CA CA - Sue Sharp 36, & 3 children, Keddie Cabin Murders, Plumas, 11 Apr 1981
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Frankie Hellis
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It is cheaply made garbage. All of those re-enactment shows are poorly done and I wouldn’t depend on the journalism surrounding them. They are mass produced for views.
I posted this video because I thought it contained a concise summary of what probably happened that night. Ken Mains is a cold case detective and he has a guest on his podcast, William Noguera, who is a reformed convicted killer, currently imprisoned, who discusses cold cases and provides some insight from what might be the killer's viewpoint.
Ken and his partner both feel it was Marty and his partner Beau who killed the Sue Sharp, her daughter, Tina, son and her son's friend. As others have speculated, it probably began as Marty going over to threaten Sue for convincing his wife to leave him. Marty and Beau were both mentally unstable men who were suffering from PTSD after their service in the Vietnam War. The arguing escalated and Marty killed Sue. Her son and his friend Dylan, probably arrived at the wrong time, were tied up and later killed because they had witnessed Sue's murder. Same reason for kidnapping and later killing Sue's daughter.
There was a different interpretation of how LE handled the murders. William Noguera said the involvement of so many federal officers investigating the murders was likely because of Bo Beaudebe's connections to Chicago area organized crime. Noguera says having that many federal officers show up so quickly to investigate a murder is unusual. He believes Bo was an informant against the organized crime/Mafia in the Chicago area who worked with the FBI. Bo had probably been sent to Keddie, CA to get him out of town and away from the gang the FBI was trying to break up. FBI informants have a great deal of protection in their roles and often any crimes they're involved in are usually hushed up to protect the FBI's operation to take down the gang/Mafia. For that reason, he believes, the investigation was deliberately mishandled, evidence not checked, defendants not questioned, etc. in order to let the case go cold. Local LE cooperated. Both guys in the podcast believe if not for the feds clogging up the investigation, the case probably would have been solved within a few weeks or a month. The perps lived there, were seen at Sue's cabin, quite a bit of evidence, motive, etc.
I tend to agree. What do you think?
Ken and his partner both feel it was Marty and his partner Beau who killed the Sue Sharp, her daughter, Tina, son and her son's friend. As others have speculated, it probably began as Marty going over to threaten Sue for convincing his wife to leave him. Marty and Beau were both mentally unstable men who were suffering from PTSD after their service in the Vietnam War. The arguing escalated and Marty killed Sue. Her son and his friend Dylan, probably arrived at the wrong time, were tied up and later killed because they had witnessed Sue's murder. Same reason for kidnapping and later killing Sue's daughter.
There was a different interpretation of how LE handled the murders. William Noguera said the involvement of so many federal officers investigating the murders was likely because of Bo Beaudebe's connections to Chicago area organized crime. Noguera says having that many federal officers show up so quickly to investigate a murder is unusual. He believes Bo was an informant against the organized crime/Mafia in the Chicago area who worked with the FBI. Bo had probably been sent to Keddie, CA to get him out of town and away from the gang the FBI was trying to break up. FBI informants have a great deal of protection in their roles and often any crimes they're involved in are usually hushed up to protect the FBI's operation to take down the gang/Mafia. For that reason, he believes, the investigation was deliberately mishandled, evidence not checked, defendants not questioned, etc. in order to let the case go cold. Local LE cooperated. Both guys in the podcast believe if not for the feds clogging up the investigation, the case probably would have been solved within a few weeks or a month. The perps lived there, were seen at Sue's cabin, quite a bit of evidence, motive, etc.
I tend to agree. What do you think?
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Frankie Hellis
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Dana. The friend was Dana Wingate.
Sounds like quite a bit of speculation. What receipts did they bring regarding Bo being an FBI informant or being sent to Keddie purposefully? I have watched the video because I don’t care for Mains, but I might watch it. Mostly he just says things and wants his viewers to believe him because he knows.
The FBI came to Keddie right away to help with the investigation. IIRC, they were there the next day. They or the state DOJ had a helicopter and took a lot of aerial photos of the Keddie area. Even today, they don't come into local murder cases unless there's a special reason. I'll have to go back to check. The state sent agents from organized crime, not homicide, to investigate.
Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living suspect to grisly scene - Plumas News
Keddie murders revisited part 2: Following the clues Case file update is a new column featuring previous cases involving Plumas...
www.plumasnews.com
Of course its all speculation based on evidence and witness statements, just as all the speculation has been about this case.
