Terror In McCarthy Alaska

March 1, 1983, in McCarthy, Alaska an old mining town at the base of the Wrangell Mountains.

It was a Tuesday, which in this town of about 20 people was mail day. Because this town was so remote, residents received mail and necessities such as groceries only once a week from what they called the mail plane. 

Yall This town was so remote and small that one resident said “Around here there are so few of us we know each other by boot tracks.” Not only that they had no electricity, no running water and no telephone service. Im talking nearly off the grid all the way. If you wanted to be left alone completely McCarthy was the place for you. 

On mail day, the locals gathered at Lester and Florence Hegland’s place to wait for the mail plane because it was close to the airstrip. They would have coffee, play games, chat, etc while waiting. It was a social event for them. 

But, this mail day was different. There were no games, no coffee, no chatting. Only terror ending in nearly half of the population of McCarthy being dead.

 

"Six Shootings Rock Little Town." The Hanford Sentinel, 2 Mar. 1983, p. 4.

 

Bartley, B. (1983, March 3). Shooting Spree Stuns Isolated Alaskan Outpost. The Herald-Palladium, 11.

 

"Troopers Leave Mass Murder Site." Anchorage Times, 4 Mar. 1983, p. 4.

 

"Harvard Grad, Husband Alaska Shooting Victims." North Adams Transcript, 7 Mar. 1983, p. 18.

 

"Two Hours of Terror Change Town Forever." The Atlanta Journal, 8 Mar. 1983, p. 2.

 

Conklin, E. E. (1983, March 12). Hastings Claims Innocence; Trial Set for May 31. The Anchorage Times, B-7, B-11.

 

"Conflicts Delay Hastings Trial." Anchorage Times, 3 May 1983, p. 14.

 

O'Brien, P. (1983, July 17). Mccarthy Residents Recall Blood Bath. Anchorage Times, A-1, A-11.

 

O'Brien, P. (1983, July 23). Judge Sanctions Search of Hastings Property. Anchorage Times, B-2.

You Tube Video 

 

O'Brien, P. (1983, July 27). Psychiatrist Says Hastings Won't Talk. Anchorage Times, A-1, A-4.

 

Toomey , S. (1983, August 11). Murder Suspect Refuses to Talk to Psychiatrist. Anchorage Daily News, 17.

 

"Multiple Murder Suspect May See Psychiatrist." The Peninsula Clarion, 12 Aug. 1983, p. 6.

 

Bartley , B. (1983, December 5). McCarthy Murders Trial: Mystery to be Unraveled. Daily Sitka Sentinel, 1.

 

"McCarthy Murder Spree Suspect's Hearing Held." The Peninsula Clarion, 6 Dec. 1983, pp. 6, 9.

 

Pierson, R. (1984, May 15). Confessed Killer Seeks to Fire "Laggard" Lawyer. Anchorage Times, A-1, A-12.

 

"Convicted Killer Denied New Attorney." Anchorage Daily News, 19 May 1984, p. 21.

 

Toomey, S. (1984, June 14). Relatives Seek Psychiatric Care for Killer of Six. Anchorage Daily News, A-1, A-16.

 

Scarpinato, M. (1984, June 14). Family Knew Hastings as "Happy Little Boy". Anchorage Times, A-1, A-12.

 

Leslie, T. (1984, June 16). Attorneys Condemn Release of Hastings Letters. Anchorage Times, B-5.

 

"Dissolutions." Anchorage Daily News, 24 Jun. 1984, p. 16.

 

O'Brien, P. (1984, July 12). Judge Decrees Hastings' Hearing Open to Public. Anchorage Times, B-1, B-5.

 

Scarpinato, M. (1984, July 25). Hastings' Plan: Slaughter, Suicide. Anchorage Times, 1.

 

Toomey, S. (1984, July 26). Psychiatrist: Killer Wanted to Wreck Pipeline. Anchorage Daily News, B-1, B-3.

 

Scarpinato, M. (1984, July 27). Judge Rules McCarthy Killer Was Sane. Anchorage Times, B-1.

 

Toomey, S. (1984, July 27). Killer May Have Intended to Slay Others, Doctors Say. Anchorage Times, C-1.

 

Kizzia, T. (1984, July 28). McCarthy Killer Gets 634 Years. Anchorage Daily News, 1, 16.

 

Scarpinato, M. (1984, July 28). Hastin