Kirkstall shooting victim was killed three days before scheduled court appearance

A man shot dead near Warrnambool last week served jail time earlier this year for threatening to kill his neighbour and waving a knife at him,and was scheduled to face further charges in court on Monday.

Charges against Kevin Knowles,49,were supposed to be heard in Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court but were withdrawn when the court heard of his death at Kirkstall,north-west of the regional city,on Friday morning.

Kevin Knowles (left) was among two men shot dead in Kirkstall on Friday. He is pictured arriving at the Coroners Court in June 2019.

Kevin Knowles (left) was among two men shot dead in Kirkstall on Friday. He is pictured arriving at the Coroners Court in June 2019.Joe Armao

It is believed Knowles and Benjamin Ray,48,were killed by Travis Cashmore,45,who was later found dead – apparently by his own hand – at a Chamberlain Street address in Kirkstall. Cashmore is believed to have shot Knowles and Ray as they walked on a road in Kirkstall on their way do errands at Koroit,6.5 kilometres away.

Ray,a father of three,also had a date pending in Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court,on driving charges that were to be heard in September.

Knowles had an extensive criminal history and was questioned about an unsolved killing in 2016. He had a reputation that meant he was feared by many in the Warrnambool region.

In February,he was jailed for two months after a court heard he went to a man’s Kirkstall home two months earlier with his dog and another man,and threatened the male occupant with a silver kitchen knife in a dispute over money.

The scene of the crime.

The scene of the crime.Nine News

After serving that sentence,Knowles was back living in Kirkstall and was scheduled to appear in Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of contravening court orders and possessing cannabis and prescription medication. Those charges were withdrawn when the court was informed of his death.

According toThe Standard,Knowles was fatally shot to the back of the head with a shotgun as he walked on Scotts North Road with Ray,who was struck with a vehicle before also being shot dead.

Although Knowles’ partner told The Age the father was turning his life around,a photograph published by the local news site suggested sentiment about his passing in the community was mixed. The photo showed a sign on the gate of a property in Kirkstall. “Free. Trav,you and the Kirkstall community are now free from Kevin Knowles. RIP,” the sign read.

Benjamin Ray was killed in the attack at Kirkstall on Friday.

Benjamin Ray was killed in the attack at Kirkstall on Friday.

Ray,meanwhile,was described by a friend as a “good-hearted man” and a drifter who had recently moved to NSW but was planning a return to Victoria.

Ray arrived in Kirkstall earlier in the week from Gulargambone,a rural town of 400 people on the Castlereagh River,north of Dubbo in NSW,where he had moved earlier this year after buying a dilapidated two-bedroom home.

Friend Tim Tincknell said Ray purchased the property without visiting the town and soon found he disliked the area. He was due to return to Dubbo to sign some paperwork to sell the house and relocate to Victoria when he was shot.

In a message to Tincknell the day before he was killed,Ray said something had come up and he would be delaying his return to NSW.

“Hey mate,still coming to Dubbo. I won’t be there on Monday,sorry mate. But will be there next week. Something’s come up that I have to attend. See you mate when I get there. Bye,” the message read.

Tincknell,who was helping Ray renovate the Gulargambone home,said he felt sick in the stomach when he learnt of his friend’s death. He said Ray was a quiet and good-hearted man who wanted to fit in and was often taken advantage of.

Tincknell said Ray had become depressed after the death of his second wife and flirted with drugs,but he had been clean for a while. Both of his wives died unexpectedly.

Ray had been estranged from his family for years and had recently reconnected with his father,Tincknell said.

Tincknell speculated that Ray,who met Knowles at a bus stop,had probably been caught in the middle of a feud. He said the 48-year-old would have struggled to defend himself.

The circumstances of the shooting are still being investigated but Knowles’ partner of five years,Tracey Leske,previously toldThe Age she believed the menwere “ambushed” by Cashmore.

Leske said Knowles and Cashmore “indirectly” had disagreements in the past,and Cashmore occasionally gave Knowles a lift into Koroit.

On Monday,residents in the Kirkstall area said people were still trying to come to terms with the brutal end to three men’s lives. More than 100 people packed into the Kirkstall Hotel in the hours after the tragedy to try to comprehend what happened.

The coroner’s office is where details of the fatal dispute will probably be unearthed,as police prepare a report for any inquiry.

Knowles’ criminal history spanned close to 300 charges. He and his then-girlfriend,Amanda Bourke,were also questioned over the death of father Stephen Johnston after the 57-year-old’s badly beaten body was found on the floor of his Warrnambool home on December 8,2016,but no charges were laid.

Forensic investigators were unable to explain exactly what caused Johnston’s catastrophic injuries but found blood splattered across five rooms of the home,with an autopsy finding Johnston had suffered more than 100 injuries in the attack.

The trio had spent the night drinking alcohol at the property before Johnston was found.

Bourke later drowned while swimming with Knowles at Killarney beach,between Port Fairy and Warrnambool. A coroner found her death was not suspicious.

Coroner Simon McGregor found in 2020 that Knowles was responsible for the injuries and neglect that caused Johnston’s death.

He referred thesuspected murder to the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider charges against Knowles.

With Jackson Graham

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Erin Pearson covers crime and justice for The Age.

Marta Pascual Juanola is a crime reporter at The Age.

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