Robert Sander

Mass Murderer

Robert Paul Sander 1975 Mass Murder at the Ship Ashore Motel

Incident Overview

On March 2, 1975, Robert Paul Sander, a 25-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, went on a shooting spree at the Ship Ashore Motel in the small Northern California fishing village of Smith River. Starting at approximately 11:30 a.m. PDT, he fired from a balcony overlooking the motel parking lot, then entered the motel lobby and continued shooting. Four people were killed immediately, and one critically wounded person died the next day. Two others were injured. Sander was arrested approximately three hours later by Oregon State Police on the Redwood Highway near Grants Pass, Oregon. He denied involvement in the shooting.

Victims (Names, Ages, Dates, Locations)

• Barbara Harmon, 58, of Fortuna, California – killed around 11:30 a.m. in the motel parking lot.
• Percy Harmon, 69, husband of Barbara – critically wounded in the parking lot; died the next day (March 3, 1975) at the hospital.
• Gordon Knott, 42, motel manager – fatally shot in the lobby.
• Shirlee Knott, 30, wife of the manager – also shot and killed in the lobby.
• Ella Beam, 22, maid from Brookings, Oregon – gunned down in the lobby as she stepped out of a room upon hearing shots.
• Denise DeGraff, 17, of Smith River – wounded (hip wound), hospitalized in stable condition.
• Carla Brough (a young girl from Brookings, Oregon) – sustained minor injuries from flying glass.

Aftermath and Legal Proceedings

Sander was arrested without resistance roughly three hours after the shootings, on Redwood Highway near Grants Pass by Oregon State Police. Authorities found a new rifle box and ammunition in his motel room. Sander had a prior criminal record: he was convicted of robbery in 1969 and placed on probation in 1970. In February 1975, he had quit his job at a department store and informed his mother that he had purchased a rifle. He was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. On December 10, 1975, he was found dead in his prison cell, having apparently hanged himself. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Gordon Knott 42 yr old Male

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Fifth Victim Dies in Coast Shooting - The New York Times

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