Paul John Knowles, Spree Killer

Paul John KNOWLES (1946 - 1974)
"The Casanova Killer"
Knowles Progenitor - ???

based on articles from Wikipedia, CourtTV Crime Library
and Knowles research by Robert B. Noles

Paul John Knowles (1946 – 1974) was an American spree killer tied to the deaths of as many as eighteen people (The Spree Murders) in 1974; though he claimed to have taken thirty-five lives.

Knowles was born April 17, 1946 in Orlando, Orange Co., Florida and was raised in Florida. He was first convicted of burglary and other relatively minor crimes at the age of nineteen, and in the years following, he spent more time in prison than as a free man.

In early 1974, Knowles was serving time in the prison at Raiford, Florida when he began corresponding with a California divorcee, named Angela Covic. Angela visited the prison long enough to accept his proposal of marriage. She was then instrumental in getting Knowles released from prison by paying for the lawyers used to win his release. When he was granted parole and released following the stint at Raiford Prison, Knowles flew directly to San Francisco to marry Angela Covic. Allegedly because a psychic warned her of the entry of a new dangerous man in her life, Covic ended the relationship and called off the wedding. The night Covic dumped him, Knowles allegedly went out and killed three people on the streets of San Francisco (a claim that hasn't been verified).

Highly agitated at the rejection by Covic, Knowles traveled back home to Jacksonville, Florida. He was soon arrested after a bar scuffle and was jailed again. He avoided a quick trip back to prison on this occasion by picking a lock and escaping on July 26, 1974.

After escaping, Knowles went on a murderous spree across the country starting that same night in Jacksonville. He was eventually caught in Georgia, but while he was claiming to assist officers in finding the officer's pistol he had used in his last two murders, he tried to escape and was shot and killed by a police officer.

Paul John Knowles was a man with an I.Q. of 129, an excellent musician and a disco dancer. He was so good a dancer that when he would get on the dance floor, others would get off the dance floor just to watch him.

Paul John Knowles was a lean, red-haired joy killer who taped his own confession to fourteen murders and told a Georgia sheriff that he had killed eighteen times in seven states. "I ask him to tell me how many people he had killed," said Georgia Sheriff Earl Lee, who had custody of Knowles for two weeks in December of 1974. "He made a figure 18 in the palm of his hand. I said where did you kill them?" Knowles wrote out several states on a peace of scrap paper, showed it to Sheriff Earl Lee and then burned the piece of paper. Sheriff Earl Lee describes Knowles as "intelligent and mean as hell." Knowles was charged with seven killings in Georgia, Florida and Ohio. Georgia Law Enforcement officers were fearful of an escape attempt and moved him from county to county. In early December 1974, Knowles was transferred to the Douglas County, Georgia Jail, which was under Sheriff Earl Lee. On December 18, 1974, Sheriff Earl Lee and G.B.I. Agent, Ronnie Angel were taking Knowles to Henry County, where Knowles had dumped a weapon he had taken from the Florida State Trooper he had Killed.

While traveling on I-20 close to Lee Road, Knowles picked his handcuffs with a paper clip. Knowles then leaned over the seat and grabbed Sheriff Earl Lee's gun, discharging it through the holster. Sheriff Earl Lee, who was driving tried to control the car and struggle with Knowles at the same time. During the struggle Agent Ronnie Angel, without hesitation whipped out his own pistol and shot Knowles point blank in the rear of the Sheriff's car; killing him instantly.

1) Alice Curtis - On July 26, 1974, Knowles was arrested for a bar fight in Jacksonville, Florida, immediately upon his return home after his marriage proposal to Angela Covic was rejected in California. On that very night Knowles escaped from jail and invaded the home of 65-year-old Alice Curtis, a resident of Jacksonville. Knowles bound and gagged her, as he ransacked her house looking for money and stealing her belongings. Afterwards, he left the scene using her car. Alice Curtis died when she choked to death on her gag. Knowles hung around Jacksonville for a few days using her vehicle, until police connected him with the crime.

