Offender Record · OFF-2026-094
Marie Hilley (photo from the Radford University biography)
Audrey Marie Hilley
Also known as Marie Hilley, Robbi Hannon, Lindsay Robbi Hannon, Teri Martin
Sex
Female
Born
1933
Custody
Deceased
States
AL, FL, NH, VT, CA
Custody
On June 9, 1983, she became prisoner 135272 at the Julia S. Tutwiler State Women's Prison in Wetumpka. On February 26, 1987, Hilley died of hypothermia.
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. 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.
Summary of the record
Audrey Marie Hilley, also known by the aliases Robbi Hannon and Teri Martin, was an American murderer and suspected serial killer. On June 8, 1983, Audrey Marie Hilley was convicted of the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of her daughter, and was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for murder and a term of twenty years' imprisonment for attempted murder. Hilley, dubbed 'The Black Widow' for the arsenic poisoning of her husband, died of hypothermia on February 26, 1987.
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 May 25, 1975, Anniston, Alabama
First-Degree Murder
Calhoun County, Alabama · Calhoun County Circuit Court · Arrested Oct 09, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
Dr. Joseph Embry of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences concluded that the cause of death was acute arsenic poisoning, and that Frank Hilley suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning, meaning that he had been given arsenic for months prior to his death. Frank's body showed between ten and 100 times the normal level of arsenic. It was concluded that both Frank and Carol had suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning, with Frank's poisoning being fatal.
SourcesEx Parte Hilley; Marie Hilley; Marie Hilley
Offense date Apr 1979, Anniston, Alabama
Attempted Murder
Calhoun County, Alabama · Calhoun County Circuit Court · Arrested Oct 09, 1979 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 20 years imprisonment
Carol Hilley first became ill in April, 1979. Now nineteen and a freshman at a nearby college, she returned to her high school for its annual Junior-Senior Prom. Forensic tests on samples of her hair were conducted by the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences on October 3, 1979, revealing arsenic levels ranging from over 100 times the normal level close to the scalp to zero times the normal level at the end of the hair shaft. This indicated that Carol had been given increasingly larger doses of arsenic over a period of four to eight months. Marie injected her with something in the hip, claiming that it would help her.
SourcesEx Parte Hilley; Marie Hilley; Marie Hilley
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
3
Victims suspected
Active years
1975–1979
Stated motive
Financial gain, Anger or revenge
Range from home
local
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Widowed
Children
2
Died
1987-02-26 · natural
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.
AL
Anniston, Alabama
approx. 1933 – 1952 · Blue Mountain neighborhood
Anniston, Alabama
approx. 1952 – 1975 · Secretary and executive secretary at local foundry
Anniston, Alabama
approx. 1952 – 1979 · Various residences including McClellan Boulevard and Orchard Street
Anniston, Alabama
approx. 1976 – 1977 · Secretary at Jenkins Manufacturing Plant
Anniston, Alabama
approx. 1978 – 1979 · With mother-in-law Carrie Hilley
Anniston, Alabama
Oct 09, 1979 – Oct 09, 1979 · Arrested for bad checks
Calhoun, Alabama
Jan 12, 1983 – Jun 08, 1983 · Calhoun County Jail awaiting trial; bond $320,000
Wetumpka, Alabama
Jun 09, 1983 – Feb 22, 1987 · Julia Tutwiler State Prison for Women; prisoner #135272; data processor; medium security
Blue Mountain, Alabama
approx. Feb 22, 1987 – Feb 26, 1987 · Escaped from furlough; found on porch of residence
CA
California
approx. 1952 – 1952
FL
Pompano Beach, Florida
approx. 1978 – 1978 · With son Michael and wife Teri
Florida
approx. 1980 – 1980 · Under assumed name Lindsey Robbie Hannen
NH
New Hampshire
approx. 1979 – 1983 · Under aliases Robbi Hannon and Teri Martin; worked as secretary
VT
Brattleboro, Vermont
Jan 12, 1983 – Jan 12, 1983 · Arrested as Teri Martin; identified as Audrey Marie Hilley
Timeline
Jun 04, 1933
Audrey Marie Hilley was born Audrey Marie Frazier in the Blue Mountain neighborhood of Anniston, Alabama on June 4, 1933. Her parents were Huey Frazier and his wife, Lucille.
