The First Mass Murder in the U.S. (in the 1700s) was in western Connecticut

Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path

The first mass murder in U.S. history occurred in 1780 in Washington, Connecticut. Barnett Davenport brutally murdered five people in a farmhouse in this rural community. His confession gave us insight into the first such incident in the country's history. Just as grisly as the murders was the way that justice was served in those days. Hear the story from local history expert Peter Vermilyea, who has studied this case extensively.