On May 1, 2023, Jesse McFadden shot and killed six people before killing himself in
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, near the town of
Henryetta. That day McFadden had been set to have a
jury trial for other charges he faced, but after he did not appear his body and those of his victims were discovered at his home.
Killings
Police say McFadden shot and killed his wife Holly McFadden, 35; Holly's three children Tiffany Guess, 13; Michael Mayo, 15; and Rylee Allen, 17, as well as Tiffany's friends Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15; furthermore, he sexually assaulted Webster and Brewer, according to an autopsy report.[1] He then killed himself.[2][3] McFadden had been scheduled for a jury trial that day for further sex offenses;[4] the bodies were discovered hours before the trial was to begin.[5] The
Oklahoma Highway Patrol had issued an
Amber Alert for Webster and Brewer only hours before[6] they were found among the dead.[7] Police have stated that the shootings were perpetrated with a
9mm handgun that had been purchased by Holly in January 2022. [8]
Perpetrator
McFadden was convicted of rape in 2003 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, serving 17 years before being released in 2020.[3] In 2017, while serving his sentence, he was accused of
sexting an underage girl.[2] On the day of the shooting, he was scheduled to face trial for his 2017 offense after numerous delays.[9]
Aftermath
After the murders, state representative
Scott Fetgatter advocated for stronger
sentencing laws for serious sex crimes.[10]