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Frankie Hellis
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Much of that article cites dmac. While I know he has the lion’s share of information, he also believes Sheila was in on the murders, do you?The FBI came to Keddie right away to help with the investigation. IIRC, they were there the next day. They or the state DOJ had a helicopter and took a lot of aerial photos of the Keddie area. Even today, they don't come into local murder cases unless there's a special reason. I'll have to go back to check. The state sent agents from organized crime, not homicide, to investigate.
Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living suspect to grisly scene - Plumas News
Keddie murders revisited part 2: Following the clues Case file update is a new column featuring previous cases involving Plumas...
Of course its all speculation based on evidence and witness statements, just as all the speculation has been about this case.
With respect to the FBI and the DOJ involvement, I believe they suspected the ex-husband early on and he was in the military. Might this have had something to do with their involvement? I honestly do not know the answer.
The article also states, “What has made this case particularly hard to organize is that the original case history log — who did what and on what date — is gone. Gamberg said he has hunches about what happened to it, but it hasn’t been recovered.” It seems we do not know exactly who did what when. I just hate to entertain conspiracy theories if there is a more logical explanation. Not to mention there are theories about the sheriff and a coverup, so why would he want the DOJ and the FBI called In? I believe dmac hypothesized that Bo was still alive as recently as a couple years ago, even though there is a death certificate, IIRC. It has been over a year since I went down this rabbit hole. One thing is for sure, I just wish they would make all the records public at this point.
Yeah, I'm re-learning it, too.
Re FBI & DOJ - I agree with Ken Mains and his prison buddy - Bo went out to the middle of nowhere from Chicago because he became an informant to the FBI, etc. He did have links to organized crime there. There were a lot of busts going down there in the late 70's. An alternative is that the FBI, DOJ and local sheriff were involved in an undercover effort to monitor drug trafficking in the area. That still wouldn't explain why Bo was coming out to the middle of nowhere from Chicago.
The fact that things are missing, like the case log, etc. fits with the case just going cold. Someone probably took it home and filed it away in a box in their basement. Local sheriff might not have known Bo was an FBI informant until after the two killers had been shipped away. He then might have been told to let it go because they needed to protect an investigation. IIRC, it was around this time that the FBI was doing so much to bust the Chicago Outfit and others who owned many of the Las Vegas casinos. Tony Accardo was one of the big guys in that.
The Chicago Outfit and Skimming Las Vegas
At the risk of beating a dead horse, I’ve finished another book that deals with Las Vegas casinos and the impact organized crime had on the city and its eventual financial health as the 1980s rolle…
nevadagaminghistory.com
JMO, Bo is probably dead, as they say. He was living a pretty hard life and didn't make it to old age. I'm looking up some of the online chatter about that.
Local LE looked at Sue's ex-husband fairly early and he had a solid alibi. He was clear across the country and not really in a position to afford a long trip to CA to kill his wife and some of his kids. They wouldn't need the FBI for that.
JMO, I don't think Marty Smartt's wife had anything to do with the murders. She probably knew Marty and Bo did it, but only after the fact. As the YT video pointed out, it didn't appear from evidence that Marty or Bo planned to kill Sue and the kids when they went there.
All JMO
Also, Bo originally showed up in Reno, NV. Marty met him there at the VA hospital where both were being treated for PTSD from the Vietnam War. After the murders, both went back to Reno for a while. JMO, there was someone in Reno, perhaps at the VA, who was the go-between for the FBI and Boubede.
I also see that after leaving Chicago, Bo lived for a while in Las Vegas, during the 70's. According to dmac's research.
Keddie murders revisited part 3: Hypnosis, counselor's revelations, mob connections - Plumas News
Keddie murders revisited part 1: New evidence discovered links living suspect to grisly scene Keddie murders revisited part 2: Following...
www.plumasnews.com
I don't believe many of the conspiracy theories about hypnosis, etc. but I do believe Bo had Chicago Mob connections.
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I don't think that witness protection would allow Bo to live under his real name, and give interviews with out some form of mediation. People in witness protection have to adhere to the rules strictly. Sammy the Bull was kicked out for failing to follow the rules, why would a couch surfing con man be given more lea way than him?
Also, remember that Bo was a small, sickly man in his late 50's. I've read up on his crimes, including a B&E where he and his partner ran away from a woman.
