Carswell Hall Carr Sr., a 45-year-old man, was killed inside his home on Pine Valley Road in Milledgeville, Georgia, on November 6, 1974. His death came during the violent multistate crime spree of Paul John Knowles, an escaped Florida prisoner who traveled across the country stealing vehicles, robbing homes and attacking people who often had no reason to suspect that they were in danger.
Knowles reportedly met Carr after arriving in Milledgeville and presented himself as friendly and trustworthy. Carr befriended the stranger and invited him to spend the night at the family home. What began as an act of hospitality ended in a brutal betrayal. Once inside the residence, Knowles attacked Carr with a knife, stabbing him repeatedly. A retired Milledgeville police officer who later recalled the crime scene estimated that Carr had suffered approximately 25 stab wounds.
Carr’s 15-year-old daughter, Amanda Beth Carr, was also inside the home. Knowles strangled the teenager to death and reportedly committed or attempted a sexual act involving her body after the killing. The father and daughter were left inside the residence while Knowles ransacked their home. He stole cash, clothing, credit cards and personal belongings before fleeing. Among the items taken was Amanda’s Mickey Mouse watch, which Knowles later gave to a woman he encountered during his travels.
Investigators were eventually able to connect Knowles to the Milledgeville killings through property stolen from the Carr residence. He used Carr’s credit cards after leaving the home, creating a trail that helped establish his presence and involvement. The stolen cards and other possessions provided authorities with evidence linking him to the double murder rather than leaving the crime as an unexplained attack by an unidentified intruder.
Knowles continued traveling after the killings and committed additional crimes. On November 16, 1974, Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Charles Eugene Campbell attempted to stop a stolen vehicle Knowles was driving. Knowles overpowered and abducted the trooper, later taking another motorist, James Meyer, hostage. Both men were driven into Georgia, handcuffed to a tree in Pulaski County and shot to death.
The following day, November 17, Knowles encountered a police roadblock in Henry County, Georgia. He crashed the stolen vehicle and fled on foot while firing at pursuing officers. A large manhunt followed, involving police, tracking dogs and helicopters. After being wounded in the foot, Knowles moved beyond the main search perimeter, where Vietnam veteran David Clark encountered him while hunting. Clark held Knowles at shotgun point until law-enforcement officers arrived and placed him under arrest.
Knowles was accused of a series of murders committed across several states and was formally charged in connection with multiple killings. He also made recorded statements describing crimes and reportedly claimed responsibility for as many as 35 deaths, although investigators could not verify that total. Evidence tied him to at least 18 suspected victims, including Carswell and Amanda Carr.
No trial or conviction occurred in the Carr case. On December 18, 1974, authorities were transporting Knowles through Georgia so he could show them where he had discarded a weapon connected to another murder. Officials said Knowles freed one hand, reached for the sheriff’s handgun and discharged it during a struggle inside the moving vehicle. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent shot Knowles three times in the chest, killing him. His death ended the possibility of prosecuting him for the murders of Carswell and Amanda Carr, but the stolen property, credit-card activity and investigative evidence left authorities convinced that he was responsible for the violence inside their Milledgeville home.
