Johann Otto Hoch, born John Schmidt in 1855 in Horrweiler, Germany, emigrated to the United States in the 1890s. Initially trained for the ministry, he abandoned this path and became known for his involvement in fraudulent marriages. Assuming various aliases, Hoch targeted vulnerable women, particularly widows, through matrimonial advertisements, leading to a series of bigamous marriages.

Hoch's criminal activities spanned from 1890 to 1905, during which he is suspected of marrying and subsequently murdering numerous women to acquire their assets. His modus operandi involved courting women, swiftly marrying them, and then poisoning them with arsenic to claim their wealth. Estimates of his victims range from 15 to 50, though he was convicted for the murder of one wife, Marie Walcker. Hoch's actions earned him the monikers "The Bluebeard Murderer" and "Chicago Bluebeard," referencing the French folktale of a man who killed multiple wives.

In 1905, authorities apprehended Hoch in New York City after his latest wife's sudden death raised suspicions. He was extradited to Chicago, where he stood trial for Walcker's murder. Despite maintaining his innocence, the evidence led to his conviction, and he was sentenced to death. Hoch was executed by hanging on February 23, 1906, in Chicago. ​