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Ella Beam

Death by Force
Case Description
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On the night of March 2, 1975, a tragic incident unfolded at the Ship Ashore motel in Smith River, California. Ella Beam, a 22-year-old maid from Brookings, Oregon, was among the four victims fatally shot by an overnight motel guest who went on a shooting spree. The suspect, Robert Paul Sander, a 21-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, was arrested three hours later on the Redwood Highway near Grants Pass in southwestern Oregon. He was booked on four counts of murder.

The shooting began when S ...Read More
Links to Additional Sources (3)
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  • Fifth Victim Dies in Coast Shooting (Published 1975)
  • Ella Beam, age 22 - National Gun Violence Memorial
    •     ...View 1 additional sources
    Victim Details

    Ella Beam

    Female

    Smith-river

    CA

    1975-03-02

    22

    Ella

    Beam

    11/16/2025

    Forum Posts (3)
    I just can't stop thinking about what Ella Beam's family must be going through right now. To lose so... ...Read More
    12/28/2023
    I've been thinking a lot about Ella Beam in all of this. She was just doing her job that night, simp... ...Read More
    10/10/2023
    I've been thinking a lot about the tragic events at the Ship Ashore motel in 1975. It's so sad to im... ...Read More
    03/12/2023
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