Paul John Knowles was born in Florida in 1946. He was first convicted aged nineteen. In the years following he spent more time in prison. In 1974, he was granted parole and sought to marry Mrs. Angela Covic, which whom he had corresponded while in prison. She dumped him, allegedly because of something a psychic had told her. After this rejection, Knowles went on a murderous spree that would take the lives of at least eighteen people, though he claimed to have murdered thirty-five. He was eventually caught in Georgia, but while he was being transferred to a maximum-security prison, he tried to escape but was shot dead by a police officer.
1 The Murders
Alice Curtis was a sixty-five year old resident of Jacksonville, Florida. Knowles gagged her on July 26th, 1974, while stealing her belongings. She choked to death on her gag.
Lillian and Mylette Anderson, aged eleven and seven respectively, were strangled early August 1974 and subsequently dumped in a nearby swamp.
Marjorie Howe lived in Atlantic Beach, Florida. She was strangled with a nylon stocking. The motive, apparantly, was that Knowles stole her television.
Victim #5 remains unnamed. She was a hitchhiker, whom Knowles raped and strangled.
Kathy Pierce was strangled with the cord of her telephone on August 23rd 1974. Her three-year old son, who was also present, remained unharmed.
William Bates met his fate on September 3rd, after having shared some drinks with Knowles in Lima, ( Ohio). His body wasn't discovered until October. His carCar can be taken to mean: A wheeled vehicle or automobile used to carry people or goods. In this sense, its etymology is derived from a shortening of the word carriage'. See also road transport, kit-car, model car, future of the car, sports car, truck., moneyGeneral definition of money Money is an agreement, between a community, to use something as a medium of exchange, which acts as an intermediary market good. It can be traded and exchanged for other goods. The agreement can either be explicit or implicit, and credit cards were all taken by Knowles.
Emmett and Lois Johnson were out camping in Ely, Nevada, where Knowles murdered both on September 18th, 1974.
Victim #10 was a woman whose motor-cycle broke down in SequinTexas. Knowles raped her before strangling her and dragging her body through some barbed wire. This was on the 21st of September.
Ann Dawson, from Birmingham ( Alabama) met Knowles on September 23rd. They travelled together for a while, until Knowles killed her on the 29th of September. Her body was never found.
Doris Hovey was fifty-three years old and lived in Woodford, Virginia. She was shot dead by Knowles with her husband's rifle on the 19th of October 1974.
Carswell Carr and his daughter met Knowles on November 6th in Macon, in the state of Georgia, and invited him over to his house. Subsequently, Knowles stabbed Carr dead and strangled his fifteen-year old daughter. He attempted to have sexual intercourse with her body, but failed.
Edward Hilliard and Debbie Griffin were hitchhiking near Macon on November 2nd. Hilliard's body was found in nearby woods, but Griffin's remains were never discovered. Knowles was not proven to have murdered them, but he was under very strong suspicion.
Victim #17 was a police officer from Fort Pierce in Florida who recognized Knowles stolen car (it belonged to William Bates). When he approached Knowles, he was taken hostage. Knowles drove him to Pulaski County in Georgia, where he bound him to a tree and shot him dead.
James Meyer was a motorist that was also taken hostage, along with the police officer. He met his fate in the same grisly manner in Pulaski County.
