Reasons behind Kirkstall double murder/suicide: Travis Cashmore 'snapped' after 'relentless intimidation'

Ron and Dot Cashmore said they wanted the community to tell the story of their son, to "be their media".

They said their family and friends knew and loved their son Travis Cashmore and he was no longer alive to defend his actions.

About 10.20am last Friday Travis Cashmore gunned down notorious career criminal Kevin Knowles, 49, and Benjamin Ray, 48, along Scotts North Road on the outskirts of Kirkstall.

Cashmore was driving his white van when he shot Knowles to the back of the head before driving over what remained of his skull.

He then ran down Ray with the van before pumping two shotgun shells into him.

Cashmore returned to his Chamberlain Street home, which is almost a kilometre from Knowles' property, and took his own life.

Knowles had harassed Cashmore and other residents since the standover man moved to town about 10 years ago, where he initially lived in a shipping container at his Atkinson Street property.

Sources have told The Standard Knowles had turned up at Cashmore's home at night armed with a knife on more than one occasion.

It's alleged the threats of violence included warning Cashmore that he would return during the night to "get him".

There was endless harassment of residents and yet Knowles' partner Tracey Leske said Cashmore would sometimes give Knowles a lift as he walked into Koroit along the Koroit-Kirkstall Road.

It's clear Cashmore was agitated last Friday morning when he wielded a chainsaw to chop down a neighbour's blue gum trees, which overhung his property.

Those trees blocked the sun, filled his gutters with leaves and apparently made his water undrinkable.

Cashmore made a number of requests about the 20-metre high gums and eventually took action.

About 9.30am last Friday neighbours saw Cashmore's white van on the outskirts of Kirkstall.

It was seen a second time and then the third time there were accompanying gunshots before Knowles and Ray were left for dead on the side of the road.

The police working theory is that Cashmore had simply had enough.

The last straw was an ongoing dispute between a Kirkstall friend of Cashmore and Knowles.

Knowles had been charged by police about that dispute, an intervention order was put in place protecting the friend and the case was to go to Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Monday this week.

Knowles had little regard for court orders and he showed up out the front of the friend's property with his sidekick, Ray.

Knowles asked in a threatening manner how the friend was going.

That's what triggered Cashmore, who was at his friend's place at the time and videoed the interaction.

Cashmore grew up in the Timboon area, worked in Western Australia before returning to the south-west and lived in his Chamberlain Street property for more than 10 years, causing little trouble.

He also saw himself as a protector of the community.

One thing is clear - the mild mannered well-built man, who had his own issues but no trouble with police, had decided to take action into his own hands.

Cashmore usually lived a quiet life.

He loved gold fossicking in the Beaufort, Ararat, Stawell and Maryborough areas or gar fishing with friends at Killarney.

He had been that worried about his own safety and property that Cashmore had sensor floodlights installed - like many of his neighbours.

Cameras aren't an option around Kirkstall because of limited access to wireless internet.

While the Kirkstall community doesn't want to be seen as celebrating the death of Knowles - that's what's happened.

Knowles was a vicious, persistent standover man who stalked and intimidated Kirkstall residents for little or no reason.

He has been linked to the deaths of five people.

His criminal record included almost 50 pages of prior court appearances, about 300 charges and he was regularly jailed.

The more morbid in the Kirkstall community had talked of executing Knowles because of the way he terrorised residents but that was seen by some as too good for him.

"One of the most recent theories was that shooting him would be too quick and an easy way out," one man said about Knowles, who had just the use of one eye.

"It was decided the best thing would be to get a slug gun and shoot out his other eye. That way he couldn't see who was coming and he would live in the same fear for the rest of his life that he caused everyone else."

The sign made, erected and since removed from Cashmore's front gate said it all.

"FREE. Trav, you and the Kirkstall community are now free from Kevin Knowles. RIP"

The Cashmores are right - the community has spoken.

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