The murderer who 'saved' a town: Killer told police 'leave your gun and I'll take care of him' before shooting 'The Devil'
WARRNAMBOOL, AUSTRALIA: The man behind a double-murder-suicide in a rural Victorian town reportedly pleaded with authorities to take action a week before the crime, police investigating the case have heard. Travis Cashmore, 45, shot notorious criminal Kevin Knowles, 49, and his acquaintance Benjamin Ray, 48, to death on the Kirkstall-Koroit Road in Kirkstall, near Warrnambool. Cashmore was found dead from a self-inflicted wound outside his home.
Cashmore allegedly opened fire on the two men before taking his life in Kirkstall, in Southwest Victoria, on July 22. Cashmore had reportedly told the police he would 'take care' of Knowles if they did not. Police understand Knowles had been turning up at Cashmore's home unannounced. On at least one occasion, Knowles threatened Cashmore with a knife. Cashmore's father Ron said that his son became so anxious he installed security lights and would fear leaving his home unattended. "Exactly the nature of the conflict and why he felt aggrieved against Knowles and Ray we're still looking into it," Acting Detective Sergeant Laxton said.
READ MORE
Cashmore had allegedly filmed Knowles breaching an intervention order against a close friend on July 20. Detective Senior Constable Craig Wastell confirmed he took the evidence to the Koroit police station and made an official statement. When told his friend would need to come into the police station and report the breach himself, he made an ominous offer. "Leave your gun on the counter and I’ll take care of him," he said before walking out of the station in disgust. Knowles had already been jailed earlier over threats to kill Cashmore's friend and his family. "If Knowles asked him for something and he reneged he would bring out his knife," Ron told the ABC News. "What he did to Travis was out of this world, you wouldn't believe it. He terrorized and harassed him,"
Police said Knowles and Ray were walking to Koroit from Kirkstall around 10 am on July 22. They were at the junction of Koroit-Kirkstall Road and Scotts North Road when Cashmore pulled up in his van, shot them multiple times at close range and ran them over. A ballistics expert and pathologist are working to determine how exactly the men sustained the fatal and gruesome injuries. "Knowles had a gunshot wound to the head, but I wouldn't even go as far as to say it was to the back of his head, we just don't know yet. We know the vehicle has passed over both bodies," Laxton said. Cashmore then returned to his Chamberlain Street address where he took his own life.
Knowles served jail time for threatening to kill his neighbor and waving a knife at him and was due to appear in court on further charges. His criminal history spans 50 pages and he had hundreds of prior convictions. He has been officially linked with the deaths of two people, including a brutal assault that led to the death of Stephen Johnston in Warrnambool in 2016, and the drowning of his then-partner Amanda Bourke at a remote beach in Killarney in 2018. While charges were never laid against Knowles in either case, police and the families had raised suspicions about his involvement. Bourke had been the only other person present with Knowles the night Johnston sustained more than 100 fatal injuries. She drowned while swimming with Knowles two years later.
Retired detective Colin Ryan said that he had many dealings with Knowles during his career. "He was a standover man a thug and a bully," Ryan said. The community was terrified of Knowles and the town of Kirkstall had changed since he moved into the area around 10 years ago. The other victim, Ray, was not from the area and was staying with Knowles at the time of the shooting. That morning, a witness reported seeing Cashmore behaving erratically, chopping down more than 10 bluegum trees in a nearby property with a chainsaw and firing a test shot at his property that morning before the shootings. Another resident who witnessed the shooting from his window said that he heard what sounded like a car backfiring. A Moyne Shire Council worker came across the victims almost instantly after they were shot. Dashcam footage now in police possession captured the killings. Ron and Cashmore's mother dot said their Timboon born-and-raised son lived a simple life and had an infectious nature.