True crime has been in the spotlight a lot lately. It seems like everyone is fascinated with stories of people who seem to be pure evil. You can find plenty of podcasts, TV shows, and films about terrible serial killers from throughout history. Names like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Wayne Gacy are as familiar to us as athletes and movie stars. One of the most prolific serial killers in Georgia history does not have nearly the notoriety of those infamous criminals, but aficionados of true crime in Georgia know him to be perhaps even more malicious. Paul John Knowles, known as the Casanova Killer, is tied to the murder of 18 people, though if you believe his stories, he killed up to 35.

Paul John Knowles, also known as P.J. Knowles and PJK, was born in Orlando in 1946. He was shuffled through foster homes as a child and was first arrested at the age of 19.

While imprisoned at what is now Florida State Prison (pictured), the young Knowles developed a pen pal relationship with a woman in San Francisco.

Charmed by the young man's letters, the woman began a long distance relationship with him and even agreed to marriage. As soon as he was released from prison, Knowles traveled to meet her in person, but she called off the wedding. If you believe Knowles's story, he took the lives of his first three victims while in San Francisco.

He returned to Florida and was almost immediately arrested after a bar fight. He managed to escape from jail in Jacksonville and began his crime spree.

Knowles began killing women at a rapid pace, often murdering multiple young girls a day. He killed people in both Florida and Georgia, sometimes to prevent being recognized and reported, but often just for sport.

The handsome Knowles often would take women out on a date before killing them. His charm and good looks would lead him to later be nicknamed "the Casanova killer."

Giacomo Casanova (pictured) was an 18th-century Italian whose romantic exploits were so notorious that his name is now a synonym for a man who dates many women.

Knowles's good luck finally ran out, as he was caught after stealing a car in late 1974. He ended up crashing the car during a police chase. An armed civilian captured him and he was arrested one final time.

A few days later, he was being transferred to a maximum security prison in preparation for trial. According to police, Knowles suddenly made a grab for the officer's gun while on I-20 in Georgia. The FBI agent that was accompanying police shot Knowles in the chest, killing him instantly.

Officially, Paul John Knowles was tied to the death of 18 people, but he confessed to another 17 murders that could not be proven. All of his confirmed murders took place between July 1974 and November 1974.

For more information about the Casanova killer in Georgia, check out this documentary on Youtube from Atlanta news station 11Alive:

https://youtu.be/kaeRLHJidOo