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Solved case · 2023
The short answer
On May 1, 2023, Jesse McFadden shot and killed his wife, her three children, and two of the children's friends near Henryetta, Oklahoma, then killed himself; the victims were found hours before McFadden was due in court on separate sex-offense charges.
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Suggest coverage for 2023 Henryetta killingsThe case file
On May 1, 2023, Jesse McFadden killed six people before killing himself at his home in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, near the town of Henryetta. McFadden had been scheduled to appear that day for a jury trial on sex offense charges; when he failed to appear, his body and those of his victims were discovered at his residence hours before the trial was set to begin.
Police said McFadden shot and killed his wife, Holly McFadden, 35, and Holly's three children — Tiffany Guess, 13; Michael Mayo, 15; and Rylee Allen, 17. He also killed two of Tiffany's friends, Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15, who were staying at the home. According to an autopsy report cited in coverage of the case, all victims had been shot in the head, some multiple times, and McFadden had raped Webster and Brewer. He then killed himself with a gunshot to the head. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol had issued an Amber Alert for Webster and Brewer only hours before their bodies were found among the dead. Investigators stated the killings were carried out with a 9mm handgun that Holly McFadden had purchased in January 2022.
McFadden had dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and began his criminal history as early as December 2002 while living in McAlester, Oklahoma. In 2003 he was convicted of rape and sentenced to 20 years at the Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington, Oklahoma; he served 17 years before his release in 2020. While incarcerated in 2017, he was accused of sexting an underage girl. He was scheduled to face trial for that 2017 offense, after numerous delays, on the same day the killings were discovered.
In the aftermath, Oklahoma state representative Scott Fetgatter advocated for stronger sentencing laws for serious sex crimes. Brittany Brewer's father, Nathan Brewer, later ran as a Democrat in the 2025 special election for the 8th district of the Oklahoma Senate, but lost to Republican candidate Bryan Logan.
7 dated entries · 2002–2025
Jesse McFadden's criminal history begins while he was living in McAlester, Oklahoma, according to reporting.
McFadden convicted of rape and sentenced to 20 years at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington, Oklahoma.
While incarcerated, McFadden accused of sexting an underage girl.
McFadden released from prison after serving 17 years of his sentence.
Holly McFadden purchases the 9mm handgun later used in the killings.
Jesse McFadden shoots and kills his wife Holly McFadden, her three children, and two of the children's friends, then kills himself; bodies discovered hours before McFadden's scheduled trial on 2017 sex offense charges.
Nathan Brewer, father of victim Brittany Brewer, runs as a Democrat in a special election for Oklahoma's 8th Senate district and loses to Republican Bryan Logan.
7 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Friend of Tiffany Guess; raped and shot and killed, age 15.[3]
Wife of Jesse McFadden; shot and killed, age 35.[3]
Friend of Tiffany Guess; raped and shot and killed, age 14.[3]
Holly McFadden's son; shot and killed, age 15.[3]
Holly McFadden's daughter; shot and killed, age 17.[3]
Holly McFadden's daughter; shot and killed, age 13.[3]
Convicted of rape in 2003; perpetrator of the May 1, 2023 killings of six people before killing himself; also faced pending 2017 sex offense charges at time of death.[3]
From the record
3 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressBBC NewsAccessed Jul 7, 2026
PressNBC NewsAccessed Jul 7, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 7, 2026
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