Jesse McFadden

Jesse McFadden began his criminal career in Oklahoma in the early 2000s. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade for reasons that remain unclear and later settled in McAlester, Oklahoma. In December 2002, McFadden was arrested and subsequently convicted of first-degree rape in 2003. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and served 17 years at the Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington, Oklahoma, before being released in 2020.

While incarcerated, McFadden faced new accusations of sexual misconduct. In 2017, he was charged with soliciting sexual content from a minor via cell phone while still behind bars. These charges remained pending for several years, with numerous delays in court proceedings. A jury trial for the 2017 sex offense was ultimately scheduled for May 1, 2023.

Following his release from prison, McFadden married Holly Guess and lived with her and her three children near Henryetta in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. Despite his violent history, McFadden was not under electronic monitoring at the time of his release and was able to freely access weapons and unsupervised time with minors.

On May 1, 2023—the same day Jesse McFadden was scheduled to stand trial for unresolved sex crime charges—he murdered six individuals at his residence before taking his own life. Among the victims were his wife, Holly McFadden (35); her three children, Tiffany Guess (13), Michael Mayo (15), and Rylee Allen (17); and two teenage girls who were visiting the home, Brittany Brewer (15) and Ivy Webster (14).

All six victims were fatally shot in the head, with some sustaining multiple gunshot wounds, according to the official autopsy report. McFadden then turned the weapon on himself, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The weapon used in the killings was a 9mm handgun that had been purchased by his wife in January 2022.

Authorities stated that the two visiting girls, Brewer and Webster, were both sexually assaulted prior to their deaths. The girls had been reported missing on the morning of May 1, prompting the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to issue an Amber Alert. Their bodies were later discovered along with the rest of the victims during a welfare check at the McFadden residence.

The murders were uncovered just hours before McFadden was due to appear in court for his 2017 sex crimes. His failure to appear prompted law enforcement to investigate, which led to the grim discovery at the rural property.

The case drew national attention due to the brutality of the killings and McFadden’s criminal history. Public outrage followed revelations that McFadden was not under adequate supervision despite having a violent sexual offense record and pending felony charges.

In the wake of the murders, Oklahoma state representative Scott Fetgatter called for legislative reforms, advocating stronger sentencing guidelines and more rigorous supervision for violent and sexual offenders post-release. The case sparked ongoing discussions regarding sentencing, parole eligibility, and child protection policies in Oklahoma and beyond.