Serial Killer Scheduled for Release in 2006

[Deborah Siehl]

Serial killer slated for release in 2006
BY PAM EASTON
Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The murders were as random as they were vicious: stabbings, hangings, stranglings, drownings. The women didn't know each other or the hooded man who, according to one survivor, enjoyed the killing so much he was "clapping and dancing."

Police eventually caught up with Coral Eugene Watts but couldn't connect him to the savage crimes in Texas and Michigan.

Desperate to close the cases, prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain. In 1982, Watts admitted he killed 13 women -- "They had evil in their eyes," he said -- but he went to prison for burglary with intent to commit murder.

He was sentenced to 60 years, and prosecutors, police and the judge thought that was enough.

Now, a quirk in the Texas legal system may short-circuit their intentions. Mandatory release laws aimed at relieving prison crowding require Watts' be discharged on May 8, 2006, unless he loses good behavior credits that he has accumulated in prison. He will be 52.

Watts is believed to have killed dozens of women, and authorities in Texas and Michigan are scouring old files, archives and evidence folders for any shred that might tie him to an open case for which he didn't receive immunity in the plea.

"Everybody knows he is going to kill again," said Houston police Sgt. Tom Ladd, who interrogated Watts after his arrest in 1982. "His last statement to me was: 'You know, Tom, if I get out, I'm going to do it again.' "

"He's a homicidal time bomb," Ladd said.

Finding new evidence will be tough, Ladd said. DNA testing wasn't done in the 1980s, and evidence collection was handled differently.

Watts first came to the attention of authorities in Michigan in 1974 when he was accused of choking and beating a woman in Kalamazoo. He was convicted of aggravated assault in 1975 and spent a year in jail.

He then moved to Ann Arbor, where police kept a close eye on him but never caught him committing a crime.

Michigan authorities eventually suspected Watts of attacking at least 14 women and killing eight in Ann Arbor, Detroit and the neighboring Canadian town of Windsor between October 1979 and November 1980.

But they could do little more than relay their suspicions and details of Watts' background to Houston authorities after he moved south in 1981.

"Logistically, it was impossible to keep a 24-hour tab on this guy," Ladd said. "We didn't have anything to follow him on."

Twelve Texas women died before Watts crossed paths with police again.

Bryan Collier, director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's parole division, said that if Watts gets out in 2006 he will be watched closely from his release until his 60-year sentence expires in 2042.

Harriett Semander, whose 20-year-old daughter Elena Semander was strangled with her own shirt, isn't convinced that will be enough.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he has been sitting in prison for the last 20 years planning his next murder," she said. "This man was street smart. He was cunning. He liked what he did. Of course he is going to do it again, and when there is the next victim, we can all take the blame for it."

[Deborah Siehl]

I found this article among many more on Coral Eugene Watts earlier this year while doing research on Serial Killers.

The "quirk in the legal system" being mentioned revolves around a drafting error in the court documents.

Coral agreed to confess to 13 of the killings in exchange for an aggravated burglary charge, which the prosecutors agreed to get him to confess.

This man is going to terrorize the neighborhood that he lives in.

Serial Killers are able to persuade the psychologists and psychiatrists to believe that they are making progress, so they deem them fit to live a normal life in our society.

Coral Eugene Watts hasn't received psychiatric care in prison; prisoners don't receive this kind of help unless they ask for it. A serial killer won't ask for help because this is what they thrive on; this is what puts them in control.

Here is the petition site, you can help by signing this online petition. Check it out, you can be anonymous.

Help keep this monster behind bars.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takea...062871623&sign[partner_userID]=173071421&sign[memberID]=173071421&sign[partnerID]=1

[Mr Jose Bonavich Jr]

Deborah,

This story is just another in a long line of "early release" glitches that are putting extremely violent offenders back on the street.

I will definately sign the petition to try to keep him in prison, this man should never be let out.

[Sunya N. Nardo]

I agree! He should have been sentenced to life or even worst. No human being that commits horrible crimes should be released from prison under no condition. (Just my opinion) Have a nice day.....


