Offender Record · OFF-2026-086
Anna Marie Hahn (photo from the Radford University biography)
Anna Marie Hahn
Also known as Anna Marie Filser, Arsenic Annie, The Blonde Borgia, Angel of Mercy, Poison Angel
Summary of the record
Anna Marie Hahn was a German-born serial killer convicted of the first-degree murder of elderly men in Cincinnati, Ohio, between 1933 and 1937. She poisoned at least five elderly men using arsenic and croton oil to steal their money and support a gambling addiction. She was arrested on August 10, 1937, convicted of the murder of Jacob Wagner on November 26, 1937, sentenced to death on November 10, 1937, and executed by electric chair at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus on December 7, 1938.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Sex
Female
Race
White
Hair
blonde
Eyes
hazel
Born
1906
Custody
Deceased
States
DE, NL, NY, OH, CO
Distinguishing featuresShort blonde hair and hazel eyes, described as plump and pretty in contemporary press accounts.
Custody
Executed by electrocution on December 7, 1938, at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jun 03, 1937, Cincinnati, Ohio
First-degree murder of Jacob Wagner
Hamilton County, Ohio · Hamilton County Common Pleas Court · Arrested Aug 10, 1937 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by electric chair, executed December 7, 1938
Jacob Wagner, age 78, was an isolated elderly German immigrant whom Hahn befriended by falsely claiming to be his niece. She poisoned him with arsenic and croton oil in June 1937. Wagner left $17,000 cash to his 'beloved niece' Hahn in his will. An autopsy revealed arsenic levels sufficient to kill multiple men. Hahn was formally convicted of his murder on November 26, 1937.
SourcesAll about Arsenic Anna: The True Story of Anna Marie Hahn, by David Lohr; Anna Marie Hahn; CRIME: German Cooking; Anna Marie Hahn
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
5
Victims suspected
Active years
1933–1937
Victim profile
Elderly, Men, Patients in care
Stated motive
Financial gain
Range from home
regional
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Separated
Children
1
Died
1938-12-07 · executed
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
CO
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Jul 1937 – Aug 1937 · Traveled to Colorado Springs with George Obendoerfer and son Oscar by train; stayed at hotel where she stole diamond rings and money
DE
Füssen, Bavaria, Germany
1906 – 1925 · Birthplace; lived with parents Georg and Katharina Filser
NL
Netherlands
approx. 1925 – 1927 · Sent to stay with sister Katti to address disciplinary problems
NY
New York, New York
Feb 1929 – Feb 1929 · Arrived February 11, 1929; stayed with step-uncle Max (age 74) in second-class cabin on SS Munchen
OH
Cincinnati, Ohio
May 1929 – Jun 1929 · Chambermaid at 500-room Hotel Alms
Cincinnati, Ohio
Jun 1930 – Aug 1937 · Lived with husband Philip Hahn and son Oscar in construction home; settled in Over-the-Rhine neighborhood
Cincinnati, Ohio
1932 – 1937 · Owned and operated deli/bakery business; later worked as live-in caregiver and untrained nurse for elderly men in German community
Cincinnati, Ohio
Aug 10, 1937 – Dec 01, 1937 · Hamilton County Jail; held on murder charges while awaiting trial
Columbus, Ohio
Dec 01, 1937 – Dec 07, 1938 · Ohio State Penitentiary; death row; executed by electric chair
Timeline
Jul 07, 1906
Anna Marie Filser born in Füssen, Bavaria, Germany.
May 31, 1925
Anna Marie gives birth to son Oscar out of wedlock.
Feb 11, 1929
Anna Marie arrives in New York aboard SS Munchen, immigrating to the United States.
May 05, 1930
Anna Marie marries Philip Hahn, a telegrapher, in Buffalo, New York.
May 06, 1933
Ernest Koch (also Ernst Kohler), age 73, dies under suspicious circumstances; first victim in poisoning series. Hahn had befriended him shortly before his death.
Mar 26, 1937
Albert Parker, age 72, dies of arsenic poisoning after Hahn cares for him.
Jun 03, 1937
Jacob Wagner, age 78, dies of arsenic and croton oil poisoning; leaves $17,000 to Hahn in fraudulent will.
