The Casanova Killer – Life of Serial Killer John Paul Knowles –8.Murder in Milledgeville

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Murder in Milledgeville
Early on the morning of November 7, Assistant Police Chief Charles Osborne of the Milledgeville, Georgia police department was informed that something had happened at a house in one of the town's suburbs. Osborne, accompanied by some of his officers, found the place easily. People were milling about on the front lawn, looking frightened and confused at the same time.

As a police officer, Osborne was no stranger to violent crimes. But when he stepped out of the crisp fall air into the attractive home, he was instantly chilled. The place had been ransacked, and two murder victims were in the bedrooms, killed in a manner reminiscent of nightmares.

Carswell Carr, aged 45, was lying on the bed he had shared with his wife, Ellen. He was naked, his hands bound behind his back, and his body covered with drying blood. The doctor who examined him at the scene stated that the cause of death appeared to be a heart attack, as the wounds were not deep and had probably been inflicted with scissors as a form of torture.

The second victim was 15-year-old Amanda Carr. She had been strangled with unspeakable violence, with a nylon stocking knotted around her neck and another shoved so far down her throat that a doctor had to extract it. Her killer had attempted to rape her at some point but failed, as no semen was present.

Judging by the degree of rigor mortis in both bodies, the doctor estimated that father and daughter had been killed sometime between 11:30 p.m. the night before and 3:00 a.m. that morning. The police initially believed that two people had committed the murders, given the extensive damage to the house and the complications presented by overpowering two healthy victims alone.

Osborne directed his detective team to search for clues. The scissors used to stab Mr. Carr were found but contained no fingerprints. (A sweep of the crime scene failed to turn up a single usable print.) Once she calmed down, Mrs. Carr helped the police compile a list of items that were missing from the house. Most of her husband's stylish wardrobe had been taken, along with his brown leather briefcase, shaving kit, credit cards, and house keys. A plastic watch and digital clock radio were also missing from Mandy's room.

The police later learned that Carswell Carr had been seen the night before in the Pegasus, a bar known to be frequented by homosexuals. The bartender noticed him talking to a tall, young man with reddish hair, but he couldn't recall if they left separately or together.

Helen Ray, a sales clerk at Zayre department store in Macon, came forward to say that after the murders, a young, redheaded man had bought a tape recorder and four blank tapes from her and paid for the items with a credit card issued to Carswell Carr. When Miss Ray read about the gruesome death of the real Mr. Carr, she contacted the police and gave them a thorough description. A call immediately went out for all police departments to be on the lookout for a tall, good-looking, young man with red hair and a Zapata mustache.[22]

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Despite the carnage he had committed, Paul Knowles did not leave Georgia immediately. Instead, he drove Carr's white Chevrolet Impala to Atlanta and booked a room at a Holiday Inn using the dead man's credit card. After settling in, he headed back out and eventually ended up at the Holiday Inn in the city's core. There he met the woman who would eventually write about him, ensuring the posthumous glory he craved.