Andreas Hall

Andreas Hall ( 1824 – March 15, 1849) was an American serial killer, burglar, and arsonist who was hanged in 1849 for the murders of a couple in Petersburgh, New York, the previous year. On the eve of his execution, he confessed to another murder committed a year prior, as well as numerous unsolved thefts, burglaries, and arsons committed around the area.

Early life Andreas Hall was born in Petersburgh, New York, in about 1824. According to his confession, he started drinking and stealing from a young age, the victims of these actions often being close relatives and friends. Having previously done work for them, he was aware that the couple had around $1,500 worth of silver goods stashed in their home, prompting him to devise a scheme to kill them and steal it. After taking a wooden spike with him, he visited the Smiths at nighttime, ostensibly to inform Noah that his cattle had broken the fences behind his barn and fled into the meadows. The two men went to the area to inspect the situation, and upon arrival, Hall plunged the spike into the man's head, killing him instantly. Hall then returned to the house and asked for an axe, and after being given it and a glass of water, he proceeded to hack at Amy multiple times. As she was still alive at that point, he continued to strike her viciously, causing gashes on her neck that spanned from ear to ear. Upon further inspection, Noah's body was also found in some grasslands near the barn.

Arrest and trial On July 7, 1848, Hall and an unnamed peddler of books and newspapers were arrested in Troy on charges of killing the Smith couple. While the peddler was later released, Hall was charged with Amy Smith's murder, to which he pleaded innocent. His subsequent two-week trial, followed alongside that of child killer Barney O'Donnell, was of great interest to the news media and locals. In the end, both men were found guilty and sentenced to death for their respective crimes.

Execution After maintaining that he was innocent for several weeks, Hall decided to come clean days prior to his execution and confess to numerous unsolved thefts, robberies, and arsons he had committed around Rensselaer County. Most shockingly, he admitted to the murder of Brown committed the year prior, for which he had never been suspected. Upon learning of this, Brown's father contacted Hall, who provided him with a diagram of where he had buried his son's remains. Mr. Brown and other residents of Troy then conducted a search party to find the remains, which were soon recovered.

On March 15, 1849, Hall and the aforementioned O'Donnell were publicly hanged in Troy. Their last words were reportedly final goodbyes to their friends and family.