Jacob Wagner, a 78-year-old white male gardener of German descent, died on June 3, 1937, in Cincinnati, Ohio. His death was later determined to be the result of arsenic poisoning, with an autopsy revealing four times the lethal amount of arsenic in his system. At the time of his death, Wagner had named Anna Marie Hahn, a 31-year-old German immigrant, as his "beloved niece" and sole beneficiary in a will that was later proven to be a forgery.
Investigations into Wagner's death uncovered a pattern of suspicious fatalities among elderly men in Cincinnati's German-American community, all of whom had been under Hahn's care. Authorities found that Hahn had been administering lethal doses of arsenic and croton oil to her victims, often after securing financial gain through forged documents or direct theft.
Hahn was arrested on August 10, 1937, and charged with the murder of Jacob Wagner. Her trial began in October 1937, and she was found guilty in November of that year. The jury did not recommend mercy, leading to a death sentence. On December 7, 1938, Hahn was executed in the electric chair at the Ohio Penitentiary, becoming the first woman to be executed by the state of Ohio.
The case of Jacob Wagner's death and the subsequent investigation into Anna Marie Hahn's actions highlighted the vulnerabilities of elderly individuals and the potential for exploitation by those in caregiving positions. Hahn's crimes and her execution remain a significant part of Ohio's criminal history.
