'Evil is out and amongst us': Outrage as serial killer Shelly Knotek released from prison after serving sentence
RAYMOND, WASHINGTON: Michelle "Crazy Shelly" Knotek, dubbed "America's most evil mother," is no longer behind bars after spending 20 years for killing at least two people and torturing others including her daughters and nephew. The killings of Kathy Loreno and Ronald Woodworth, who were boarders at the family's home in Raymond, Washington led to Shelly's conviction for second-degree murder and manslaughter in 2004. David 'Dave' Knotek, her husband, was convicted of murdering her 19-year-old nephew Shane Watson, whom the couple tortured while he lived with them.
Dave was freed on parole in 2016, and in June 2022, the month she was due to be released, he filed a protective order against his wife. On November 8, she was released, causing indignation among the residents of the remote town. The location of Shelly's release is unknown, but she will be under court-ordered surveillance for at least a year. The rural community was horrified and incensed when author Gregg Olsen wrote about Shelly's release on November 9. Olsen's book, 'If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood', recounted the awful mistreatment her children faced.
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How was Knotek's family?
The heinous acts committed by the Knoteks have garnered widespread public attention throughout the years because of long-standing charges of abuse and torture inside their own family. The Knoteks appeared to be an ordinary, content family from the outside. Dave, a Navy veteran, worked in construction to support his growing family. In 1987, he married Michelle "Shelly," who was already the mother of two children, Nikki and Sami. In 1989, the couple gave birth to a daughter they named Tori. The girls were always well-behaved and dressed to the nines.
Guests began to disappear
Family, friends, and locals who had nowhere else to stay were welcomed inside the family's house. They took in their 19-year-old nephew Shane when his parents were unable to care for him. Shelly's friend and hairdresser Kathy Loreno moved in later that year after losing her job. When war veteran Ronald Woodworth lost his home in 1999, he was also provided shelter at the Knoteks' home. But then the people in the house began disappearing one by one. Shelly always had an explanation for their vanishing when family members asked. One had simply fled with a man. Another had relocated to a different location for a job.
Shelly was convicted
The locations of the house visitors were unknown for many years. The three daughters of the Knoteks didn't approach the police until 2003. The family had been hiding years of suffering, but a search of the property turned up a man's body and exposed years of horrifying events. Although Shelly's reign of terror began with her own family years earlier, she was found guilty of torturing and killing her victims in the early 1990s at the age of 50. The mother would lavish her children with love and tenderness, just like she did with her victims, then turn around and beat and humiliate them as punishment.
Who is Gregg Olsen?
The book 'If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood' by author Gregg Olsen, which was released years later, spelled out specifics of the horrifying violence her daughters faced. The girls came to Olsen with one goal in mind: to prevent their mother from killing again.
Olsen is a bestselling author of nonfiction books and novels, the majority of which deal with crime. His real crime books feature people like convicted child molester and teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, murderer Stella Nickell who tampered with medical products, fasting expert and quack Linda Burfield Hazzard, and murderer Eli Stutzman who was formerly an Amishman, as per Wikipedia.
When was Shelly let out of jail?
Shelly was granted early release in November, and her 22-year sentence was completed after 18 years. She was charged with first-degree murder at first but accepted a plea arrangement that resulted in lower charges through the Alford Plea. An Alford Plea allows a person to plead guilty while maintaining their innocence. In 2019, Shelly's daughters informed the New York Post that they feared for other people's safety in the event that their mother was freed.
'Evil is out and amongst us'
The release date for Shelly from the Washington Corrections Center for Women was originally set for June 2022, but it was postponed to November. The people of the small town were shocked when book author Olsen announced her release on social media on November 9. "Evil is out and amongst us," one person mentioned on the post, while another noted, "how is this possible?" as cited by Daily Mail.
'If she ever turns up on my doorstep'
Shelly's murderous rampage came to an abrupt halt when her daughters decided it was time to call the authorities after reuniting in Seattle, where Nikki was residing. "She needs to be stopped," Tori said to her sisters. The family's home was searched after they phoned the police. On August 8, Dave and Shelly were arrested when Woodworth's body was discovered. After that, the daughters moved on with their lives.
According to the book, Tori moved to Colorado while Nikki and Sami remain in Seattle, Washington. Sami has stated that she knows what she would do if she sees her mother again. "If she ever turns up on my doorstep," Sami stated, "I can just see myself locking all my doors and barricading myself in the bathroom to call the police."