Random Facts Surrounding The Unsolved Keddie Cabin Murders (13 items)

• (#11) The Case Has Given Rise To A Huge Number Of Conspiracy Theories

  Because the Keddie Cabin case has been unsolved for so long, it has generated a number of conspiracy theories. Marty Smartt was close friends with the local sheriff, and skeptics suggest that authorities worked to conceal Smartt's involvement in the crime. Later investigations show that the police work on the case was wrought with error and that authorities didn't follow every lead. Additionally, not all evidence was properly documented, such as Smartt's letter to Marilyn and the 911 recording. 

  Organized crime unit officials came to the crime scene, which added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire. People speculate that perhaps Boubede killed Sue for a mob-related reason, given his connections to the Chicago and Vegas mafias.

  Another favored accomplice is Dee Lake, who lived at the address that made the phone call to police about Tina's skull fragment. Lake was also a former vet like Smartt and reportedly drove his buddy to Reno following Smartt’s split with Marilyn. 
   
• (#10) A Therapist Told Authorities That Smartt Admitted To Killing Sue Sharp

  Sheriff Hagwood employed the services of private investigator Mike Gamberg to help with the case. The PI tracked down a therapist in Reno to whom Marty Smartt allegedly made a confession. The therapist told officials that he had contacted the police when Smartt initially admitted to the murder of Sue Sharp. 

  The therapist - a counselor at a Veteran’s Hospital - maintained Smartt’s confession occurred only weeks after the deaths at Cabin 28. Reportedly, Smartt also admitted culpability in Tina’s death and explained he attacked her to leave no witnesses. Smartt allegedly stated that his primary target was Sue because she interfered with his marriage. 

  Throughout his sessions, Smartt claimed to suffer from PTSD and mentioned that a Plumas County official, Sheriff Doug Thomas, was a good friend and former Keddie neighbor of his. 
   
• (#4) Based On The Crime Scene, Investigators Suspected Multiple Assailants

  At Cabin 28, police noted that there was no sign of forced entry. Based on the scene of the crime, Plumas County investigators also determined that there was likely more than one assailant and that the crimes were committed over a period of time. 

  Sue was intricately bound by her legs, ankles, and wrists with medical tape and electrical cord, which was knotted so tightly she would have been unable to move. She was gagged with a bandana and her own underwear. Police also found Johnny and Dana with their ankles bound together.

  Forensics showed that the killers used multiple weapons and at least two different hammers. The perpetrators hit Johnny with a rifle, which has yet to be recovered. Investigators recovered several knives from the scene, including a kitchen knife. While all the victims had lacerations, it appeared that the assailants only strangled the eldest male, Dana.
   
• (#13) The Two Main Suspects Are Dead

  The public still doesn't know who is responsible for the 1981 Keddie Cabin murders. Law enforcement has never made an arrest, and the two most likely suspects - Smartt and Boubede - were released after initial questioning. 

  Both the prime suspects passed prior to Sheriff Hagwood’s 2013 investigation. Boubede died of natural causes in 1988, and Smartt passed in 2006. The remaining Sharp family members seek justice to this day but have admitted they don't have much hope that the case will ever officially be solved.
   
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  (#9) New Details Emerged Surrounding The Crime

  Sheila Sharp, who found the bodies that April morning in 1981, has never stopped trying to find her mother, sister, and brother's killers. A new investigator of the crime, Sheriff Greg Hagwood, was schoolmates with Johnny and Dana before their deaths. He reopened the case, and recently, new evidence has come to light.

  In 2013, authorities discovered a letter that Marty Smartt wrote to his wife after she left him. In it, he says that he "paid the price of [his ex-wife's] love" and "bought it with four people’s lives."

  The investigative team also discovered a hammer in a pond near the Keddie property which could potentially be the weapon the intruders used. It matches the description of a hammer that Smartt told investigators he lost.

  The sheriff also found an envelope in police files that contained the 1984 recording of the 911 call in which the anonymous caller suggests that the skull fragment belongs to Tina Sharp. Police believe that this person may have been involved in the killings and is having the audio analyzed. 
   
• (#8) There Were Two Primary Suspects

  Sue reportedly was romantically involved with various men, and while many were questioned, none were pinpointed as major suspects. Instead, police turned their gaze towards Marty Smartt and his friend Severin John Boubede, also known as "Bo." Both men lived close to the Sharps, in Cabin 26, and Sue was friends with Marty's long-abused wife, Marilyn. 

  Having left an abusive marriage herself, Sue encouraged Marilyn to leave Marty. He didn't like Sue's interference, and people believe that he enlisted an ex-con and possible mobster, Boubede, to kill her.

  Additionally, Marty was Justin Smartt's step-father, which investigators theorized may be why the boys' room was never disturbed. A few months after the murders, Marty moved to Reno, Nevada, and allegedly left his wife an incriminating letter. However, neither Smartt nor Boubede were arrested.
   

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