The Keddie Cabin Murders - True Crime Cold Case Report Pt. 5

John Boubede, also known as "Bo," had been staying at Marty's house around the time of the Keddie cabin murders. Marty and Bo had become acquainted just a few weeks prior to the killings, while Bo was receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at the nearby Veterans Administration Hospital.

On the night of the murders, Marilyn, Bo, and Marty were seen together at a local bar. Later that evening, Marty and Bo left the house again after returning home. Intriguingly, when they came back to the bar later on, they were dressed in suits, as though they had been at a formal meeting. This change in attire led to speculation that they wanted to be conspicuously noticed by others.
During the investigation, Bo provided false information to the police. He claimed to have been a police officer in Chicago for 18 years, a statement that was later disproven. He also misrepresented the duration of his stay in Keddie and falsely claimed that Marilyn was his niece. There are reports suggesting that Bo might have had romantic feelings for Sue, which she allegedly rebuffed on two occasions.

Bo's Clearance Despite Discrepancies and Connections

Despite the inconsistencies in his statements and his lies, Bo was cleared by the police as a suspect in the Keddie murders. Subsequent investigations revealed that Boubede had a criminal history and was allegedly involved as an enforcer with the mafia in Chicago. Furthermore, there were beliefs that he might have been cooperating with the Department of Justice as an informant. This connection with the DOJ might explain why the Sacramento DOJ intervened early in the Keddie case, notably sending organized crime investigators instead of homicide detectives.

The specific evidence linking Boubede to the mafia remains unclear, yet it raises several critical questions. Was Boubede's apparent mafia connection the reason why detectives failed to investigate him thoroughly? Did this association lead to the apparent disregard of certain clues and evidence in the case? Was there an effort to protect an informant?
After the Keddie murders, John Boubede left the area and went back to Chicago, where he passed away in 1988.

Recent Progress in the Keddie Cabin Murders Case

The Keddie cabin murders case saw significant developments in 2013 when Plumas County Sheriff Greg Hagwood appointed Mike Gamberg as a Special Investigator. Gamberg, who was a young deputy at the time of the murders, had no prior involvement in the case. Since joining the investigation in 2013, he has unearthed several new pieces of evidence.