On a tragic day in New Orleans, January 7, 1973, Dr. Robert Vernon Steagall Jr., a 28-year-old male, and his 25-year-old wife, Elizabeth, were found dead in a hallway of the Downtown Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge. Their lives were cut short by Mark Essex, a 23-year-old former Navy man, who had embarked on a racially motivated killing spree. The Steagalls were guests at the hotel and were tragically caught in the chaos that Essex unleashed.
They were discovered embraced in the hallway, Robert having been shot in the head and Elizabeth in the eye.
The events of that day were the culmination of a week of violence initiated by Essex. His rampage began on New Year's Eve of 1972 and was fueled by deep-seated racial hatred. On the morning of January 7th, Essex's violence escalated at the Howard Johnson's hotel. After setting several fires within the building, he made his way to the roof, armed with a. 44 magnum carbine. From this vantage point, he began shooting at anyone he saw, paralyzing the city and instilling terror. The hotel and the surrounding area became a war zone, with police and emergency responders facing a deadly and unseen assailant.
Inside the hotel, the scene was one of horror. Along with the Steagalls, an assistant manager named Frank Schneider was also killed by Essex. As law enforcement descended on the scene, the situation grew more perilous. Deputy Superintendent Louis Sirgo, 48, was fatally shot as he led a team of officers up a stairwell in an attempt to reach the upper floors. Patrolman Paul Persigo, 33, was shot and killed on the street below as he sought cover. Another officer, Philip Coleman, also lost his life during the siege. The shootout continued for hours, with hundreds of rounds exchanged between Essex on the roof and the police on the ground and in surrounding buildings.
The reign of terror finally came to an end when a Marine helicopter was enlisted to provide a better vantage point for police sharpshooters. As the helicopter approached, Essex was flushed from his cover and was killed in a hail of gunfire on the hotel roof. In the aftermath of the siege, it was determined that Mark Essex had acted alone. His attack left a total of nine people dead and many more wounded, leaving an indelible scar on the city of New Orleans and a tragic end to the lives of Robert and Elizabeth Steagall, a young couple who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. There were no arrests to be made, as the sole suspect was killed at the scene, bringing the violent episode to a close.
