Episode 561: “Jolly Jane” Toppan: Angel of Mercy (Part 2)

On the evening of December 24, 1926, a farmer in Farwell, Texas, called the sheriff to report that his neighbor, George Hassell, had been acting very strangely in recent days and he had been telling conflicting stories about the whereabouts of his family, who had been missing for several days. When the sheriff arrived at the Hassell farm, he began questioning George about where his family had gone, but mid conversation, Hassell removed a pocket knife from his pocket and stabbed himself three times in the chest. Hassell was taken to the hospital, where he was not expected to survive, but against the odds, George pulled through. With no option for escape and having given law enforcement good reason to suspect him in the disappearance of his family, George began confessing to multiple murders. At first, it was assumed he had flown into a rage and murdered his family a week earlier, but the more Hassell talked, the clearer it became that George Hassell violent and murderous behavior went well beyond the walls of his home in Farwell.

In eighteenth and nineteenth century England, two phantom stalkers terrorized the public and captured the collective imagination to the point of violence. However, violent outcomes and legal consequences notwithstanding, neither phantom was ever anything more than a figment of people’s imaginations.

(Part 4 of 4) In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press soon dubbed him, would claim a staggering number of victims to become the most prolific serial killer in American history, a title he would hold until relatively recently.

(Part 3) In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press soon dubbed him, would claim a staggering number of victims to become the most prolific serial killer in American history, a title he would hold until relatively recently.

(Part 2) In the summer of 1982, it became obvious that a serial killer was operating in the Tacoma area and dumping his victims in the waters of the Green River. In time, The Green River Killer, as the press soon dubbed him, would claim a staggering number of victims to become the most prolific serial killer in American history, a title he would hold until relatively recently.