Carl Ferdinand Feigenbaum

Serial Killer

Carl Ferdinand Feigenbaum: Murderer and Suspected Serial Killer

Background

Carl Ferdinand Feigenbaum was a German-born sailor, laborer, and occasional florist who became known for a brutal murder committed in New York City. He was born around 1840 and also used the name Anton Zahn. Much of his early life is uncertain because he traveled frequently, used different names, and left few reliable records. His work as a merchant seaman may have taken him between ports in Europe and the United States. Feigenbaum is sometimes described as a serial killer, but only one murder was ever proved against him. He was convicted of killing Juliana Hoffman in Manhattan in 1894. After his execution, one of his defense attorneys claimed that Feigenbaum had admitted to violent urges involving women. This statement led later investigators to connect him with several unsolved murders, including the Jack the Ripper killings in London. These additional accusations remain theories rather than established facts.

The Murder of Juliana Hoffman

In August 1894, Feigenbaum rented a room from Juliana Hoffman, a 65-year-old widow who lived with her teenage son, Michael, on East Sixth Street in New York City. Feigenbaum had answered an advertisement for the room and told Hoffman that he expected to begin working as a florist. He had been in the home for only a few days when the attack occurred. During the night of August 31, 1894, Feigenbaum entered the room where Hoffman was sleeping. Armed with a large knife, he attacked her and cut and stabbed her in the neck. Michael Hoffman awoke after hearing his mother's screams. When he entered the room, he saw Feigenbaum standing over her with the weapon. Feigenbaum reportedly moved toward Michael with the knife, forcing the boy to escape through a window and call for help. Police officers arrived quickly and captured Feigenbaum near the building. Juliana Hoffman died from her wounds. Some later accounts listed her death as September 1 because the attack happened close to midnight, but court records identify the fatal stabbing as occurring on the night of August 31, 1894. Investigators found strong physical and eyewitness evidence against Feigenbaum. Michael had seen the attack, Feigenbaum was arrested immediately afterward, and the murder weapon was connected to him. Feigenbaum offered conflicting explanations and denied that he had intended to kill Hoffman. Prosecutors argued that he had entered her room to rob her and murdered her when she awakened. ...

Confirmed Victims: (0)

Carl Feigenbaum - Casebook: Jack the Ripper