On June 2, 1917, Anthony Baker, a one-year-old white male, was murdered in Whittier, California, by George Jefferson Hassell. Anthony was one of four victims in this initial familicide committed by Hassell. The other victims included Marie Vogel, Hassell's common-law wife; Gerald Vogel, a seven-year-old boy; and Rita Baker, a two-year-old girl. Hassell had been living with Marie Vogel and her three adopted children under the alias 'Baker.' He claimed the murders occurred during an argument over his potential enlistment in World War I. Following the killings, Hassell buried the bodies beneath their home and misled neighbors by stating that his family had left town.
Nearly a decade later, in 1926, Hassell committed a second familicide in Farwell, Texas, murdering his wife, Susan, and her eight children. After his arrest for these crimes, Hassell confessed to the 1917 murders in California. He provided authorities with details that led to the discovery of the victims' remains beneath the former residence in Whittier. Hassell was subsequently tried, convicted, and executed by electric chair in Texas on February 10, 1928. His confessions ensured that no one else was wrongfully accused of the earlier murders.
