In the quiet settlement of Castle Rock, Washington, a shocking act of violence shattered the peace on the evening of November 28, 1900. Cornelius Knapp, a 68-year-old White/Caucasian male, and his wife, Massey Ann, were brutally murdered in their own home. The couple, who had been pioneers in the area for nearly two decades, were seated for their supper when an assailant fired a rifle through their window, killing them both.
The initial investigation into the double homicide left the
community on edge, with an unknown killer at large. However, a break in the case came when the local sheriff, investigating a warehouse burglary that occurred on the same night, began to focus on a man named Martin Stickles. The trail of clues from the break-in led authorities to Stickles, whose subsequent actions and statements would unravel a series of violent crimes.
During questioning, and confronted with evidence connecting him to another murder, that of a bachelor farmer named William B. Shanklin, Stickles's story began to crumble. He eventually confessed to the murders of the Knapp couple, as well as the killing of Shanklin. His motive, he revealed, was robbery. He had heard a rumor that Cornelius Knapp kept a significant amount of money in his house. After the brutal act, Stickles ransacked the home but found only a small sum. Though he initially tried to implicate a neighbor, the evidence pointed solely to him. Martin Stickles, who became known as "The Kelso Killer," was convicted of his crimes and ultimately executed by hanging on January 25, 1901.