2 & 3) Lillian and Mylette Anderson - Preparing to drop the hot car on a quiet residential street, he noticed sisters Lillian and Mylette Anderson, aged eleven and seven respectively. Knowles recognized them as friends of his mother. Convinced the girls had seen him and would notify the police, Knowles kidnapped both of them. The girls were strangled in early August 1974 and subsequently dumped in a nearby swamp.

4) Marjorie Howe - The next day, Knowles broke into the home of Marjorie Howe who lived in Atlantic Beach, Florida. She was strangled with a nylon stocking. The motive, apparently, was that Knowles stole her television.

5) Jane Doe - Victim number five remains unidentified. Jane Doe was a hitchhiker, whom Knowles raped and strangled as he drifted aimlessly, working his way north from Florida.

6) Kathy Pierce - On August 23, 1974, Knowles invaded the home of Kathy Pierce, at Musella, Crawford Co., Georgia. He strangled Pierce with the cord of her telephone, while her three-year-old son, who was also present, looked on. The child remained unharmed.

7) William Bates - On September 3, 1974, Knowles met businessman William Bates at a tavern in Lima, Ohio. After sharing a few drinks with Knowles, Bates was strangled and his body dumped in some nearby woods, where it would not be discovered until October. Bates' car, money and credit cards were all taken by Knowles. Using the stolen car, Knowles headed west from Ohio for California.

8 & 9) Emmett and Lois Johnson - On September 18, 1974, on his way west, Knowles stopped in Nevada, where he murdered Emmett and Lois Johnson. They were out camping in Ely, Nevada.

10) Charlynn Hicks - Three days later, on September 21, 1974, while driving through Sequin, Texas, Knowles stopped "to help" a a stranded woman whose motorcycle had broken down. Knowles raped Charlynn Hicks before strangling her to death and dragging her body through a barbed wire fence.

11) Ann Dawson - On September 23, 1974, Knowles met beautician, Ann Dawson in Birmingham, Alabama. Dawson was very attracted to Knowles, so they traveled together for a while, until Knowles tired of her. He killed Dawson six days after they met on September 29th. Her body was never found.

For the next few weeks, in early October 1974, Knowles traveled through Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota, leaving no known bodies behind.

12) Doris Hovey - By October 19, 1974, Knowles arrived in Woodford, Virginia, where he entered the home of fifty-three year old Doris Harvey. She was shot dead by Knowles with her husband's rifle. He then wiped his prints from the rifle and placed it beside her body. Afterward, the police would find no signs of sexual activity nor a robbery that would indicate why Knowles broke into the Hovey home.

Still driving the car he had stolen from Bates, Knowles picked up two hitchhikers in Key West, Florida, planning to kill them both. However, his scheme went awry when a policeman stopped him for traffic violations. The careless officer let Knowles go with a warning, and Knowles slipped out of town after dropping off the two hitchhikers, unharmed, in Miami.

13 & 14) Carswell Carr and his daughter - On November 6, 1974 in Macon, Georgia befriended Carswell Carr. Carr invited Knowles over to his house, near Milledgeville, Georgia to spend the night. Subsequently, over drinks, Knowles stabbed Carr to death and then strangled Carr's fifteen-year-old daughter. Knowles attempted to have sexual intercourse with the girl's body, but failed.

15 & 16) Edward Hilliard and Debbie Griffin - Also near Macon, Georgia, Knowles was suspected of the November 2, 1974 murder of hitchhiker, Edward Hilliard and Hilliard's companion, Debbie Griffin. Hilliard's body was found in a nearby woods, but Griffin's remains were never discovered. Knowles was not proven to have murdered them, but he was under very strong suspicion.

Bar-hopping in Atlanta on November 8, 1974, Knowles met British journalist, Sandy Fawkes, impressing her with his "gaunt good looks. Fawkes, who would later write a book about Paul John Knowles, spent several days traveling around Knowles. They separated on November 10; Fawkes being unharmed.

