Hot Tub Vampire Murder

In July 2003, Shawn Christopher Johnson, a 34-year-old lighting director from Atlanta, Georgia, was in New Orleans for a Microsoft convention. On the night of July 19, he visited The Dungeon, a gothic-themed bar in the French Quarter known for its dark ambiance and late-night hours. There, he befriended several individuals from the local goth community. In the early hours, Shawn invited four of them—two men and two women—back to his hotel room at the Marriott Courtyard. Surveillance footage captured the group entering the hotel around 6 a.m. Tragically, later that morning, Shawn was found dead in his room’s hot tub, having suffered blunt force trauma to the head before drowning. The crime scene was marked by unsettling details, including pages torn from a Bible and a peculiar rag doll left behind. The investigation led to the arrest of the four individuals: Kriss Mitchell Lane, Benjamin Anthony, Karla Frye, and a woman identified only as “Catt.” Lane, who delivered the fatal blows, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 45 years in prison; he died by suicide in 2013 while incarcerated. Frye was convicted of negligent homicide and received a five-year sentence, while Anthony pleaded guilty to accessory charges and was sentenced to four years. The incident, sensationalized in some accounts as a “vampire murder,” has been featured in true crime media, including an episode titled “Bourbon Street Bloodbath” on the Investigation Discovery network’s “Dead of Night” series.

The Dungeon, located at 738 Toulouse Street, has been a fixture in New Orleans since 1969. Known for its eerie, gothic atmosphere, the bar features black walls adorned with skulls and bones, creating a unique late-night experience in the French Quarter. Despite its dark theme, patrons describe it as a dive bar with a distinctive ambiance, playing rock and metal music. Photography is prohibited inside, adding to its mystique. While the bar has been associated with vampire lore and gothic culture, it operates primarily as a themed drinking establishment.

It’s important to note that while The Dungeon’s atmosphere aligns with gothic and vampire aesthetics, the tragic events involving Shawn Johnson were the result of criminal actions by individuals and not indicative of the bar’s typical environment or clientele.