Born in Orlando, Florida, on April 25, 1946, Paul Knowles had an unsettled start in life with parents Thomas Jefferson Knowles and Bonnie Strickland. Moving through various foster homes, his early years were marked by instability. By 19, Paul faced his first incarceration, setting a precedent for his troubled path.

In 1974, while at Raiford Prison in Florida, Paul struck up a correspondence with Angela Covic, a divorcee from San Francisco. This connection led to an engagement, fueled by promises and hopes for a new beginning. Angela even financed his legal defense, leading to his release. 

Eager to start afresh, Paul flew to California to meet Angela, but their reunion was short-lived. Angela ended their engagement, citing an overwhelming "aura of fear" around him. That very night, troubled and alone, Paul claimed he lashed out violently, allegedly taking the lives of three individuals—claims that remain unverified.

Returning to Jacksonville, Florida, Paul's freedom was brief. After a violent altercation with a bartender, he was arrested once again. But Paul was not ready to return to a cell. On July 26, 1974, he daringly picked the lock of his detention cell and escaped.

After escaping police custody, Paul Knowles began a horrific four-month spree of crimes across multiple states, initially appearing unconnected. It wasn't until his capture that authorities discovered he had been recording his confessions on tapes sent to an attorney. These tapes, never released publicly, were eventually destroyed after a flood at the Federal Courthouse in Macon, as noted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The spree began the night of his escape on July 26, 1974. Knowles broke into the home of Alice Heneritta Curtis, a 65-year-old woman in Jacksonville, Florida. He gagged her, looted her home for valuables, and stole her car. Tragically, Curtis died from the gag. In one of his recorded confessions, Knowles mentioned the murder of a teenage girl he called "Alma." This girl was later identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as 13-year-old Ima Jean Sanders, who had vanished earlier that year and whose remains were found two years later.

Knowles's violent actions continued across various states. He claimed to have killed two young sisters in Florida, a claim investigators doubted. He murdered Marjorie Howie in Florida and Kathie Sue Pierce in Georgia, leaving Pierce’s young son unharmed. In Ohio, he met William Bates, whom he later killed, taking Bates' car.
 

His crimes included the murder of two campers in Nevada, and shortly afterward, the killing of Ebon Charlynn Hicks in Texas. He traveled with Ann Jean Dawson, whom he claimed to have murdered, throwing her body into the Mississippi River; her remains were found years later.

The spree also included the murders of Karen Wine and her daughter in Connecticut and the killing of Doris Hosey by gunfire. Knowles picked up two hitchhikers in Florida, evading police suspicion by a narrow margin before releasing them unharmed. He later befriended and killed Carswell Hall Carr Sr. and his daughter in Georgia.

The crime spree ended after Knowles kidnapped a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper and a motorist, murdering them both. His final days were marked by a high-speed chase and shootout, leading to his capture by a Vietnam War veteran and local law enforcement. Knowles’s life ended on December 18, 1974, during a transport attempt when he tried to seize an officer’s gun, resulting in law enforcement fatally shooting him.