FILE 77 / 18 July 2018 / 142 MIN / full

Tortured To Elvis

Gretna, LouisianaListen

The town

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

This week, in Gretna, Louisiana ... it's in Jefferson Parish, which is the parishes or like a county down there. about 0:06:09

History, in brief

1836

Gretna was settled in 1836 and was originally called Mechanicsham.

about 0:09:15

Town note

It grew as a station on the Mississippi, with railroads running in and out and a ferry across the river to New Orleans.

about 0:09:39

Town note

A wealthy landowner named Nicholas Knowle Destrahan hired a surveyor to divide the riverside land; the original plan was a symmetrical settlement two blocks wide.

about 0:09:58

Town note

German immigrants settled there in numbers.

about 0:10:20
All 14 history facts

1836

Gretna was settled in 1836 and was originally called Mechanicsham.

about 0:09:15

Town note

It grew as a station on the Mississippi, with railroads running in and out and a ferry across the river to New Orleans.

about 0:09:39

Town note

A wealthy landowner named Nicholas Knowle Destrahan hired a surveyor to divide the riverside land; the original plan was a symmetrical settlement two blocks wide.

about 0:09:58

Town note

German immigrants settled there in numbers.

about 0:10:20

Town note

The St Mary's Market Steam Ferry Company began running ferries across the river.

about 0:10:42

1889

Zatarains, the rice and spice company, was founded in Gretna in 1889.

about 0:11:15

1913

The town was incorporated in 1913 and absorbed part of another Jefferson Parish town called McDunna.

about 0:12:18

1958

The Mississippi River Bridge to New Orleans opened in 1958.

about 0:12:29

Town note

The West Bank Expressway cut through residential neighbourhoods and the population grew once commuters no longer had to take the ferry.

about 0:12:40

2005

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, people trying to walk across the bridge into Gretna were turned back at gunpoint by armed residents and police who fired warning shots.

about 0:14:50

Town note

One woman said she believed the group was turned away because it was 95% African American.

about 0:16:44

Town note

Gretna has been called the arrest capital of the United States.

about 0:16:49

Town note

Parts of the film Monster's Ball were filmed in Gretna.

about 0:17:18

Town note

People from Gretna include football players Ike Taylor and Eddie Lacey, baseball hall of famer Mel Ott and Western star Lash La Rue.

about 0:17:31

The figures, as told

Religious

about 54%

Biggest faith: Catholics, 34.6%

about 0:19:48

Who lives here

White 44% · Black 33% · Asian 3.32% · Hispanic 15.91%

Ethnicity can overlap race.

Crime / national average

Adult arrests made by the Gretna Police Department in 2013
656

about 0:28:07

Arrests per resident
▲ a little more than one for every three residents

about 0:28:17

Arrest rate
▲ 14 times

about 0:28:20

Property crime
▲ 10 to 15% higher

about 0:28:37

Violent crime
▲ about 20% higher

about 0:28:49

Money

Median home value$145,900
Two-bedroom rent$1,070
Median household income$34,158
Cost of living91

For sale

$145,000

Three-bedroom two-bath house, 1,350 square feet

about 0:24:57

For sale

$160,000

Four-bedroom two-and-a-half-bath house, 2,100 square feet

about 0:25:00

For sale

$339,000

Foreclosed four-bedroom three-and-a-half-bath brick house, 3,500 square feet

about 0:25:29
All figures and comparisons, as told in 2018

Adult arrests made by the Gretna Police Department in 2013

"656"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:28:07

Arrests per resident

"a little more than one for every three residents"

Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:28:17

Arrest rate

"14 times"

Comparison: "the typical American town". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:28:20

Property crime

"10 to 15% higher"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:28:37

Violent crime

"about 20% higher"

Comparison: "normal". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:28:49

Population in 1920

"7,100"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:17:52

Population in 1970

"24,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:17:56

Population now

"17,880"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:18:00

Population change since 1990

"up 1.8%"

Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:18:15

Population in 1990

"17,000"

Comparison: "25,000 in 1970". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:18:23

Median age

"about 36.2"

Comparison: "a year younger than normal". Direction: below.

As told in 2018 about 0:18:31

Married population

"about 40%"

Comparison: "the 50% average". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:18:47

White residents

"44%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:05

Black residents

"33%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:05

Asian residents

"3.32%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:20

Hispanic residents

"15.91%"

Comparison: "about average". Direction: about the same.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:27

Native American residents

"about 1%"

Comparison: "more than the average". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:39

Republicans

"58%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:20:48

Religious residents

"about 54%"

Comparison: "the average is 50-50". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:19:48

Catholics

"34.6%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:20:05

Pentecostals

"3.1%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:20:25

Jewish residents

"0.06%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:20:31

Muslim residents

"0.07%"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:20:35

Unemployment rate

"6.1%"

Comparison: "higher than the national average". Direction: above.

As told in 2018 about 0:21:22

Household income

"$34,158"

Comparison: "about $20,000 less than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2018 about 0:21:28

Cost of living index

"91"

Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: below.

As told in 2018 about 0:22:29

Groceries index

"95"

Comparison: "100 is average". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:22:37

Health care index

"95"

Comparison: "100 is average". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:22:37

Housing index

"78"

Comparison: "100 is average". Direction: below.

