Valdosta Arrest Leads to Life Sentence for Georgia Man Who Admitted Killing His Father in Texas in Cold Blood

VALDOSTA, Ga. – A south Georgia arrest has now led to a life prison sentence for a Georgia man who admitted traveling to Texas to murder his father in a carefully planned attack.

In Tarrant County’s 372nd District Court, 29-year-old Xavier Bass pleaded guilty to the murder of his father, 54-year-old Gene Bass. Following the guilty plea, a jury sentenced him to life in prison.

According to a story on Irving Weekly, the case began on June 28, 2024, when Fort Worth police responded to a shooting at a home on Chesapeake Bay Drive in south Fort Worth.

Investigators determined Xavier Bass had driven from Georgia to his father’s Texas home in a Ford Mustang. According to prosecutors, he approached Gene Bass outside the residence armed with a handgun and opened fire without warning.

Gene Bass, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant and JROTC instructor for Crowley ISD, attempted to flee, but investigators said his son chased him through the yard while continuing to fire. He was struck 12 times, including two gunshots to the head, and died at the scene.

Authorities said Xavier Bass immediately drove back to Georgia after the shooting.

Surveillance cameras in the Fort Worth neighborhood captured the suspect, providing investigators with crucial evidence. Detectives later interviewed Bass’ girlfriend in Georgia, who identified him from the surveillance footage.

According to the arrest affidavit, the girlfriend told investigators that Bass had spoken about making the trip weeks before the killing, telling her she would “hear why on the news.” She persuaded him not to go at that time.

Investigators said Bass later called his father and told him he was coming to visit but never revealed his true intentions.

The girlfriend also told police Bass blamed his father for hardships he experienced while growing up, believing Gene Bass should have done more to help him instead of leaving him to be raised by his mother.

On June 29, 2024, less than 24 hours after the killing, Bass was located and arrested by law enforcement in Valdosta.

He was later extradited to Tarrant County on July 23, 2024, where he remained in custody after being unable to post his $500,000 bond.

Gene Bass was well known in the Fort Worth area as a retired Army veteran and longtime JROTC instructor. Crowley ISD described him as a beloved educator whose mentorship positively influenced students across every middle and high school campus in the district.

With the jury’s sentencing verdict, Xavier Bass will spend the remainder of his life in prison for the murder of his father.