In the quiet vicinity of Kelso, Washington, a male rancher named William B. Shanklin, a White / Caucasian, was settling in for dinner on the evening of November 22, 1899. The tranquility of his meal was abruptly shattered by a gunshot that pierced through the window of his cabin, striking and killing him instantly. Following the fatal shot, the perpetrator broke into Shanklin's home, pilfering any valuable items that could be found.
To cover the tracks of this heinous crime, the murderer then set the cabin ablaze, leaving little more than cinders and the victim's remains to be discovered later.
Initially, the investigation into William Shanklin's death yielded no leads. The remoteness of the area, coupled with the destruction of the crime scene by fire, made it difficult for law enforcement to gather evidence. Even a $300 reward offered by Governor John Rankin Rogers failed to produce any witnesses or information. Another man was initially tried for the murder but was later released.
The case remained unsolved until the following year when a 30-year-old fisherman named Martin Stickles was arrested in connection with the murders of another local couple, the Knapps. During the investigation into the Knapp murders, authorities discovered a watch and some keys in Stickles' possession that were identified as belonging to William Shanklin. Confronted with this evidence, Stickles admitted his involvement in all three murders. He later confessed to having acted alone in the killing of Shanklin and the Knapps.
Martin Stickles, who came to be known as "The Kelso Killer," was tried for the murder of William B. Shanklin. During his trial, his defense argued that he had a "criminal disposition" inherited from birth, a claim his mother testified to. Despite this, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder on December 19, 1900, and he was subsequently sentenced to death. Stickles was executed by hanging on January 25, 1901, for his crimes.