As told in 2018 about 0:22:37

Median home cost

"$145,900"

Comparison: "lower than the national average". Direction: below.

As told in 2018 about 0:22:44

National average home cost

"$216,000"

Comparison: "about $185,000 before the re-estimate". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:23:05

Average two-bedroom apartment rent

"$1,070"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:24:29

Three-bedroom two-bath house, 1,350 square feet

"$145,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:24:57

Four-bedroom two-and-a-half-bath house, 2,100 square feet

"$160,000"

No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:25:00

Foreclosed four-bedroom three-and-a-half-bath brick house, 3,500 square feet

"$339,000"

Comparison: "bought for $600,000". No direction stated.

As told in 2018 about 0:25:29

The reviews

No rated reviews

No reviews recorded.

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The story

Gretna, Louisiana, sits on the west bank of the Mississippi, directly across the river from New Orleans, in Jefferson Parish.

Wayne, the four-year-old, told the three drunk adults that the babysitter, Francis Arwood, had given his two-year-old brother Troy pills to make him stop crying.

He told her to go and wash herself, and Shano took the children into the bedroom.

The door stayed closed for about twenty minutes. He poured the detergent over Francis's head and then poured the boiling water on top of it, saying he was cleaning her because she had refused to wash.

He kicked her in the chest again and she fell, striking her head on the window sill or the bath, and was knocked unconscious. They put her back on the sofa bed and Shano covered her with a blanket.

Shano went into the bathroom to be sick. When she came back into the room she saw smoke rising from Francis's face and her legs were open.

At about 12.30 p.m. Shano's sister and nephew arrived to visit. The nephew kept knocking. Shano called the police and paramedics. Francis was taken to West Jefferson Hospital in a coma, with third-degree burns over most of her body, cuts to her face and chin and severe swelling.

Francis remained in a coma for two months and died on 21 November 1979. The cause of death was significant brain damage from blunt head injury together with extensive burns.

The defence did not investigate his background or mental condition.

It was denied, but he obtained a stay.

New lawyers took over the case that year and assembled medical evidence. A New Mexico State University special education professor, Ruth Lackison, supported an IQ finding of 68 and described his reading, writing and maths as hovering at second or third grade level. Governor Buddy Romer overruled the board.

The electric chair had been outlawed in Louisiana in 1991. His last meal was two bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, French fries, a strawberry milkshake and chocolate pie.

The case

Murder of Francis Arwood

Victims

Francis Arwood (22). Cynthia Shano's sister-in-law, who was babysitting Shano's two young sons

Accused and outcomes

As told in the episode, on 18 July 2018.

Accused

Accused

Outcome

Other people

Cynthia Shano. live-in girlfriend; the apartment was her mother's; the state's star witness
Wayne. Shano's four-year-old son, who said the babysitter gave his brother pills
Troy. Shano's two-year-old son
Betty Jane. twin sister
Buddy Romer. Louisiana governor who overruled the Board of Pardons
Edwin Edwards. Louisiana governor who refused to overrule the second Board of Pardons vote
Ruth Lackison. New Mexico State University special education professor who evaluated

The timeline

  1. 1951 is born.about 0:45:43
  2. September 28th, 1979 Cynthia Shano and her live-in boyfriend go bar-hopping in the West Bank area and meet , a stranger.about 0:35:49
  3. the next morning The three return drunk to the apartment with ; Shano's four-year-old son Wayne says the babysitter, Francis Arwood, gave his two-year-old brother Troy pills to stop him crying. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:43:18
  4. 12.30 p.m. Shano returns home and finds , and Francis Arwood arguing; pushes Francis's head back against the sofa bed and punches her in the face. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:45:27
  5. punches Francis in the face; punches her in the chest and kicks her when she tries to get up. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:47:12
  6. tells Francis to wash herself; Shano takes the children into the bedroom and hears hitting Francis, then comes out and sees dragging her by the hair into the bathroom. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:51:57
  7. Francis refuses to get into the bath; kicks her in the chest, knocking her into the tub and her head against the wall. pulls her out, undresses her and closes the bathroom door for about twenty minutes. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:57:20
  8. boils water in the kitchen, brings detergent and pours detergent and then boiling water over Francis's head; holds her head under the bath water and punches her between immersions. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 0:59:51
  9. Francis hits as they pull her out; he kicks her in the chest and she is knocked unconscious. They drop her face down in the living room, kick her ribs, walk on her back and beat her with a leather belt, then put her back on the sofa bed. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 1:05:29
  10. Shano hears tell , 'I'll show you how cruel I can be', then returns to see smoke coming from Francis's face; is laughing and says he burned his penis while raping her as set her on fire. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 1:08:37
  11. and listen to Elvis records until falls asleep beside Francis. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 1:10:59
  12. 12.30 in the afternoon Shano's sister and nephew arrive; Shano runs out screaming, and her relatives see Francis beaten, bloodied and burned with lounging beside her. (Cynthia Shano's mother's apartment)about 1:12:28

Last meals

Places and phrases

N ↑Town centre (approximate places)
Static locations; no street basemap. Places and details. OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap.

Places in the story

Public places are marked on the map.

Heard in this episode