Although Ken's buddy was supposed to have had access to some legit info..., I feel he went in a very different (lazy) direction. Much of his claims originate directly from that Sac Bee report as well as some online write ups. And his theory that the boys came home to Martin having sex with Sue on the couch while what, Bo sat there and watched? Seems ridiculous and directly contradicts the autopsy report of Sues.
Allegedly (this is coming from OLD info I can't verify) there was more DNA extracted and tested than is talked about. I really wish I knew if anything has gone into CODIS, and since the contamination was discovered, how that effects all the other evidence tested?
Also, remember that Bo was a small, sickly man in his late 50's. I've read up on his crimes, including a B&E where he and his partner ran away from a woman.
Although Ken's buddy was supposed to have had access to some legit info..., I feel he went in a very different (lazy) direction. Much of his claims originate directly from that Sac Bee report as well as some online write ups. And his theory that the boys came home to Martin having sex with Sue on the couch while what, Bo sat there and watched? Seems ridiculous and directly contradicts the autopsy report of Sues.
Allegedly (this is coming from OLD info I can't verify) there was more DNA extracted and tested than is talked about. I really wish I knew if anything has gone into CODIS, and since the contamination was discovered, how that effects all the other evidence tested?
Plumas county is very sparsely populated, if you read up on other major crimes in the area, you'll see the CA DOJ was utilized in some of those as well. PCSO did not have the technicians or facilities for evidence collection/testing. The fingerprint dusting/collecting had to be done by them. The FBIs role was smaller, and centered around the likely abduction of a child (Tina). There were many fingerprints collected, and one found in blood remains unidentified, both Marty and Bo's prints are on file.
I think Marty and Bo did it no question.
The biggest give away is why did the 3 little boys live??
Because one of them was Martys.
Would like to see them boys all reinterviewed now he has long passed.
No pass for Marilyn from me...she either participated or protected the men.
Why would she still be doing that till the end??
I speculate those men were at Sues's for sexual purposes which were not welcome.
Maybe a shag for Bo???and Sue refused advances.
moo
The biggest give away is why did the 3 little boys live??
Because one of them was Martys.
Would like to see them boys all reinterviewed now he has long passed.
No pass for Marilyn from me...she either participated or protected the men.
Why would she still be doing that till the end??
I speculate those men were at Sues's for sexual purposes which were not welcome.
Maybe a shag for Bo???and Sue refused advances.
moo
ColyH
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Like the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and the missing Sodder children this is a case where the authorities really screwed up the investigation.
I have a hard time believing that two guys who were on drugs, suffered from PTSD, and one had serious anger issues where FBI informants.
I have a hard time believing that two guys who were on drugs, suffered from PTSD, and one had serious anger issues where FBI informants.
Only one of them had links to organized crime. The other was just someone he met as a fellow Vietnam vet at the VA hospital.
FBI informants aren't the cream of society. In the case of organized crime, they're often low level criminals in the organization who are willing to make a deal with the FBI in order to avoid jail. They talk about the activities and planning of those people higher up the ladder in the organization. They may or may not be needed to provide testimony at trials, but often they're people who can provide enough information to keep the investigation headed in the right direction. Having them revealed publicly before the FBI has made their key arrests can compromise an investigation.
I think it’s highly likely that Marty and Bo were responsible for the murders, but I have always wondered whether Alex Christopher Ewing (after his crimes in Colo and NV) was ever looked at by LE as a possible suspect.
I’ve never been able to find out much about his life prior to ‘84, but I think he was born in North Carolina and then grew up in Northern California. He would’ve been about 20.
All jmo
I’ve never been able to find out much about his life prior to ‘84, but I think he was born in North Carolina and then grew up in Northern California. He would’ve been about 20.
All jmo
beyondbabylon
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Was wondering when I’d see this case here. I lived right up the road from keddie for a 2 years. Following.
Bo's Mafia tie, was that his uncle "knew a guy". Bo was not Italian. Back in the day, you had to be 100% Italian to be accepted. Northern Italians were not even accepted.
Locards exchange principal states a killer will always transfer something to the crime, and take something from the crime scene with them. Both Marty and Bo have strong alibis, and with all that blood, something concrete should have been found in their house.
