
Details of a court hearing in January this year shed more light on what led to last week's double murder/suicide at Kirkstall.
Kevin Knowles, who was gunned down on the side of Scotts North Road alongside his mate Benjamin Ray, was due to face Warrnambool Magistrates Court last Monday on three charges of breaching intervention orders and another charge of persistently breaching an intervention order.
Those charges involved Knowles harassing and intimidating a friend of Travis Cashmore. Earlier this week The Standard revealed "relentless intimidation" was behind Cashmore's motivation to shoot both Knowles and Ray before taking his own life last Friday.
Knowles in January was jailed for threatening Cashmore's friend while armed with a knife.
"I'm going to kill you and your kids, your days are numbered," the court was told Knowles said.
Knowles' latest court appearance related to breaches of an order put in place to protect the victim.
Knowles, who was linked to the death of five people and Ray, went to Cashmore's friend's home late last week ahead of the court appearance despite being banned from the property.
Cashmore was at his friend's home at the time and filmed Knowles and Ray's visit.
It's understood Knowles asked the victim how he was going as part of an ongoing series of harassment.
It's understood police have a copy of that video which was on Cashmore's mobile phone, which has now been seized as evidence.
The January court hearing provides more insight into Knowles and Ray but also Cashmore's frustration with the pair.
That hearing related to an incident on December 22 last year.
Knowles had walked to the victim's property with his dog and Ray.
Knowles asked Ray, who was hiding in bushes, if the victim was the same person who had threatened him. When Ray said "yes", Knowles jumped a wire fence into a side yard and produced a silver kitchen knife and threatened the victim.
The court heard Knowles believed the victim was involved in a previous incident where $6000 was extorted from an ex-girlfriend.
The victim had tried to calm down Knowles and asked him to show him his mate Ray, who had reportedly made the allegations.
The court heard they walked over to where Ray was standing in the bush and the victim said he'd never seen Ray before.
Ray had stayed with the accused's dog at the roadside during the incident and shouted at Knowles to put the knife away.
Knowles put the knife back into a bag and they left.
Police told the court the victim was fearful of being stabbed and seriously injured.
Knowles was quickly arrested by Koroit police and told them he "just wanted to scare" the victim.
During the January hearing lawyer Alex Turner said there were no other words to describe his client's offending other than "disgraceful".
He said Knowles suffered anxiety and depression and that there were questions about his "general intellectual functioning".
Mr Turner said Ray suffered from an intellectual disability and Knowles felt as though "he's somewhat a protective figure in relation to his intellectually disabled friend".
Magistrate Franz Holzer said during sentencing that any use of a knife in a threatening manner was troubling.
"Particularly by someone with 43 pages of criminal history in circumstances where he has been imprisoned for something similar back in September 2020," he said.
In other developments, dash camera footage captured around the time of the double murder has been provided to police.
A Moyne Shire Council employee was in the Scotts North Road area before, during and immediately after the shooting. The shire said it had provided the footage to police and no longer had it.
Shire chief executive officer Brett Davis confirmed the council had assisted Victoria Police with its investigations into the matter.
"Our priority is the ongoing wellbeing of our team member and ensuring they have whatever supports they require available to them," he said.
Affected by this story? Call Lifeline on 13 11 14
IN OTHER NEWS:
Now just one tap with our new app: Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with The Standard: