witch trials and Jack the Ripper, astrologer Aliza Kelly joined hosts Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart to revisit the Axeman of New Orleans. The killer attacked residents, many of them Italian-American grocers, between 1918 and 1919. Kelly argued that the case received less attention than Jack the Ripper because it coincided with the 1918 influenza pandemic. She noted that the pandemic was declared on March 11 in both 1918 and 2020.

Kelly walked through charts for earlier cleaver and gun attacks beginning in 1910 and for each Axeman attack. She highlighted recurring signatures: a Uranus–Neptune opposition, a Saturn–Neptune conjunction, a Jupiter–Pluto conjunction, the south node, and planets repeatedly falling at 22 degrees. She claimed the 22-degree point also appears in the charts of notorious serial killers. The hosts discussed the killer's evolving methods, including the chiseled door panel and the chalk message referencing "Mrs. Tony." They also discussed possible links to the Black Hand extortion racket and the killer's apparent disregard for the ongoing pandemic.

Ash Kelley read the infamous March 1919 letter promising to spare households playing jazz. Kelly noted that Saturn was in Leo for both this letter and the 1888 Jack the Ripper letter, calling it the Ripper letter's "Saturn return." She argued the Axeman aspired to be the next Jack the Ripper. The episode concluded with the murder of Mike Pepitone and his widow Esther's 1921 shooting of the leading suspect, Joseph "Frank Doc" Mumphrey, in Los Angeles. All three agreed Mumphrey was likely the killer, and Kelly suggested organized crime, extortion and mental illness all played a part.

Chapters

0:00
Introductions and whimsy
The hosts welcome Aliza Kelly back and banter about sequins, brat skirts and her Gemini fifth house.
3:32
An annual tradition and Salem
The group recalls past episodes on the Salem witch trials and Jack the Ripper, and Kelly mentions her ancestral link to Salem.
6:07
Case overview and the 1918 pandemic
Ash outlines the Axeman case, and the group discusses how the Spanish flu overshadowed it, drawing parallels with COVID-19.
15:00
Early cleaver and gun attacks
Kelly reviews the 1910–1917 attacks on Italian grocers and introduces the recurring 22-degree astrological signature.
28:34
The suspect Joseph Mumphrey
The group introduces suspect Frank 'Doc' Mumphrey and Kelly reads his Scorpio-heavy chart.
34:55
Spanish flu and the Maggio murders
Kelly charts the flu outbreak and the first official Axeman attack, including the chalk message referencing Mrs. Tony.
44:25
Summer 1918 spree and the Jupiter–Pluto conjunction
Kelly and the hosts cover the Lowe, Schneider and Romano attacks, interrupted by a tangent on Jupiter and Hawaiian shirts.
54:40
The killer's pandemic indifference and Ripper aspirations
The hosts discuss the killer ignoring contagion, and Kelly argues he aspired to be the next Jack the Ripper.
1:04:45
March 1919 and the moon
Kelly discusses the attack that killed a baby and new research challenging a study claiming the moon does not affect people.
1:11:05
The jazz letter
Ash reads the Axeman's letter, and Kelly compares its astrology with the 1888 Jack the Ripper letter.
1:24:24
Final attacks and the Pepitone murder
The group covers the last attacks, culminating in Mike Pepitone's killing and his family's link to a 1910 murder.
1:29:56
The widow's revenge and verdict
Esther Pepitone shoots Mumphrey in Los Angeles, and the group concludes he was the Axeman.
1:40:38
Wrap-up and tour dates
The group muses about next October's topic, and Kelly lists her remaining tour dates.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued the Axeman case is less known than Jack the Ripper because it was overshadowed by the 1918 pandemic.
“To me, it was like, why don't more people know about this case? It's so Jack the Ripper coded”
Listen from 9:07 · 1918 influenza pandemic
Linked moment · 11:05Skip to 11:05 using a listen link in the info box.
Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued that society still lacks a collective way of talking about the COVID-19 pandemic, as was true after 1918.
“And like we we don't really know how to talk about it still. Like collectively we don't have a shared language around it”
Listen from 11:05 · COVID-19 pandemic
Aliza Kelly
Kelly noted that the 1918 flu outbreak and the 2020 pandemic declaration both fell on March 11.
“the same day that the, uh, the flu broke out in 1918 was the day that the epidemic was declared here. In 2020. It was March 11th”
Listen from 13:11 · COVID-19 pandemic
Aliza Kelly
Kelly claimed that the 22-degree point recurs in the charts of the most notorious 20th-century serial killers, regardless of house.
“this 22 degree point is present in a ton of their charts. And it doesn't matter what house”
Listen from 18:09 · Astrology
Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued that in the December 1917 attack the killer switched from a gun to an axe and found his signature method.
“it almost feels like whoever is doing this finds their vibe. It's like they find their flow”
Listen from 27:41 · Axeman of New Orleans
Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued that the Axeman knew of Jack the Ripper and aspired to become his successor.
“I think that this killer... knew like, and aspired to be Jack the Ripper”
Listen from 1:01:43 · Jack the Ripper
Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued the infant killed in March 1919 was collateral damage of an unplanned struggle, linking it to Uranus.
“I do not believe he planned to kill this baby”
Listen from 1:09:02 · Axeman of New Orleans
Aliza Kelly
Kelly argued the erudite language of the jazz letter indicates a well-educated author, possibly tied to a university.
“Because like this is somebody who is definitely very well educated”
Listen from 1:17:00 · Axeman jazz letter
Aliza Kelly
Kelly observed that Saturn was in Leo for both the Axeman letter and the 1888 Jack the Ripper letter, marking a Saturn return.
“basically the Jack the Ripper letter was having its Saturn return”
Listen from 1:20:54 · Astrology
Aliza Kelly
Kelly concluded that the Axeman case combined organized crime, Black Hand extortion and an individual's escalating madness.
“I kind of think that it's all of it. Like, I think that it was, there was organized crime”
Listen from 1:32:49 · Black Hand (extortion)

People

In the conversation

Ash KelleyCo-host of the true crime podcast Morbid
Alaina UrquhartCo-host of Morbid, autopsy technician and author of the Butcher novels
Aliza KellyAstrologer, author and podcaster who makes an annual October guest appearance on Morbid

Discussed

Joseph MumphreyAlso known as Frank 'Doc' Mumphrey; leading suspect in the Axeman murders, shot dead in Los Angeles in 1921
Esther PepitoneWidow of Axeman victim Mike Pepitone who reportedly shot Mumphrey in Los Angeles
Mike PepitoneNew Orleans grocer and the Axeman's final murder victim in October 1919
Jack the RipperUnidentified Victorian serial killer in London
Joseph MaggioGrocer killed with his wife Catherine in the first official Axeman attack in May 1918
Giles CoreyVictim of the Salem witch trials, said to have cursed Salem; Kelly claims kinship

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From the publisher

Spooky Season wouldn’t be complete without a visit from astrologer, author, and friend Aliza Kelly! She takes us on a cosmic deep dive to unravel another of history’s most chilling mysteries: the Axeman of New Orleans! We discuss the killer’s reign of terror, the haunting details surrounding the case, and how astrology offers cosmic perspective on this dark chapter in history.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on October 23, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime·Spirituality·History