Even back when Marilyn believed Marty was guilty, she couldn't explain how he would have known where Feather Falls was, or how he would have gotten Tina there. So in order to force this square peg of a theory into a round whole, this story was invented: Tina's body was hidden in Keddie, until the next day (or later in the day? not clear). None of the searchers or the dogs were able to locate her in Keddie, and then Martin maybe drove off with her, or maybe it was someone else (not clear).
The whole story stinks, and forces people to believe that just a couple of cops were there for a few hours and then they all left. The place was swarming with Plumas county officers, and DOJ agents, search and rescue was brought in to look for TIna, reporters were all up in that. The cabin was guarded 24 hrs a day.
At least one of the officers assigned to guard duty noted that a suspect would come around asking questions and inserting himself into the case. That suspect then made this bizarre statement to the 28 film makers:
"The police were always coming to me asking for advice requests, and one time they let me into the house. And I couldn’t stand being in there, it was too horrific. The bodies were gone of course when I (..) blood splatter and everything, an, I went outside and I got sick. They said “what’s wrong” and I said I know for sure your looking for two people. Ones about 6’2 the other about 5’8, 5’9. We gave them the descriptions, like we said before. From that point on uh, they eh, . The police, uh…, you know I don’t want to get involved anymore, because people, police look at you really suspicious after things like that after things like that happen, especially after, The fact that we were already down there that morning. Ya know, about quarter to six in the morning"
I'd love to know the date he was "brought into the cabin" by police. Did that happen?! Why?! I can't imagine they just grabbed a random guy, who was into drugs at the time, who may have had a party that night, and wanted his professional assessment on the crime scene.
In his original statement taken by police, this guy stated he and his friend drove into Keddie around 3:30-4:00 am. Saying they went to his friends brother in laws house to see if he would be going to work Monday morning. Does that seem strange to anyone else?
That same friend who drove him into Keddie later admitted to officers that he told a co-worker he was in the cabin the night of the murders, and "it all started out as a game" while he and his buddy were toasted. He denied to police involvement in the murders, and when investigators asked him why he would say something like that, he replied because he was sick of people calling him "Keddie Machete". Well I would LOVE to know why people were calling him that in the first place?? Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything about how that started
Locards exchange principal states a killer will always transfer something to the crime, and take something from the crime scene with them. Both Marty and Bo have strong alibis, and with all that blood, something concrete should have been found in their house.
Even back when Marilyn believed Marty was guilty, she couldn't explain how he would have known where Feather Falls was, or how he would have gotten Tina there. So in order to force this square peg of a theory into a round whole, this story was invented: Tina's body was hidden in Keddie, until the next day (or later in the day? not clear). None of the searchers or the dogs were able to locate her in Keddie, and then Martin maybe drove off with her, or maybe it was someone else (not clear).
The whole story stinks, and forces people to believe that just a couple of cops were there for a few hours and then they all left. The place was swarming with Plumas county officers, and DOJ agents, search and rescue was brought in to look for TIna, reporters were all up in that. The cabin was guarded 24 hrs a day.
At least one of the officers assigned to guard duty noted that a suspect would come around asking questions and inserting himself into the case. That suspect then made this bizarre statement to the 28 film makers:
"The police were always coming to me asking for advice requests, and one time they let me into the house. And I couldn’t stand being in there, it was too horrific. The bodies were gone of course when I (..) blood splatter and everything, an, I went outside and I got sick. They said “what’s wrong” and I said I know for sure your looking for two people. Ones about 6’2 the other about 5’8, 5’9. We gave them the descriptions, like we said before. From that point on uh, they eh, . The police, uh…, you know I don’t want to get involved anymore, because people, police look at you really suspicious after things like that after things like that happen, especially after, The fact that we were already down there that morning. Ya know, about quarter to six in the morning"
I'd love to know the date he was "brought into the cabin" by police. Did that happen?! Why?! I can't imagine they just grabbed a random guy, who was into drugs at the time, who may have had a party that night, and wanted his professional assessment on the crime scene.
In his original statement taken by police, this guy stated he and his friend drove into Keddie around 3:30-4:00 am. Saying they went to his friends brother in laws house to see if he would be going to work Monday morning. Does that seem strange to anyone else?
That same friend who drove him into Keddie later admitted to officers that he told a co-worker he was in the cabin the night of the murders, and "it all started out as a game" while he and his buddy were toasted. He denied to police involvement in the murders, and when investigators asked him why he would say something like that, he replied because he was sick of people calling him "Keddie Machete". Well I would LOVE to know why people were calling him that in the first place?? Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anything about how that started