17 and 18) Charles Eugene Campbell and James Meyer - A few days later, in West Palm Beach, Knowles invaded the home of invalid Beverly Mabee, abducting her sister and stealing their car. He dropped off his hostage in Fort Pierce, Florida, the following night. A police officer, Trooper Charles Eugene Campbell recognized the stolen car the next morning and pulled Knowles over. However, Knowles was faster on the draw; taking Trooper Campbell hostage, Knowles drove away in the trooper's patrol car. Using the siren to stop motorist businessman James Meyer, Knowles switched cars once again. Burdened now with two prisoners, Knowles handcuffed both men to a tree in Pulaski County, Georgia and shot them both in the head at close range.

A short time later, Knowles tried to crash through a police roadblock, losing control of his car and smashing into a tree. A chaotic foot chase ensued, with Knowles being chased by dogs and helicopters, before finally being cornered by an armed civilian. This was on November 17, 1074. Once in custody, Knowles claimed responsibility for thirty-five murders, but only these eighteen could be substantially verified.

excerpts from Paul John Knowles: The Casanova Killer, Double Homicide,
by Katherine Ramsland

Someone had called to report a woman in his neighborhood was screaming hysterically, and by the time the police arrived that morning, several people had clustered on the lawn of the suburban Macon (Milledgeville), Georgia home of Carswell Carr. His wife had run from the house upon returning from her nightshift work as a nurse to find her husband and daughter murdered inside. Assistant Police Chief Charles Osborne had gone to the scene with several deputies, and they were shocked by what they found. As the police went into the Carr home on November 7, 1974, the police saw that the place was in terrible disarray and that Carswell Carr and his fifteen-year old daughter had been brutally murdered. Later when Mrs. Carr was able to pull herself together, she reported that things missing from the house included most of her husband's clothing, his brief case, credit cards, etc., permitting the perpetrator to assume Carr's identity. Some believed at the time that Mrs. Carr was the victim in this crime, but it was, in fact, her husband, who was probably killed for his clothing. No one realized at the time that this incident was one of the many that would soon be linked to the same offender; one Paul John KNOWLES and that Knowles was now dressed and posing as Carswell Carr.

A definitive book on the string of murders that included the Carr double homicide is Killing Time, by British journalist Sandy Fawkes. There are newspaper accounts as well, from papers around the Milledgeville area, including the Atlanta Constitution, but most descriptions of the crimes and Paul John Knowles in books on serial killers are derived from Fawkes' story, because she had a uniquely privileged viewpoint.

Soon after the Carr murders, on November 8th, the offender put on one of Carr's suits and wandered into a Holiday Inn bar in Atlanta, Georgia. At the same time, British journalist Sandy Fawkes came into the bar looking for a drink. She had just come in from a failed assignment in Washington, D.C., feeling tired and discouraged, when she noticed Knowles. Thinking he was handsome, she described him thus: "His gaunt good looks made him stand out from the crowd." She observed his nice suit and tie and thought he might be European. However, when he came over to ask her to dance, she declined and said she had to work. She then left to go to the local newspaper offices, but upon her return, the stranger was still there. "Decidedly, he really was very handsome," she wrote, "tall, well over six foot, broad-shouldered, narrow-hipped and as slender as a wraith." She noted his carved cheekbones, beaked nose, and "well-formed mouth." They struck up a conversation, went to dinner, and despite her resolve, they ended up in bed.

Knowles seemed to be good company, so Fawkes stayed with him for a few days and even allowed him to drive her to several places where she needed to go. He even persuaded her to allow him to drive her all the way to Miami, Florida, where he said he had an appointment. She noticed that he was sensitive, considerate, protective, and able to insert himself into her life almost unobtrusively. Despite her better instincts, she found herself going along with it. In fact, this strange young man proved to be a "spectacular" dancer, so they had a good time. And she was impressed with both his expensive wardrobe and his new white Chevrolet Impala. She believed he was rich. Oddly, though, while he paid with credit cards, he seemed to have no money for small things like newspapers.

Fawkes was unharmed by Knowles, even though he was near the end of his killing spree that lasted from late July through early November 1974. Fawkes would eventually write a book about the spree killer and her time with him.

