In 1974, Barbara Hoffman was a Phi Beta Kappa senior at
University of Wisconsin Madison, majoring in biochemistry. Inexplicably she dropped
out a semester before graduation and took a job at a “massage parlor,” Jan’s Health
Studio, under the alias of Linda Millar. She became known as “Queen of the
Massage Parlors.” In that occupation she Harry Berge Jr., a tire factory worker,
and Gerald Davies, a shipping clerk at the university. She carried on a
relationship with each outside the parlor. In 1977, she left the parlor and
took a job in an insurance processing firm. She took out life insurance on each
of her massage parlor boyfriends: $34,000 on Berge, and $750,000 on Davies.
Davies was head-over-heels in love and wanted to marry. He referred
to Barbara as his fiancée, yet he knew nothing of Berge.
On December 22, 1977, Berge met his death in Barbara Hoffman’s
apartment. Two days later, Davies assisted Barbara – in removing the body of
the man Barbara claimed not to know, from a snowbank behind her apartment and
depositing it in another snowbank on Tomahawk Ridge near the Blackhawk Ski
Club. Barbara had told him that the mysterious appearance of the corpse might
be the result of shady characters associated with massage parlor who might be
trying to manipulate her. Against Barbara’s wishes Davis went, on Christmas
Day, to police headquarters and reported his actions. He led police to the makeshift
snowbank grave. An autopsy was filed stating the cause of death as “five blows
to the head.”
On December 18, 1978 Barbara was arrested and was charged with
first degree murder. Davies was to be the prosecution’s chief witness. Barbara’s
attorney advised her to cancel the life insurance policy on Davies. Despite
being advised to steer clear of the suspect when she was released on bail,
Davies kept up the romance. On Mar 24, 1978 he sent identically-worded letters asserting
Barbara’s innocence to three Madison newspapers contradicting statements under
oath he had given and asserted Barbara’s innocence.
The following day he was found dead in his apartment
bathtub. An autopsy revealed he his corpse contained cyanide of twice the fatal
dose. The discovery of the cyanide led to a second examination of the Berge
body. The result was the discovery of cyanide 34 times the fatal dose.
The prosecution dropped the original indictment for the
Berge murder and filed a new indictment stated the newly ascertained cause of
death. The filed another indictment against Hoffman for murdering Davies.
On June 28, 1989 Barbara Hoffman was convicted of Berge
murder; acquitted of Davies murder.
On July 2, 1980, she was sentenced to life in prison. She continued
to assert her innocence.
[Robert St. Estephe, Apr. 6, 2020]
***
CHRONOLOGY
1974 – Hoffman, a Biochemistry major, Phi Beta Kappa, University
of Wisconsin Madison drops out to take a job. She became known as “Queen of the
Massage Parlors.”
1977 – Barbara leaves parlor, works in insurance processing firm.
1977? – under alias Linda Millar used as employee of Jan’s
Health Studio, Barbara Hoffman, biochemistry major at UW Madison, takes out
$34,500 life insurance policy on Harry Berge Jr.
Dec. 22, 1977 – Harry B. Berge Jr. (52), Stoughton Uniroyal tire
factory worker, dies. 5 blows to head given as cause of death in autopsy
report.
Dec. 24, 1977 – Gerard T. Davies, shipping clerk at UM
Madison audio-visual dept., assists in moving nearly nude body from a snowbank
behind Barbara’s apartment to a snowbank on Tomahawk Ridge near the Blackhawk
Ski Club.
Dec. 25, 1977 – Davies leads police to the body.
Dec. 18, 1978 – Barbara Hoffman (26)
arrested for Berge murder.
Jan. 21, 1978 – Barbara Hoffman freed on $15,000 bail.
Feb. 1978 – Davies takes Hoffman in Spring Green. Considered
prime prosecution witness, he is surveilled by police, for his protection.
Mar. 24, 1978 – Postmarked letters written by Davies he sent
to 3 Madison newspapers contradicting statements under oath he had given and
asserted Barbara’s innocence.
Mar. 25, 1978 – Gerald Davies (31), dies. Cyanide, 37x lethal
dose, found in body. He was a key prosecution witness in the Berge murder case.
Barbara Hoffman paid two $6,618 premiums on a $750,000 life insurance policy on
Davies which she cancelled on the advice of her attorney in the Berge murder
case.
Apr. 1978 – cause of dearth of Berge changed to cyanide
poisoning.
Dec. 1978 – recharged in Berge case with changed cause of
death; charged with Davies murder.
Jun. 16, 1978 – trial begins.
Jun. 28, 1989 – convicted of Berge murder; acquitted of Davies
murder.
Jul. 2, 1980 – sentenced to life.
Both victims met Barbara at the massage parlor where she
worked, Jan’s Health Studio.
***
BOOK: Karl Harter, Winter of Frozen Dreams : A True Story
of Passion, Greed and Murder,
McGraw Hill/Contemporary, 1990
FILM: Winter of Frozen Dreams is a 2009 independent
American crime drama directed by Eric Mandelbaum, and starring Thora Birch, Keith
Carradine, and Brendan Sexton III. The film follows the story of Barbara
Hoffman, a Wisconsin biochemistry student and prostitute convicted of murder in
the first televised murder trial ever.
***
A good brief summary of the case:
Marva Bovsun, “She Gave Massages to Die For,” New York Daily
News, Jan. 8, 2017, p. 40
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For links to other cases of woman who murdered 2 or more husbands (or paramours), see Black Widow Serial Killers.
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[635-1/3/21; 3070-9/28/22]
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One month graduating from college with a degree in biochemistry and she quits to work at a massage parlor. Very smart! Very psychopathic! She's still in a Wisconsin prison, and looks like she could have been a very attractive young woman when she murdered her victims. A life with great promise reduced to a prison cell for the last 44 years.
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