In the quiet farming community of Farwell, Michigan, a horrific crime unfolded on February 16, 1982, that would become known as the Rock Road massacre. Among the seven victims of this brutal event was a young boy, Tom Gaffney, who was seven years old. The tragedy took place at a farmhouse in Garfield Township, leaving a lasting scar on the small, rural community.
Tom, his mother Helen Gaffney, two of his sisters, Angela and Amy, and three other family members were killed in the mass shooting.
The perpetrator of this heinous act was Robert Lee Haggart, a 32-year-old livestock auctioneer. The motive for the murders was linked to his pending divorce from one of the victims, Garnetta Haggart. The day before the final court hearing for their divorce, Haggart went to the family farm and systematically shot seven people with a shotgun and a handgun. The victims included his estranged wife Garnetta, her parents George and Vaudrey Post, her half-sister Helen Gaffney, and Helen's three children: Angela, Tom, and Amy. Miraculously, Helen's 15-month-old daughter, Amanda, was found alive at the scene, shielded by her mother's body.
Following the massacre, Robert Lee Haggart fled the state in an attempt to evade capture. However, his time as a fugitive was short-lived. Two days after the murders, on February 18, 1982, Haggart was apprehended by law enforcement in Jasper, Tennessee. He was subsequently extradited back to Michigan to face charges for the killings that had shocked the nation.
Robert Lee Haggart's trial was moved to Midland County due to the extensive media coverage of the case. The evidence against him was substantial, and the jury deliberated for seven and a half hours over three days before reaching a verdict. On October 8, 1982, Haggart was found guilty of first-degree murder in six of the deaths. For the death of seven-year-old Tom Gaffney, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of second-degree murder, citing doubts about his intent in the boy's death. He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Amanda Gaffney. On October 22, 1982, Robert Lee Haggart was sentenced to seven life sentences plus an additional 32 years in prison. He died of natural causes in prison on November 24, 2003.
