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Antonie Richard

Serial Killer

Killer's Details

Antonie

Richard

1844 St. Martinville, Louisiana, United States

January 7, 1898 (aged 54) Hahnville, Louisiana, United States

Executed by hanging

Louis Pierre, Joe Alexis, Joe Pierre

Male

Black

Creole

Capital murder

Death

7

1888 - 1897

Louisiana

June 1897

Jul 24, 2026

Description

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Summary based on 1 source

Antonie Richard: Louisiana Serial Killer and Highwayman



Background

Antonie Richard, whose first name was also recorded as Antoine, was born around 1844 in St. Martinville, Louisiana. Historical accounts identify him as a Creole man who operated under several aliases, including Louis Pierre, Joe Pierre and Joe Alexis. During the final decades of the nineteenth century, Richard became associated with a succession of robberies, ambushes and murders committed across southern Louisiana. Richard’s criminal activity reportedly extended from the 1880s until his arrest in 1897. Rather than remaining in one community, he traveled through rural districts where isolated roads, small settlements and limited police communication made it easier for offenders to disappear. Contemporary reports described him as the leader of a small group of highwaymen who robbed travelers and other vulnerable victims. Several killings later attributed to him appear to have been committed for money, property or to prevent witnesses from identifying him.

Pattern of Violence

Richard was believed to have selected victims who could be approached without attracting immediate attention. Some were travelers or peddlers carrying merchandise or cash, while others were elderly or otherwise vulnerable residents. His attacks reportedly involved blunt-force violence, firearms or other weapons available during the commission of a robbery. The isolation of many crime scenes allowed some victims to remain undiscovered for hours or days. The surviving historical record is incomplete, and nineteenth-century newspapers did not always provide consistent spellings, exact locations or complete biographical information about victims. Richard was nevertheless linked to at least seven killings committed between 1888 and 1897. He was also accused of attacking Aubert White on April 12, 1884, although White survived.

Known and Attributed Victims

  • Mr. Pattison — May 1888: Pattison was identified in historical summaries as one of Richard’s earliest known murder victims. The killing occurred in Louisiana, although surviving accounts do not consistently provide an exact day or community.
  • Unidentified traveler — December 18, 1893: An unidentified white traveler, described in period records as a tramp, was reportedly killed during Richard’s years of wandering criminal activity. The victim’s name and precise place of death have not been preserved in commonly available accounts.
  • Mary Barker — January 5, 1895: Barker was listed among Richard’s confirmed or attributed victims. Details surrounding her death are limited, but the killing was included in later summaries of the murders associated with him.
  • Roccina Jacque — July 18, 1896: Jacque was killed in Louisiana during the later period of Richard’s crime spree. Records identify the date but provide few dependable details about the circumstances or exact location.
  • Alexander Johnson — December 14, 1896: Johnson, who was reportedly more than 70 years old, was one of the oldest victims attributed to Richard. His age and vulnerability made the killing particularly disturbing. The surviving record does not consistently identify the precise Louisiana community where he died.
  • Mr. Constantine — January 1897: Constantine was described as a traveling peddler. Richard was believed to have murdered him during a robbery, probably because the victim carried money or merchandise. The exact day of Constantine’s death is not clearly established in the surviving summaries.
  • Louis Ziegler — June 26, 1897: Ziegler, another peddler, was killed in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. His murder became the principal crime for which Richard was prosecuted and condemned. Ziegler was reportedly robbed, and evidence connected Richard and his companions to the killing.


The Murder of Louis Ziegler

The June 1897 murder of Louis Ziegler brought Richard’s long period of violence to an end. Ziegler traveled through Louisiana selling goods and was therefore likely to have been carrying cash, merchandise or both. Richard and two associates reportedly encountered him in St. Charles Parish and decided to rob him. Ziegler was killed on June 26, 1897, and his possessions were taken. Investigators soon focused on Richard and the other men associated with him. The case attracted considerable attention because authorities believed that Ziegler was not Richard’s first victim. Reports about the investigation connected Richard to earlier disappearances and murders involving other travelers and residents.

Arrest and Confessions

Richard was captured in June 1897, shortly after Ziegler’s murder. During the investigation, authorities learned that he had used different names while moving between communities. His aliases complicated efforts to reconstruct his history, but they also helped investigators connect him with crimes previously committed under other identities. Accounts of the case indicate that Richard admitted or was linked to multiple murders. Some reports portrayed him as the leader of a trio of highwaymen, while others concentrated on his individual responsibility for Ziegler’s death. Because recordkeeping was inconsistent and some statements were reported through sensational nineteenth-century newspapers, not every confession or accusation can now be independently confirmed.

Trial and Conviction

Richard was tried for the murder of Louis Ziegler in St. Charles Parish. Prosecutors presented the killing as a deliberate robbery-murder rather than an accidental death or spontaneous confrontation. The evidence persuaded the jury that Richard had participated directly in the crime, and he was convicted of capital murder. The court sentenced Richard to death by hanging. His alleged involvement in additional killings strengthened his reputation as a habitual murderer, although the formal death sentence rested on the Ziegler case. Contemporary descriptions of Richard were often influenced by the extreme racial prejudice of the Jim Crow era, and some newspaper reports used openly racist language. Such descriptions should not be mistaken for objective evidence, even though the murder conviction itself resulted from a legal prosecution.

Execution

Antonie Richard was executed by hanging on January 7, 1898, in Hahnville, the seat of St. Charles Parish. He was approximately 53 or 54 years old. Two other condemned men, William Morris and George Washington, were also executed in Louisiana on the same date. Richard’s execution ended a criminal career that authorities believed had lasted for nearly a decade. Later compilations generally credit him with seven victims, although the limited documentation surrounding several deaths makes it difficult to determine the full number with certainty.

Historical Legacy

Antonie Richard remains an obscure figure compared with better-documented twentieth-century serial killers. His crimes occurred before modern fingerprinting, centralized criminal databases and rapid communication between police departments. These limitations allowed offenders using aliases to move between parishes without immediately being recognized. The case also demonstrates the difficulty of reconstructing historical crimes. Victims’ names were sometimes misspelled, exact death dates were omitted and newspapers often focused more heavily on the condemned offender than on the people who were killed. The available record nevertheless presents Richard as a repeat murderer and robber whose crimes culminated in the June 26, 1897, death of Louis Ziegler and Richard’s execution on January 7, 1898.

Victims

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Confirmed Victims: (7)
  • Mr. Pattison , Date of Death: May 1888
  • Unidentified white tramp , Date of Death: December 18, 1893
  • Mary Barker , Date of Death: January 5, 1895
  • Roccina Jacque , Date of Death: July 18, 1896
  • Alexander Johnson Age: (70+), Date of Death: December 14, 1896
  • Mr. Constantine , Date of Death: January 1897
  • Louis Ziegler , Date of Death: June 26, 1897

    • Survivors:
  • Aubert White , Date of Attack: April 12, 1884

    • Links to Additional Sources (1)

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