May 08, 1951
She married Frank Hilley on May 8, 1951; they had two children, Mike and Carol.
May 19, 1975
In May 1975 Frank Hilley visited his doctor complaining of nausea and tenderness in his abdomen.
May 25, 1975
He died early in the morning of May 25, 1975.
Apr 1979
Carol Hilley first became ill in April, 1979. Now nineteen and a freshman at a nearby college, she returned to her high school for its annual Junior-Senior Prom.
Sep 20, 1979
On September 20, 1979, Marie was arrested for passing bad checks and was bailed out by extended relatives.
Oct 09, 1979
Marie was incarcerated on her check-kiting charges when she was arrested on October 9 for the attempted murder of her daughter.
Oct 25, 1979
A Calhoun County, Alabama, grand jury indicted Marie of attempted murder of her daughter on October 25, 1979.
Nov 16, 1979
After friends posted her fourteen-thousand-dollar bond on November 16, the freed Marie vanished.
Jan 11, 1980
While she was missing, a Calhoun County grand jury, on January 11, 1980, indicted her of murdering her husband.
Jan 12, 1983
Authorities arrested Marie on January 12, 1983.
May 30, 1983
Marie's nine-day trial began on May 30, 1983.
Jun 08, 1983
The appellant, Audrey Marie Hilley, was convicted June 8, 1983, for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of her daughter. She was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for murder and a term of twenty years' imprisonment for attempted murder.
Jun 09, 1983
On June 9, 1983, she became prisoner 135272 at the Julia S. Tutwiler State Women's Prison in Wetumpka.
Feb 19, 1987
She walked out of Tutwiler on Thursday, February 19, 1987, where John Homan was picking her up.
Feb 22, 1987
Marie was due back at Tutwiler on Sunday, February 22 by four o'clock.
Feb 26, 1987
Anniston police found Hilley four days after she failed to return to the Tutweiler Prison in Wetumpka from a three-day furlough, and she died of hypothermia Thursday several hours after police found her unconscious on a back porch.
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 · Wikipedia ·
Audrey Marie Hilley“Audrey Marie Hilley (née Frazier, later Homan; June 4, 1933 – February 26, 1987), also known by the aliases Robbi Hannon and Teri Martin, was an American murderer and suspected serial killer.”
News report · Crime Library ·
Marie Hilley“On September 20, 1979, Marie was arrested again on more check charges and the rest of Carol's family took the opportunity to reveal their suspicions to Carol's doctor.”
News report · EBSCO Research Starters ·
Marie Hilley“Marie's nine-day trial began on May 30, 1983. After deliberating for almost three hours, the jury declared Marie guilty, convicting her of first-degree murder and attempted murder. Judge Sam Monk sentenced her to life imprisonment plus twenty years in Julia Tutwiler State Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.”
Other government record · Find a Grave ·
Audrey Marie Hilley (1933-1987) - Find a Grave Memorial“She was tried, found guilty of murder and attempted murder, and sentenced to 'life plus twenty years' on June 19, 1983, in an Alabama maximum security women's prison.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Hilley, Marie“Audrey Marie Hilley, 'The Black Widow' - Information researched and summarized by Sarah Brock, Matthew Byers, Molly Christopher”
News report · UPI ·
Fugitive killer Audrey Marie Hilley, dubbed 'The Black Widow'“Fugitive killer Audrey Marie Hilley, dubbed 'The Black Widow' for the arsenic poisoning of her husband, died of hypothermia Thursday several hours after police found her unconscious on a back porch.”
Court record · Supreme Court of Alabama ·
Ex Parte Hilley“The appellant, Audrey Marie Hilley, was convicted June 8, 1983, for the murder of her husband and the attempted murder of her daughter. She was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment for murder and a term of twenty years' imprisonment for attempted murder.”
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.