1. Woman abducted by dangerous criminal knew she had to ‘charm him or die’
2. Woman kidnapped by notorious murderer understood she had to ‘appeal to him or face death’.
Accident – Death – Obituary News :
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A woman faced with a harrowing situation had to rely on her quick wit to survive a chilling encounter with a serial killer.
Barbara Mabee Abel has shared her terrifying story of being kidnapped and held captive by a notorious serial killer known as the Casanova Killer.
Abel’s account will be featured in an upcoming episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer, scheduled to air on Sunday, May 19.
Back in 1974, Abel, then a 31-year-old single mother residing in West Palm Beach, Florida, lived with her twin sister, who suffered from cerebral palsy, and her young son.
Abel has chosen to revisit the shocking story in an upcoming People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer episode.(COURTESY BARBARA ABEL/People)
After picking up her son and heading home, Abel instructed him to find his aunt while she went to the kitchen for a glass of water. It was then that she heard a voice warning her not to turn around or face being shot.
Despite the threat, Abel turned around to find Paul John Knowles, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, standing before her.
Her son soon rushed in, informing her that her sister was bleeding. Subsequently, she was taken to the bedroom, where she found her sister bound and gagged.
Knowles callously admitted to attempting to rape her and announced his intention to leave, taking her son, Dale, with him. In a remarkable act of bravery, Abel insisted that he take her instead.
Fully aware of the perilous situation she was in, Abel knew she had to think fast—either charm the killer or face a grim fate.
She resorted to showering Knowles with flattery in a bid to boost his confidence and lower his guard.
During their journey to Georgia, she noticed Knowles trying to tune in to the radio, presumably hoping to hear news of his kidnapping on the airwaves.
While staying at a motel, Abel was assaulted that night and had to strategize her escape, knowing that Knowles always had his gun at the ready.
When news of the kidnapping aired on TV, Knowles became excited about the prospect of gaining notoriety. Sensing an opportunity, Abel offered to help him publicize his story, leveraging her background as a radio copywriter to propose writing a book together.
