Virgil Hassell, a 15-year-old white male, was born on March 23, 1911, in Oklahoma. He was the son of Susan Frances and Thomas Virgil Hassell. Following his father's death in 1924, his mother married her late husband's brother, George Jefferson Hassell. This union brought George into the family as both uncle and stepfather to Virgil and his siblings.
On December 2, 1926, in Farwell, Texas, Virgil became one of the victims in a horrific familicide perpetrated by George Hassell. The tragedy unfolded after George had an argument with his wife, Susan, over his sexual abuse of her daughter, Maudie. In a fit of rage, George murdered Susan by striking her with a hammer. He then proceeded to kill the children in the household, using various methods including strangulation, a straight razor, and stockings. Virgil, being one of the older children, was awakened during the attack and attempted to resist, but was ultimately killed by George.
After committing the murders, George buried the bodies in a newly dug root cellar on the property. He then claimed to neighbors that his family had returned to Oklahoma, selling their belongings in a yard sale. Suspicion arose when a wagon collapsed into the sinkhole covering the cellar, leading to the discovery of the bodies. George attempted suicide but survived, and upon arrest, confessed to the murders.
Further investigations revealed that George had previously murdered another family in California in 1917, consisting of his common-law wife and her three children. He was tried for the Farwell murders, found guilty, and executed by electric chair on February 10, 1928, in Huntsville, Texas.
Virgil Hassell was laid to rest in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Farwell, Texas, alongside his mother and siblings.
