The Keddie Cabin Murders

The Keddie Cabin Murders

This is one of the most gruesome unsolved murder mysteries of the area.

Cabin 28, 28 Spanish Oaks Lane in Keddie, California was a scene of an unsolved quadruple killing that happened on April 11-12 between 9:30 p.m. and 2:00 a.m, now called the Keddie Cabin Murders. The corpses of 36-year-old single mother Sue Sharp, her son John Sharp, and John’s friend Dana Wingate were found the next day by Sue’s 14-year-old daughter Sheila after she came back from a sleepover. The corpse of her younger sister, Tina was found three years later after an unidentified caller provided dispatch the area of her head. 

Inside a five-hour window, what is believed as multiple murderers by next sheriffs halted into cabin 28 placed on Keddie estate. Once inside, Sue, John, and Dana were bound with an electrical cord; John’s feet were bound with the similar cord binding Dana’s hands. Despite Sue’s two youngest sons Rick and Greg and their buddy, Justin Smartt being present in the cabin at the time of the murders, they were safe. John’s corpse was discovered face up after being bludgeoned with a claw hammer and stabbed with a steak blade. Sue’s corpse was bound with electrical cable and wrapped with a yellow sheet. All four sufferers were murdered with the same two weapons, then the murderer(s) put the two weapons side by side on a small piece of furniture near the entrance to the kitchen; the steak knife was bent due to the force of killing the Sharp family. Tina Sharp was called disappeared. 

In 1984, the third anniversary of the Keddie Cabin Murders, an unidentified caller noted that they discovered Tina Sharp’s head in Cabin Eighteen, Feather Falls, California. Sheriffs think that whoever placed the ring was either privately involved in the murders or had first-hand information of the killings due to them knowing the personality of the completely decomposed head before the medical examiner disclosed her personality utilizing dental records. 

Police shortly restricted their suspects down to Sue’s next-door neighbor, Marty Smartt. Conflicts between Sue and Marty had been increasing in the weeks before the killings due to Sue’s hand in interfering with Marty’s rough wedding with his spouse, Marilyn Smartt. Despite just being discovered in 2016 when the most last sheriff was assigned with organizing and reopening the Keddie Cabin Killing case, a letter Marty addressed to Marilyn quickly after the killings perhaps prove his responsibility. In the message, he exclaims: 

“I’ve spent the price of your lust & now that I’ve purchased it with four peoples lives, you inform me we are over,” Marty wrote. “Great! What else do you like?” 

Marilyn says she doesn’t know about collecting the letter but does understand it as her now ex-husband’s writing. Police investigating the case strongly theorize that there were many murderers responsible and one of their next primary suspects was Marty’s close buddy, Boubede. Despite the powerful importance that the two men were killed, they were never forensically linked to the killings; they both shifted states and Boubede died in 1988 then Marty in 2006.  

In 2016, a man utilizing a metal sensor discovered steel, blue-handled claw hammer underneath a pond near the Keddie estate. The claw hammer matched the explanation of a hammer Marty told he lost and is currently being tested for evidence of DNA and blood deposition. 

Despite still being supposed a cold case, new sheriffs in Keddie, California understand they are near than ever to eventually solving the Keddie Cabin Murders mystery. 

Theories

More than One Killer?

I don’t believe he had an accomplice. I only tell this because I discover it unusual that Sue Sharp’s corpse was hidden up: to me, this suggests that they were ashamed of what they did. If they were ashamed, this was a more emotional killing vs it being a planned execution between two colleagues. 

Why they didn't kill the last member?

Greg and Rick were both not aged than 7 years old. I’m not clear of Justin’s age, but I’m thinking right around that, too. If the idea was to gut the family for payback for interfering with his wedding, why not murder those two? Probably there was more sympathy towards the small kids? 

A Horrible Point 

I just don’t think Marty and Boubede committed it despite there being a logical reason. I think this was somebody who looked after deeply Ms. Sharp and her (small) kids. Was it a scorned sweetheart that understood Johnny and Dana were a form of rivalry? Or perhaps Dana was special and that’s why she was taken last, and maybe killed last.