Framing the Story: Adam Selzer on M**der, Mystery & Chicago’s Media Machine

In 1905, Chicago serial killer Johann Hoch was believed to have married more than fifty women—most of whom died under suspicious circumstances. His story became a media sensation just as newspapers were first beginning to use photographs. If not for the press, Hoch might never have been caught; with it, his case unraveled in a tangle of half-truths, sensational headlines, and conflicting accounts.

Author and historian Adam Selzer—host of the Tomb Snoopers podcast and author of a new book on Hoch—will reveal the pivotal role of the media and specific reporters in the case: how the press nearly got him convicted, nearly got him freed, hopelessly muddled his story in his own time, yet also preserved enough evidence to sort fact from fiction a century later. Selzer, who has also written extensively on H. H. Holmes, will contrast Hoch’s coverage with that of Holmes a decade earlier, revealing shifts in how Chicago’s most notorious figures were framed for public consumption.

The program opens with remarks from Kiersten Neumann, curator of Megiddo: A City Unearthed, A Past Imagined, on how ISAC’s Megiddo Expedition (1929–35) was likewise framed for the public through dramatic media hooks—kings, empires, and biblical Armageddon—transforming archaeology into global headlines.

Presented in conjunction with the ISAC Museum special exhibition , on view September 18, 2025, to March 15, 2026.

The lecture will be followed by a light reception and opportunity to visit the special exhibition.

* Registration is for both in-person and online; a link to stream the program online via Zoom will be circulated by email the day of the event. The program will also be streamed on Facebook (no registration required for this option; simply go to the ISAC Facebook page at the time of the program). A recording will later be posted on ISAC's YouTube page.

Host or Publisher The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures