PAUL JOHN KNOWLES

Paul John Knowles was a man with an I.Q. of 129, an excellent musician and a disco dancer, 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 Knowles was transferred to Douglas County 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 from a Florida State Trooper that Knowles 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.

OTHER GEORGIA SERIAL KILLERS

John Williams and Clyde Manning, "The Murder Farm killings"
Lendell Hunter
Junior Pierce
Carlton Gary, "The Columbus Stalking Strangler"
Wayne Williams, "The Atlanta Child Murders"
R.L. Hunter
John Latham and George York
Henry Lucas and Ottis Toole
Janie Lou Gibbs
Terri Rachals
Anjette Lyles
Billy Sunday Birt