On the night of December 5, 1926, Alton Hassell, a 21-year-old male, was murdered in Farwell, Texas, as part of a gruesome mass killing carried out by his stepfather, George Jefferson Hassell. The crime unfolded after a heated argument between George Hassell and his wife, Susan Ferguson, over his sexual assault and impregnation of her underage daughter, Maudie. In a violent outburst, Hassell struck his wife repeatedly in the face with a ballpeen hammer, killing her.
He then proceeded to systematically murder the rest of the family, moving from room to room, using a straight razor and stockings to kill them in order from youngest to oldest. The two eldest boys, David and Russell, awoke during the attack, leading to a struggle in which Hassell ultimately killed them with a shotgun and an axe.
Alton Hassell was not present at the time of the initial killings, as he had been working in Clovis, New Mexico, threshing wheat for extra money. When he returned home four days later, Hassell deceived him by claiming that the family had gone to visit an aunt in Shallowater, Texas. That evening, the two men shared a meal before retiring to their bedrooms. Later that night, Hassell consumed whiskey to steel himself for another murder. Once intoxicated, he entered Alton’s bedroom and shot him in the head while he slept, completing the annihilation of his family.
Following the murders, Hassell attempted to cover up his crimes by burying the bodies in a newly dug root cellar near the house. He then sold all of the family's belongings in a large yard sale, telling neighbors that they were moving back to Oklahoma. However, suspicions arose when a wagon rolled over the sinkhole where the bodies were buried, prompting an investigation. Law enforcement soon uncovered the remains, leading to Hassell’s arrest.
During the subsequent trial, Hassell confessed to the murders, and the case quickly gained notoriety, turning Farwell and its neighboring town, Texico, New Mexico, into a spectacle. Hassell had a history of criminal behavior, including a previous family massacre in California, embezzlement, and military desertion. He claimed that his initial act of violence was a crime of passion and that he killed the children to protect himself. A psychiatric evaluation at the time characterized him as a sociopath.
On February 2, 1928, George Jefferson Hassell was executed in the electric chair in Texas, becoming the 27th person to be put to death in the state. His crimes remain one of the most horrific instances of family annihilation in U.S. history.
