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10 Things To Know About The Unsolved Lumber Baron Inn Murders

The unsolved Lumber Baron Inn murders were the murders of two teenage girls in this building in 1970. The Lumber Baron Inn was previously a tenement building that was initially built as a mansion home for Lumber Baron John Mouat, his wife, and their five children. Before her murder, 16-year-old Cara Lee Knoche was a runaway who lived in a rented room in this mansion.

She had run away from her home after dropping out of school. However, on 11th October, she had a change of heart. She went to her home to celebrate her 17th birthday. At her parents home, Cara made a surprising announcement to her family.

She announced that she had made up her mind to move out of her apartment and resume her high school studies. Cara had already found herself a job, but she wanted to please her family by going back to school. However, her dream never came to be as two days later, the worst thing happened to her.

On 15 October 1970, Cara was found dead in her apartment. What shocked many is that the body of her friend, 18-year-old Marianne Weaver was also found in the apartment. On that unfortunate night, Marianne had walked into the room of Cara.

She found a man in the room who was from raping her. Several reports claim that Marianne might have found the man in the process of killing Cara or he had murdered her. She was also shot dead and her body was found sprawling in the room.

The bodies of Marianne Weaver and Cara Lee Knoche were found by their friends. Investigations began, but the man who murdered the two teenagers has never been found. Below are the 10 Things To Know About The Unsolved Lumber Baron Inn Murders:

1. Two Teenage Girls were Victims of the Lumber Baron Inn

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On 15 October 1970, there was tension as there was a double homicide reported in Denver. The murders had taken place in what is currently known as the Lumber Baron Inn.

Two teenage girls had been brutally murdered and their bodies were left in their room. 17-year-old Cara Lee Knoche and 18-year-old Marianne Weaver were the victims of the Lumber Baron Inn murders.

2. Cara was a Runaway before She was Murdered

17-year-old Cara Lee Knoche was not a usual teenager living at the tenement apartment in Denver. She was a runaway who had left her family and her home to live on her own.

Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Knoche in Golden where she had run away from. She had also dropped out of her high school education.

3. The Runaway Girl had made a Huge Decision & Returned Home

Cara Knoche had found herself a job as she was living away from her home. But it seemed like she wanted to make a huge change to her life and turn around from being a runaway.

She returned home on the 11th after having a change of heart in what she was doing for her life. Cara had decided to return home and resume her high school studies after dropping out.

4. She was Murdered Two Days after She Celebrated Her 17th Birthday

After returning home from her tenement apartment at Lumber Baron Inn, she announced her decision to her family. She had to return to her apartment, collect her items, and chase her dream of completing her studies. However, she was murdered. Her murder came a few days after she celebrated her 17th birthday with her family.

5. Cara was Raped by Her Assailant before She was Murdered

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On the unfortunate night, Cara was in her apartment alone as her roommate had visited her home. She was accosted by her assailant who did the unthinkable. Cara was raped by her assailant before she was strangled to death.

6. 18-year-old Marianne Weaver Walked in at the Scene of the Man in Cara’s Room

Marianne Weaver used to frequently visit the room of Cara Lee Knoche as they were good friends. However, on that night, things did not turn out as she expected it could be from her previous meeting at the apartment.

She was surprised to find a man in the room. It was reported that Marianne found the man had raped Cara and was either in the process of killing or had rather murdered her. Unfortunately, Marianne was not lucky too as she was shot in the head and murdered.

7. The Naked Body of Cara was Found Under the Bed

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23-year-old John Le-chuga, a friend of Cata Lee Knoche found the bodies of the two ladies in the apartment room. The murder scene was shocking to John. Cara Lee Knoche’s naked body was found under her bed. She had been murdered by strangulation.

8. Marianne’s Body was Found on the Floor of the Apartment Room

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As he was visiting Cara Lee in her apartment room, John was shocked after finding the door wide open. His attention was drawn by this finding as this was not normal. After getting into the room, he switched on the lights. He found Marianne’s body with a gunshot wound to her head lying on the floor before finding Cara’s body lying partially under the bed.

9. The Murderer and his Murder Weapon have never been Recovered

Investigations began immediately after the bodies of the two teenage girls were discovered in the apartment. Detective Captain Art Dill who was working on the case did his best with other investigators in finding the murderer.

However, as the investigations went on, there were no hopes of settling this homicide case. The man who murdered the two girls was never nor was his weapon recovered. For over 50 years, this case has been unsolved.

10. The Apartment was Converted into an Inn which Some Guests Allege is Haunted

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Two decades after the murders of Cara and Marianne, the tenement building was falling into total disrepair. It was on the verge of demolition until Walter and Julie Keller purchased it in 1991. The two restored the building into the Lumber Baron Inn.

However, there have been several allegations about the Lumber Baron Inn. According to HauntedHouses.com, this place is considered the most haunted place in Denver. It is believed that the spirits of Cara and Marianne have been seen in the hallway near the room where they were murdered.

The unsolved murders of Cara Lee Knoche and Marianne Weaver shocked many and brought grief to their families. Several theories have been stated about these murders with their families hoping that they will get justice.