On June 2, 1917, Marie Vogel, a 32-year-old white woman, was murdered in Whittier, California, along with her three adopted children, aged approximately 1, 2, and 8. The perpetrator was George Jefferson Hassell, her common-law husband. Hassell later confessed to the crime, stating that the murders were not premeditated but occurred during a moment of rage. He claimed that he and Marie Vogel were "joking" when he suddenly found himself choking her, and subsequently, he choked her three children to death.
The bodies of Marie Vogel and her children were discovered buried in the cellar of their former home in Whittier. The discovery came after Hassell's confession to the authorities. He directed the police to the location of the bodies, which corroborated his admission of guilt.
Following his confession, George Hassell was arrested and later tried for the murders. Although he confessed to multiple killings, including the earlier murders of Marie Vogel and her children, he was ultimately convicted and executed only for the murder of his 21-year-old stepson from a subsequent crime in Texas. Hassell was executed in the electric chair on February 10, 1928.
