Mansel "Sonny" Hammett and the 1985 Anchor Glass Factory Murders
Background
Mansel Lincoln "Sonny" Hammett was a 39-year-old factory worker employed by the Anchor Glass Container Corporation in South Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Coworkers later described him as a quiet, private and hardworking man. Before March 16, 1985, he was not publicly known as a violent person, making the sudden workplace attack especially shocking to employees and residents of the small Fayette County community.
Anchor Glass operated a large glass-container manufacturing plant in South Connellsville. Hammett worked there as an hourly employee under several supervisors. Accounts of the incident indicate that he had become dissatisfied with working conditions and the pressure he felt at the plant. His anger became focused on members of management whom he apparently blamed for his workplace difficulties.
The Workplace Disciplinary Incident
On the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1985, Hammett was reprimanded for violating a company rule. Contemporary reports stated that the disciplinary action involved Hammett talking with his wife while he was supposed to be working. He reportedly argued with his supervisors and was suspended or ordered to leave the factory.
Hammett was reportedly warned that his behavior could threaten his employment. According to later court records, he responded to the reprimand by threatening supervisor Donald Abbot, stating in substance that Abbot would be killed if the disciplinary action caused Hammett to lose his job. Hammett then left the plant, but the confrontation was not over.
Hammett Announces His Intentions
After leaving Anchor Glass, Hammett obtained a .38-caliber revolver. Before returning to the plant, he reportedly stopped at the cafeteria at Pechin Shopping Village. Witnesses later recalled that Hammett openly announced that he was returning to Anchor Glass to kill the bosses.
Despite this reported statement, no warning reached the factory in time to prevent the attack. Approximately three hours after being sent home, Hammett returned to the Anchor Glass property. It was around 10:00 a.m. when he approached the plant carrying the revolver.
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