IA IA- Rhonda Knutson, 22, beaten to death, Phillips 66 convenience store, 7 Sept 1992

[Carrie60]

Hi my name is Carrie and I live in Iowa. I am interested on any information about the Rhonda Knutson cold case She was murdered in September 1992 at a convenience story near New Hampton Iowa. She was working the overnight shift and she was found bludgeoned to death by her boss. I know one of her brothers but I never met her. Her brother is a friend and we go to the same church together which my husband is the minister. Rhonda's family is a loving and kind family that deserves some sort of closure. If anyone has some advice or new information on her case I would be so grateful to know about it.

 

[dotr]

Iowa trucker, 58, arrested for 1990s killings of three women by cops using genealogy database | Daily Mail Online

Gone Cold: Rhonda Knutson, killed in 1992
2016
''Rhonda Knutson was killed in the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 7, 1992 — Labor Day — while working at the Phillips 66 convenience store in Williamstown, just north of the intersection of highways 18, 63 and 346 in Chickasaw County. She was found at 4:45 a.m. by the store owner. Autopsy results determined Knutson was beaten to death and there were no signs of sexual assault.

According to the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Office, Knutson suffered severe traumatic head injuries from a beating with a blunt object. Robbery was not considered a motive in the slaying.

The investigation into her death included hundreds of interviews by deputies and agents from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, along with employing a private investigator and several psychics.

Two truckers whom witnesses allegedly saw in the convenience store the morning Knutson was killed were sought for questioning but never found. Both men were described as heavy-set Caucasians with dark hair and between the ages of 35 and 45. Witnesses described the first suspect as having a beard and mustache and pulling a white and silver trailer behind a conventional tractor. They described the second suspect as clean-shaven, though couldn’t link him to any specific vehicle''.

 

[Forumetiolo]

I hope there's more to this. If it's not sexual assault or robbery, what could it possibly be? I mean, two men and a helpless woman?

 

[dotr]

I hope there's more to this. If it's not sexual assault or robbery, what could it possibly be? I mean, two men and a helpless woman?

To scare people from going to that establishment (competitors?) Punishment/revenge against someone in Rhonda's family or social group?
Guys that can only'' get off '' after participating/viewing, extreme violence beforehand?
Guesses, speculation, imo, fwiw..


Iowa Cold Cases

 

[Mr Obvious]

The idea that 2 men did this for no reason sounds unlikely. I don't see the sexual motive. Money was not the motive. Some people say there are 3 motives for murder...money, sex and revenge. It appears some one was very angry with her, since it was up close and personal. IMHO a female may have done this.

 

[JrzyGirl70]

Rhonda Knutson
Iowa Cold Cases

Rhonda Knutson

 

[future_detective]

The idea that 2 men did this for no reason sounds unlikely. I don't see the sexual motive. Money was not the motive. Some people say there are 3 motives for murder...money, sex and revenge. It appears some one was very angry with her, since it was up close and personal. IMHO a female may have done this.

This case seems very personal because the fact that whoever did this bludgeoned her to death. It's very hard to bludgeon someone unless you have very strong feelings of anger, hatred or jealousy. Maybe the two men were hired to do this to her by a jealous ex? But then again we don't know any of her ex's, or do we? You are right, it does seem highly unlikely that two men would kill a random woman and not have any sexual intent or intent to rob. But if they were hired to do so maybe they just wanted to get the job done and get it over with. Maybe they didnt need anything from her. I don't know, just a theory.

 

[future_detective]

This case seems very personal because the fact that whoever did this bludgeoned her to death. It's very hard to bludgeon someone unless you have very strong feelings of anger, hatred or jealousy. Maybe the two men were hired to do this to her by a jealous ex? But then again we don't know any of her ex's, or do we? You are right, it does seem highly unlikely that two men would kill a random woman and not have any sexual intent or intent to rob. But if they were hired to do so maybe they just wanted to get the job done and get it over with. Maybe they didnt need anything from her. I don't know, just a theory.

Also, whoever did this knew her work routine because they knew when to strike. It was either told to them or they knew her personally.

 

[dotr]

April 8 2021 rbbm.
Iowa cold cases: Ashley Okland murder among most infamous unsolved cases
''1992: Rhonda Knutson (Williamstown)
Rhonda Knutson, 22, was beaten to death while working at a Phillips 66 station in Chickasaw County. Her boss found her body at 5 a.m. Sept. 7, 1992.

There were no signs of sexual assault, and investigators did not believe the crime started as a robbery.

Two truckers were seen in the vicinity of the station shortly before Knutson's body was found. Neither was ever identified despite a nationwide effort.''

 

[MangoCove]

Ed Hoskin of the Globe Gazette wrote an article in March of 1998 about the efforts of the new Chickasaw County sheriff to solve this case.

Sheriff William Dean had hired a retired Iowa DCI agent to work on the case full time and was writing to America's Most Wanted producers about the case in an effort to spread awareness. He also released the attached images of the two men wanted for questioning. The article states that they are seeking the identity of these individuals as they may have been the last to see Rhonda alive.



Sheriff Dean says there are a number of suspects. Some of the suspects have either refused or failed lie detector tests. He is confident that the case will be solved. "Somewhere out there, someone knows something." Dean said.

 

[dotr]

July 10 2022 rbbm.

The Heartbreaking Murder of Rhonda Knutson

The 22-year-old was beaten to death at the convenience store where she worked & her killer has never been found.

medium.com

by Jenn Baxter
''The motive for the murder was also unknown. The store had not been robbed and Rhonda was fully clothed when she was found, leading investigators to believe that there had been no sexual assault. The medical examiner would later confirm this. She had died from blunt force trauma to her head; her killer had beaten her to death with some kind of heavy object. No murder weapon was recovered at the scene, so detectives immediately launched a massive physical search of the area around the store in the hopes that the killer had dropped it as he fled.''

''Although the investigation had stalled, detectives refused to give up on finding the killer. They sent flyers about the case to more than 20 states, hoping that one might recall a similar crime that could be linked to Rhonda’s murder. Although they continued to follow up on each call they received, investigators noted that the number of tips had dwindled to only three or four a month. None of them led to the murderer.

In 1996, Rhonda’s family asked Noreen Reiner, a psychic who had assisted police in nearly all 50 states in the past, to take a look at Rhonda’s case. Noreen told them that Rhonda had been killed by someone from her past; she also believed that this person was still in the area and still shopped at the Williamstown Store. The psychic also stated that the weapon that killed Rhonda was still inside the convenience store. Police were doubtful but dutifully went back over everything in the store. They found nothing consistent with the murder weapon.''


''Her killer has never been identified but detectives hope that advances in technology might help them finally obtain justice for Rhonda. If you have any information about Rhonda’s case, please contact the Chickasaw County Sheriff’s Department at 641–394–3121 or the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation at 515–725–6010.''