In the winter of 1926, the quiet town of Farwell, Texas was shaken by the discovery of nine bodies buried beneath a home. The man responsible, George Hassell, had already taken lives in another state and wasn’t finished confessing. What followed was a case so disturbing it blurred the lines between serial killer, mass murderer, and family annihilator. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the chilling crimes of George Jefferson Hassell, one of the South’s most unsettling killers.

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Episode Sources

• Roth, Mitchell P. Man with the Killer Smile: The Life and Crimes of a Serial Mass Murderer. University of North Texas Press, 2023. Available on Amazon
• Roth, Mitchell P. Interview. PBS: The Bookmark, November 9, 2023. Watch the Interview
• “Texas Farmer Dying After 9 Bodies Found.” The Decatur Daily, December 24, 1926. View Article
• “Hassell, Leaving Death Cell, Advises Women Read Writings of Paul.” The Austin American, April 7, 1927. View Article
• Hassell v. State, 107 Tex. Crim. 541, 298 S.W. 293 (Tex. Crim. App. 1927). Read Case Summary
• “Hasell Electrocuted Early Friday at Huntsville.” The Huntsville Times, February 10, 1928. View Article
• “George J. Hassell’s Murderous Ways.” Texas Genealogy Trails. Read Article
• “Death House Slayings Gain Attention.” Whittier Daily News, August 30, 2017. Read Article

Find a Grave Memorials:

• George Jefferson Hassell
• Susan Frances “Susie” Ferguson Hassell
• Thomas Virgil Hassell

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.