On a tragic day in August of 1977, the quiet community of Gaston, Oregon, was shattered by a brutal act of violence that claimed the lives of four people, including a young White female child named Sylvia May Compton. At only six years of age, Sylvia, along with her twin sister Sandra, her 24-year-old mother Margo Compton, and her mother's 19-year-old boyfriend, Gary Seslar, were found murdered in their home on August 7th.
Each had been shot in the head in what was described as an execution-style killing.
The investigation into the horrific scene soon pointed towards a motive of retaliation. Margo Compton had previously testified against several members of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club in a San Francisco prostitution trial. Authorities believed this courageous act had marked her for death. The primary suspects in the quadruple homicide were identified as members of the notorious motorcycle club.
For years, the case remained a dark cloud over the small Oregon town, a chilling reminder of the violence that had visited their community. The relentless work of investigators, however, eventually led to a breakthrough. The focus of the investigation narrowed on two individuals: Odis Garrett, the ex-president of the Hell's Angels chapter in Vallejo, California, and Robert G. McClure, a high-ranking member of the club. Prosecutors built a case alleging that Garrett had ordered the killings and that McClure had carried them out.
After a lengthy and complex investigation, Robert G. McClure was arrested and charged with the four murders. In 1994, seventeen years after the deaths of Sylvia, her family, and their friend, McClure was tried and convicted for his role in the killings. He was subsequently sentenced to four consecutive life terms, bringing a measure of justice to a case that had long haunted the region. The conviction provided some closure to a community that had been deeply scarred by the violent end of four lives, including that of a young girl whose life had been cut short in the most brutal of ways.
