Keddie Murders

I lived in that cabin from 1985-1989. It was a wonderful home that I raised 3 kids in. My youngest son Jamey was born in that cabin. Keddie was a close knit community that was watchful of outsiders (gee I wonder why?) Keddie and cabin #28 is one of the most beautiful places I have ever lived in my life. I can also tell you after living there for over 4 years it was not haunted. The cabin next door is maybe 3 feet awy from the front bedroom. The cabin next doors window is the kitchen, cabin 28' s window is the front bedroom. The murders occurred in the livingroom on the other side of that bedroom. I am sure no-one heard anything because there are 2 rooms between where people "might " have been, not to mention the space between the houses. If it was late at night, everyone would have been sleeping next door in their bedrooms at the back of the house, not near the kitchen in the front. I knew the neighbors next door and the patriarch of that family was the person who removed the unharmed children from the back bedroom through the window, so they would not see the front room and its gore. My kids slept in that bedroom for years. I never saw ghosts in that house and it was a wonderful home for me and my children. It is sad that such a tragedy occurred there and it is sad that they tore it down. It may have been the scene of a gruesome, unsolved crime, but I want everyone to know it was also the scene of a loving, beautiful family for many years after. The house is not evil, the murderers are.

I chanced upon this case a few days ago on the internet and I can't stop thinking about it. I can't believe I've never heard of this.

Finally I've found a place where intelligent conversation is taking place, where people seem to actually have a goal towards resolving this case. I read all the posts from the old message boards on cabin28.com, then moved onto the new message boards, and finally came on here. Whew! I'd love to get into the Yahoo! group someone mentioned forming.

I'd also like to find out how to get a copy of Josh's documentary.

I have spent time in both primary geographical areas involved in this case. I'm an avid true crime reader and have taken some courses in criminal investigation. I've also conducted my own investigation regarding a psycho ex, and then some for friends in need.

My main question is regarding two basic starting points in any investigation of this sort of case: victimology and perpetrator profiles. Why has no one put together victimology information on Sue Sharp (outside of the LE community)? Just reading her obituary brought up all kinds of questions for me, but the timeline on cabin28.com starts with her arrival in Keddie in November of 1980.

She was born in Springfield, MA. (I went to high school in Enfield, CT, just across the border, class of '77.) Presumably she grew up there. What was her upbringing like? She left behind a husband, James, in Connecticut. Why did she leave New England? Traveling cross-country with five kids is a huge undertaking: When my father was transferred to CT from CA, we drove there with five of us kids, him and my stepmother, in a camper and at times it was a real fiasco.

Her family is spread around NoCal and Oregon, according to her obit, so they migrated at some previous time -- when? Did she move out west to be closer to her family or get away from her husband? The obit states she came to CA about two years before the murders. Did her husband stay in CT or give CA a try and go back? Why or why not? Where was she before Keddie? How did she end up in Keddie? Because her brother was in Quincy? (When I was in CT, everybody who wanted to move to CA dreamed of Venice, not some obscure town in the Sierra Nevadas.)

Butte County is close by Plumas. My stepbrother lived in Oroville and I visited him in the early 80's. There were lots of drugs to be had, mostly speed and hallucinogens. I was told that Oroville was "the crank [methamphetamine] capital of California." When he died in the mid-1980's, it was a fiasco of drama. That whole social scene was an insular one of paranoia and infighting. The two camps were Wife #1 and Wife #4. Wife #1 slept with a pistol in her nightstand. Wife #4 had creepy biker types following me around town, staking me out, maddogging me. There were allegations of police corruption involving Wife #4, who was rumored to be involved in the local drug scene.

Which leads me to the perpetrator profiles: The level of overkill shows a lot of rage, and the severity of the wounds indicates it was personal. The crime scene was very disorganized. It was unplanned; wire and weapons from the house were used. Drugs/alcohol were involved. With two perps, one's dominant over the other.

The drug ripoff theory is a red herring.

SCENARIO A: ACQUAINTANCE RAPE
It started off as a nice little visit, a few brewskis, maybe a couple of lines, started to get ugly when she resisted somebody's advances. The boys walk in before anything serious happens, but things go crazy. Tina was a victim of opportunity, some sort of perverted consolation prize/target of unspent rage. The boys in the other room were of no consequence to the killers.

SCENARIO B: FAMILY FEUD
'Nuff said. Family/social squabble gone waaaaay wrong.

That's my two cents. Wondering if anyone else has had any of these thoughts.

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Edited by shrike3 at 04/06/2007 2:59 PM

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Edited by shrike3 at 04/06/2007 3:03 PM

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Edited by shrike3 at 04/06/2007 3:52 PM

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Edited by shrike3 at 04/06/2007 3:53 PM

It is really to bad the cabin28 forum has turned into a war zone.At one time it was a wealth of information,but it seems everyone is just fighting there now and nothing will get solved that way.

I am Chris from Chris's Crime Forum,I used to have a section for the Keddie Murders but i removed it.It was due to lack of interest and some of the people who joined are the ones causing trouble at the other site.

If anyone else has started a place to discuss this I would love to know as I think with some sensible discussions not finger pointing something could be figured out.If anyone knows of such a place please email me.

christew@shaw.ca

merrkat; standing tall and gypsey 2 are one and the same. As you know I have talked to you on the cabin 28 forum. pm me if you wish on the cabin28.com forum.

God bless...

standing tall

Thanks for pointing out another thread of info...
I forwarded it to the yahoo group this morning-- I'm at a loss for time, but hope you will write me off list to do some private comparisons...

booogirl

Hi, booogirl. Look at the topic on the A&E official board 25 year old with standing tall listed as the author. I last posted on it 7-14; no reply yet.

Talk to you later.

Everybody, check the entries on the 25 years old posting on this site.