Jul 06, 1937
George Gsellman, age 67, dies from metallic poison (Croton Oil) after Hahn cares for him.
Aug 01, 1937
George Obendoerfer, age 67, dies of arsenic poisoning on train to Colorado after traveling with Hahn and her son.
Aug 10, 1937
Anna Marie Hahn arrested by Ohio authorities and charged with the murder of Jacob Wagner.
Aug 16, 1937
Anna Marie Hahn indicted for two murders in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Oct 11, 1937
Trial of Anna Marie Hahn begins in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, Cincinnati, Ohio; Judge Charles S. Bell presides; jury of 11 women and one man selected.
Oct 29, 1937
Prosecution rests case; organs of Albert Palmer and Jacob Wagner and testimony from George Heis presented as evidence.
Nov 01, 1937
Defense begins presentation; Anna Marie Hahn testifies denying guilt.
Nov 04, 1937
Defense rests its case.
Nov 10, 1937
Judge Charles S. Bell formally sentences Anna Marie Hahn to death by electrocution.
Nov 26, 1937
Anna Marie Hahn convicted of first-degree murder of Jacob Wagner by jury of 11 women and one man; jury deliberates less than 3 hours; offers no recommendation for mercy.
Dec 01, 1937
Anna Marie Hahn transferred to Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus.
Dec 06, 1938
Ohio Governor refuses to interfere with court's death sentence decision.
Dec 07, 1938
Anna Marie Hahn executed by electric chair at Ohio State Penitentiary, Columbus, Ohio, at 8:13 p.m.; first woman executed in Ohio's electric chair.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Encyclopedia.com ·
Hahn, Anna Marie (1906–1938)“Convicted of the murder of 78-year-old Jacob Wagner, was the 1st woman to be executed in the electric chair in Ohio (Dec 7, 1938).”
Other · Grokipedia ·
Anna Marie Hahn“Indicted for two murders, she was convicted of Jacob Wagner's killing on November 26, 1937.”
News report · Crime Library ·
All about Arsenic Anna: The True Story of Anna Marie Hahn, by David Lohr“Ohio authorities arrested her on August 10, 1937 and charged her with the murder of Jacob Wagner.”
News report · Huffington Post ·
Anna Marie Hahn: The First Woman to Die in Ohio's Electric Chair“On November 10, 1937 Hahn was brought before Judge Bell who formally sentenced her to death by electrocution.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Anna Marie Hahn“She murdered 5 elderly men from Cincinnati by poison between 1933 and 1937. She was convicted of murder and executed by electric chair in 1938.”
Other government record · WikiTree ·
Anna Marie (Filser) Hahn (abt.1906-1938)“After a sensational four week trial, Anna was convicted of murder in November 1937.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Anna Marie Hahn“Anna Marie Hahn (1906-1938) was the first woman to die in the electric chair in the State of Ohio.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Hahn, Anna Marie“Anna Marie Hahn (1906-1938) was a 26-year old immigrant from Germany who offered her services in Cincinnati as a live-in attendant for elderly men.”
News report · TIME Magazine ·
CRIME: German Cooking“Crime of which a Cincinnati jury of 11 women and one man found Mrs. Hahn guilty was poisoning a 78-year-old German-American named Jacob Wagner with arsenic and croton oil.”
Submit a Tip
Know something about Anna Marie Hahn: a place they lived or worked, a vehicle, another name they used, or a connection to a case? Tell us here. Solve the Case passes information about this person to the right agency. If someone is in danger, call 911.
Discussion
Casual discussion about this record on the community forum. The facts live on this page: to add a place, a vehicle or a source, use the Edit record button under the photo so a moderator can review it. Please name no one else, never name a victim, and do not connect the person to any case not listed here.Open the topic on the forum
Corrections and removal. If a charge on this page has been dismissed, acquitted, overturned, pardoned or expunged, or any fact is wrong, tell us through the correction form. Corrections are free, reviewed within five business days, and a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed. Information here may not be used for decisions about employment, housing, credit, insurance or any purpose covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and never to harass, threaten or harm anyone. Where a source is an offender registry, that information is reproduced as of the date shown and is subject to the conditions of use of that registry.