In the autumn of 2017, a 58-year-old Black or African American man named James Steven Knowles vanished from his life in Oklahoma City. He was last seen on the evening of October 3rd in the parking lot of the Carva Apartments, a place he not only called home but also served as the maintenance man. His estranged wife reported him missing, and concern grew when his roommate returned to their shared apartment to find Knowles gone, but his cell phone, keys, and cigarettes left behind—items he
would not typically leave. This was the beginning of a grim mystery that would later unfold to reveal a story of senseless violence.
The investigation into Knowles's disappearance soon focused on a resident of the apartment complex, Mario Normore, who also worked for Knowles, painting vacant apartments. Normore, a known gang member, was arrested in October 2017 in connection with a string of armed robberies. A year later, while already incarcerated, a far more sinister picture of Normore's activities emerged as authorities charged him with four counts of first-degree murder, including that of James Knowles. Even without the discovery of his body, investigators were confident Knowles had met with foul play at Normore's hands.
The motive for Knowles's murder, as pieced together by investigators from witness accounts, appeared to be tragically trivial. Normore allegedly told one person that he had to get rid of Knowles because he was a 'snitch.' To another, he claimed to have killed Knowles over a mere unpaid debt of $20. In March 2023, to avoid a potential death sentence, Mario Normore pleaded guilty to the four murders and a series of robberies. He was sentenced to four consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would never be a free man again. Despite the conviction, the final chapter in James Steven Knowles's story remains incomplete, as his body has never been found.
