Bio

Jason Michael Hann was born on December 19, 1974. He, now legally known as Jessica Marie Hann, is an American convicted murderer whose cases involving the deaths of two of her infant children attracted national attention in the United States.

During later court proceedings, defense attorneys stated that Hann had experienced significant mental health problems from an early age, including severe bipolar disorder, anxiety, depression, agitation, and suicidal thoughts. The defense also reported that Hann received psychiatric treatment on several occasions but often discontinued treatment and refused medication.

At age 19, Hann reportedly lived in a group home for individuals with psychological disorders. She also served in the United States Navy but received a less-than-honorable discharge.

By the late 1990s, Hann was in a relationship with Krissy Lynn Werntz. The couple adopted a highly transient lifestyle, moving frequently throughout the United States and living in campgrounds, trailers, motels, and temporary residences while working various short-term jobs.

The couple had three children together. Their unstable living conditions and history of domestic problems eventually became central to several criminal investigations that spanned multiple states, including Vermont, California, Arkansas, Arizona, and Maine.

Following her convictions and imprisonment, Hann legally changed her name to Jessica Marie Hann and updated her legal documents to reflect her female gender identity. She was subsequently transferred from San Quentin State Prison to the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, California.

As of the latest publicly available information, Jessica Marie Hann remains incarcerated under a California death sentence. However, because California currently maintains a moratorium on executions, no execution date has been scheduled.

Murder Story

In July 1999, Jason Michael Hann and Krissy Lynn Werntz were living in Vermont with their 6-week-old son, Jason. According to police reports and later court proceedings, Hann admitted that the baby had been crying and that he slammed the child’s head against a crib or bassinet. The baby died several days later.

Hann and Werntz did not report the death. Instead, they kept the child’s body with them in a plastic container for an extended period while moving from place to place. Authorities later said the body was carried with them for approximately 18 months.

The remains of baby Jason were eventually left in a storage unit or trailer near Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Police found the body in April 2002 after Hann told investigators where to look. In February 2001, the couple were living in Desert Hot Springs, California, with their infant daughter, Montana. Prosecutors said Montana was about 10 weeks old when she was killed.

According to the prosecution, Hann became angry because Montana was crying and struck her in the head with a closed fist. The blow caused fatal skull fractures. After her death, Hann and Werntz placed the body in plastic bags and a blue Tupperware-style container. The container was kept in a trailer as the couple continued traveling.

The trailer was later placed in a storage unit in Arkansas. After the couple stopped paying the storage bill, the contents were auctioned off. In February 2002, the buyer discovered Montana’s decomposed remains and contacted authorities.

The discovery triggered a nationwide investigation. Authorities traced the storage unit to Hann and Werntz and located the couple at a motel in Portland, Maine, in April 2002. They were arrested on April 25, 2002.

At the time of the arrest, the couple had a third infant son with them. Medical workers found that he had serious injuries, including skull injuries, rib fractures, femur fractures, retinal hemorrhages, and signs consistent with shaken baby syndrome. The child survived, was placed in foster care, and was later adopted.

After the arrest, investigators connected the couple to the earlier death of baby Jason in Vermont. Hann was prosecuted first in Vermont. In February 2006, he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for Jason’s death. On March 1, 2006, he was sentenced to 27 to 30 years in prison.

California later sought to prosecute Hann for Montana’s death. He was extradited to California in 2009 after Vermont authorities agreed to transfer him for trial.

Hann’s California trial began in 2013 in Riverside County. Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder and assault on a child resulting in death. Because Hann had already been convicted in Vermont for killing another child, prosecutors pursued the death penalty under a special circumstance based on a prior murder conviction.

The defense did not dispute that Hann caused Montana’s death but argued that his mental illness should reduce the crime to second-degree murder. The jury rejected that argument.

On December 17, 2013, Hann was convicted of first-degree murder and assault on a child resulting in death. Jurors also found true the special circumstance allegation based on his prior murder conviction.

On December 19, 2013, the jury recommended a death sentence. On February 21, 2014, Riverside County Superior Court Judge James S. Hawkins upheld the jury’s recommendation and formally sentenced Hann to death.

Krissy Lynn Werntz was separately prosecuted in connection with Montana’s death. California appellate records later addressed her conviction and sentencing issues separately.

Jason Michael Hann, now legally known as Jessica Marie Hann, remains under a California death sentence. California has not carried out an execution since 2006, and the state currently has a moratorium on executions.