At one point Knowles asked Fawkes if she had ever written a book and asked if she might write one about him. The idea seemed absurd to her, but at times she humored him to try to learn why he thought he was a worthy subject. He told her that he did not have long to live, because he would soon be killed for something he had done. "Within a year," he said, "I will be dead." She had no idea whether to believe him, but he told her that he had given some tapes to his attorney in Miami for safekeeping, and after his death, the content of those tapes could be revealed. It would give her all the material she needed. "It will make world headlines," he assured her. It was enough of a hook to keep her interested.

Not long after Fawkes and Knowles parted company, detectives located Fawkes for an interview. The detectives wanted to know what she knew about the man whom they had now identified as Paul John Knowles, a parole violator, and to learn if she might have been an accomplice in any of his crimes. She was appalled to be a suspect, but became even more appalled when she realized that her recent partner was a rapist and a murderer. The police told Fawkes that Knowles was a suspect in several murders and that he had kidnapped a woman, whom the police had reason to believe he might kill. They showed Fawkes photographs of items taken from the Carr residence after the double homicide, and she was shocked to recognize clothing that Knowles had been wearing. "Every single garment I had so admired on my handsome escort," she wrote, "had belonged to the dead man."

Paul John Knowles was captured on November 17, 1974 (just 10 days following the Carr murders) after some intensive efforts by the police to track him down. At the time, Knowles was known to be holding two men hostages. For nearly two tense days, the police awaited word about Knowles and his hostages; including a Florida State Trooper, Charles Campbell. When Knowles showed up, he ran a police roadblock in Stockbridge, Georgia. At the roadblock, Knowles lost control of the car, slammed into a tree, jumped out, and tried to run. Firing a gun to keep people back, he disappeared into the Henry County, Georgia woods. Inside the abandoned car, police found a gun belt and hat that had belonged to trooper Campbell. There was no evidence that trooper Campbell or the other hostage had been shot or stabbed, so the police hoped that they might still be found alive. For four hours the police used tracking dogs and helicopters to locate Knowles, under orders to take him alive for whatever information they could get from him about the missing hostages. Knowles was finally brought in by an armed civilian with a shotgun. Knowles had asked him for help, but the civilian forced Knowles toward a house, where the resident was asked to phone the police.

The hostages weren't found that day, or the next three. It was not until November 21st that some hunters came across them in a wooded thicket about an hours drive from Macon. It turned out that Knowles had taken them into the woods, handcuffed them to a tree, and shot them both in the head execution-style. There had never been any hope for them.

On December 18, 1974, Knowles was scheduled to be transferred to a more secure facility (perhaps a maximum-security prison, but it may have been just a county jail). Knowles told his captors that he would show them where he had dumped Charles Campbell's service revolver. Along the way, he quietly picked his handcuffs with a bent paper clip. Once he was free, he reached for the gun in the sheriff's holster, causing a struggle that discharged it and triggered a fast and lethal response from Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Ron Angel, who shot at Knowles three times. Just as Knowles had predicted to Sandy Fawkes only forty days earlier, he was killed on the spot in the back of the sheriff's car. Some people speculated that it had been an outright execution staged to look like a struggle, but the wrecked car indicated that the story told was likely true. After an investigation, it was ruled a justifiable shooting in self-defense.

Knowles was buried in Jacksonville, Florida, accompanied by a quiet service attended only by his family and Angela Covic, the woman who had rejected him. Fawkes says that the minister refused to pray that his soul would rest in peace. No one conducted an autopsy to see if a medical condition may have contributed to his sudden spate of brutal violence. And, just as Knowles had hoped, Fawkes wrote about him.

Knowles thoroughly enjoyed the fuss made of him after his capture, saying that the only thing he would miss when executed would be seeing the police make fools of themselves. He gave several media interviews, calling himself the "most successful member of my family." The women who had been involved with him also gave interviews which, along with his good looks, contributed to his moniker, "the Casanova Killer." Photographs showed him to be a devil-may-care type who exhibited a suave sophistication.

You need to read Fawkes' book Killing Time to learn the rest of the fascinating and horrible story concerning the killing spree of Paul John Knowles.