What did Carl Eugene Watts do?
Carl Eugene Watts was an American serial killer who is believed to have murdered as many as 100 women over an 8-year period. He was dubbed “The Sunday Morning Slasher,” and the authorities think he could be the most prolific serial killer in American history.
Watts’ first confirmed murder happened in 1974 when he was only 20 years old. His modus operandi consisted of kidnapping his victims from their homes and torturing them before eventually murdering them. His methods of killing included stabbing, bludgeoning, drowning and strangulation. He rarely performed sexual acts on his victims, which made it very difficult for law enforcement to link his many crimes.
What happened after Watts’ arrest?
Watts was arrested for an attack on two women called Lori Lister and Melinda Aguilar. He managed to get a plea bargain, meaning he would only be charged with burglary with intent to murder if he confessed to the crimes, and received immunity for 13 additional murders he had committed.
Watts was sentenced to 60 years in prison in 1982. However, something bizarre happened a few days after he started serving his sentence. The Texas Court of Appeals ruled that he had not been informed that the bathtub he attempted to drown one of his victims in was considered a deadly weapon, and the ruling classed him as a non-violent felon, making him eligible for early release.
In 2004, the DA went on Television to appeal to anyone to come forward with information to try and convict Watts of murder to keep him behind bars. A man came forward with an eye witness statement and identified him as the man who murdered a woman called Helen Dutcher, and despite having immunity for 13 murders, he was charged with this murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was then later convicted of another murder and received an additional life sentence.
Carl Eugene Watts would never be released from prison, but many more victims didn’t receive the justice they deserved.
Where is Carl Eugene Watts now?
Carl Eugene Watts served his sentence at a maximum security prison in Ionia, Michigan until his death from prostate cancer in 2007.
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