Jason Massey


Jason Eric Massey was an American murderer who was executed in 2001 for the murders of two teenagers.

Background

Massey was born January 7, 1973, in Ellis County, Texas. He was neglected and abused by his alcoholic father and his drug-addicted mother. By his teens, he was a juvenile delinquent with a lengthy criminal record, mostly for torturing animals and stalking. His mother once committed him to a psychiatric hospital after discovering his journals, in which he detailed his fantasies about rape and murder, his hero worship of Charles Manson, his avowed Satanism, and his strong desire to become a serial killer. Massey was known to decapitate and mutilate dogs, cats, and cows, preserving their skulls in coolers as trophies.

Crime

On Monday, July 26, 1993, he viciously murdered two teenagers: 14-year-old Brian King and his 13-year-old stepsister, Christina Benjamin, in his hometown. Christina's death had been particularly gruesome; her head, hands and nipples had been cut off, her genitals mutilated, and her intestines removed. King had been shot twice in the head. Massey was quickly connected to the crime by forensic evidence and arrested, shortly after getting out of jail for animal cruelty. In October of the following year, he was found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death. While on death row, he reportedly converted to Christianity.
He was executed by lethal injection on April 3, 2001. Before his execution, he confessed his crime to the murdered teenagers' family. His crime was documented on an episode of the TV series Forensic Files called "Pure Evil". It is one of the few episodes rated TV-MA.

General references