Theresa Knorr

Theresa Jimmie Francine Knorr (née Cross) was born on March 12, 1946, in Sacramento to James ‘Jim’ Cross and Swannie Gay. She was the couple’s second child; her sister, Rosemary, was a couple of years older to her. Theresa also had two step-siblings, William and Clara, both out of Swannie's first marriage.

Jim was employed at the Golden State Dairy in Sacramento as an assistant cheesemaker while Swannie worked at a local timber company. With the family prospering, they moved to a larger house Rio Linda, California in the early 1950s.

Their happiness, however, was transitory because, by the late 1950s, Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Forced to leave his job, he became a victim of depression and the children had to bear the brunt of his anger.

On March 2, 1961, Swannie suddenly collapsed and died of congestive heart failure in the arms of Theresa as they were going to the local store. Extremely attached to her mother, Theresa was deeply affected by this loss and became immensely depressed.

With Jim not able to work and Swannie dead, the family home had to be sold; the loss of security made Theresa even more vulnerable and she quickly fell in love and got married to Clifford Clyde Sanders, five years her senior; she was just 16 years old then.

Sheila Gay Sanders, her second child, was born in 1965. Theresa had a brief fling with Estelle Lee Thornsberry, a disabled U.S. Army veteran. The pair split because of Theresa’s drinking problem, wild ways, and unfaithfulness.

On July 9, 1966, she married Robert Knorr, Thornsberry’s friend with whom she was already having an affair. At that time, she was already seven months pregnant and in September 1966, Suesan Marlene Knorr was born. Thereafter, the couple had William Robert Knorr on September 15, 1967, and Robert Wallace Knorr, Jr. on December 31, 1968.

Theresa constantly accused Robert Knorr of having affairs and despite being pregnant obtained a divorce on June 3, 1970. Another daughter, her sixth and last offspring, Theresa (Terry) Marie Knorr was born just two months later.

Both her subsequent marriages; to Ronald Pulliam, a railroad worker in 1971, and to Chester "Chet" Harris, the editor of ‘Sacramento Union’ in 1976, were disasters and ended in divorce.

The much-divorced Theresa started to drink even more, gained weight, and became severely short-tempered and abusive towards her children. Not satisfied with mentally torturing her children, she started physically punishing them too. She even became some sort of a recluse, not going out or allowing visitors.

Convinced that Suesan had been turned into a witch by Chester Harris, Theresa started beating her so badly that Suesan ultimately ran away but was returned to her mother as nobody believed her stories of mental and physical abuse.

In 1982, in a fit of rage, Theresa shot Suesan with a .22-caliber pistol. Not wanting police involvement, Suesan was bandaged with the bullet still in the body and looked after by her sisters, Sheila and Terry, till she recovered.

In another flare-up in July 1984, an argumentative and angry Theresa stabbed Suesan with a pair of scissors though not grievously.

A fed-up Suesan requested permission and surprisingly obtained her mother’s consent to move out. There was one rider, though; the bullet lodged in Suesan’s back had to be removed first.

Robert Wallace Knorr, Jr., acting under his mother’s instructions managed to remove the bullet, however, infection set in and within a few days, Suesan was in terrible pain, her eyes had turned yellow, and she had lost control over her bowels.