There is little evidence of Bassett's arrest and trial, including the evidence against her and who accused her.[1] The only explicit mention of her being tried at all exists in the official record of the New Haven Colony, which noted in May 1651 that "the Governor, Mr Cullick and Mr Clarke are desired to go down to Stratford to keep court upon the trial of Goody Bassett for her life".[4][5][6] Despite the lack of trial records, it is widely accepted that Bassett was subjected to a witch trial; the 1653 trial records of Goodwife Knapp for makes mention of Bassett having confessed to being a witch and subsequently hanged.[7][8] There is also a consensus among historians that Bassett likely made a confession under torture, a common feature of witch trials in New England.[1][2][7]
It is believed that Bassett's trial was overseen by John Haynes, one of the founders of the Connecticut Colony, alongside leaders from New Haven. Some contemporary sources have stated that Bassett had been accused of putting curses on people that caused physical pain, with others noting that people experienced hallucinations, illness and death shortly after the Bassetts moved to Stratford in 1651, though there is no clear evidence for such accounts.[2][9] During the trial of Goodwife Knapp in 1653, it was reported that Bassett had suggested there was a witch in Fairfield, with her alleged to have said there were "others who hold their heads full high"; Bassett did not explicitly name Knapp and it is unknown if the women knew each other, though Bassett had previously lived in Fairfield.[6][7]
Bassett was executed by hanging on 15 May 1651.[1][2][7] Retrospective sources from the 19th century have alleged that Bassett attempted to cling to a boulder while being transported to the gallows, leaving "peculiar marks" on the stone.[10] While Bassett is commonly assumed to have been executed in Stratford, the location of her death is disputed; it has been variously proposed that the site of the gallows is now the location of an exit of Interstate 95, behind an ice cream parlour, and in the vicinity of Phelps Mansion.[3][4][11] Local records suggest Bassett's husband moved to Fairlfield following her death.[2]
Bassett was the fourth woman executed for witchcraft in Connecticut, and the first in Fairfield County.[3]