Aloha,


Sunya

[Cherie L. Bruni]

Hello everyone! The story I just read is unbelievable!! I live in Michigan, not far at all from Ann Arbor, in fact I lived there for several years. The fact that someone can confess to 13 murders of women and make a deal for burglary is disgusting!!! To me it sounds like no one thought those women's lives were worth much. Fine, they were able to convict him on "something" but NOT GOOD ENOUGH. In a case like this lawyers should have said "ok" to a deal and turned around and said to 0000 bad about your deal with his confession. Sometimes I think the extremely guilty have way to many rights. Alot more than the victim's, thats for sure. So where's the justice. Now in 2006 we all have to "watch our backs" because of a glitch? Unacceptable. That's my 2 cents.

Cherie L. Bruni

By the way you can bet I signed that petition!!!!!!!!!

[Deborah Siehl]

Just an added note:

I went to the Department of Corrections in Texa's website to see if I could get a picture of this guy. As it turns out you have to mail a request.

Here in Fla. you can go into the correction's website and type in a name and their pic will load.

Have a great week.

Deborah Siehl

[Colleen L Hayes]

After reading that article I found myself wondering who 'really' makes the laws? The attorneys that get paid no matter what? I know I don't vote for laws like that. In fact, I'm pretty sure I had nothing to do with laws like that. But, you can bet I will make sure I'm aware of laws like that from now on.

My signature will also be on that petition...............

[Michael A Langley Jr]

Originally Posted by Deborah Siehl

Serial killer slated for release in 2006
BY PAM EASTON
Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The murders were as random as they were vicious: stabbings, hangings, stranglings, drownings. The women didn't know each other or the hooded man who, according to one survivor, enjoyed the killing so much he was "clapping and dancing."

Police eventually caught up with Coral Eugene Watts but couldn't connect him to the savage crimes in Texas and Michigan.

Desperate to close the cases, prosecutors agreed to a plea bargain. In 1982, Watts admitted he killed 13 women -- "They had evil in their eyes," he said -- but he went to prison for burglary with intent to commit murder.

He was sentenced to 60 years, and prosecutors, police and the judge thought that was enough.

Now, a quirk in the Texas legal system may short-circuit their intentions. Mandatory release laws aimed at relieving prison crowding require Watts' be discharged on May 8, 2006, unless he loses good behavior credits that he has accumulated in prison. He will be 52.

Watts is believed to have killed dozens of women, and authorities in Texas and Michigan are scouring old files, archives and evidence folders for any shred that might tie him to an open case for which he didn't receive immunity in the plea.

"Everybody knows he is going to kill again," said Houston police Sgt. Tom Ladd, who interrogated Watts after his arrest in 1982. "His last statement to me was: 'You know, Tom, if I get out, I'm going to do it again.' "

"He's a homicidal time bomb," Ladd said.

Finding new evidence will be tough, Ladd said. DNA testing wasn't done in the 1980s, and evidence collection was handled differently.

Watts first came to the attention of authorities in Michigan in 1974 when he was accused of choking and beating a woman in Kalamazoo. He was convicted of aggravated assault in 1975 and spent a year in jail.

He then moved to Ann Arbor, where police kept a close eye on him but never caught him committing a crime.

Michigan authorities eventually suspected Watts of attacking at least 14 women and killing eight in Ann Arbor, Detroit and the neighboring Canadian town of Windsor between October 1979 and November 1980.

But they could do little more than relay their suspicions and details of Watts' background to Houston authorities after he moved south in 1981.

"Logistically, it was impossible to keep a 24-hour tab on this guy," Ladd said. "We didn't have anything to follow him on."

Twelve Texas women died before Watts crossed paths with police again.

Bryan Collier, director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's parole division, said that if Watts gets out in 2006 he will be watched closely from his release until his 60-year sentence expires in 2042.

Harriett Semander, whose 20-year-old daughter Elena Semander was strangled with her own shirt, isn't convinced that will be enough.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he has been sitting in prison for the last 20 years planning his next murder," she said. "This man was street smart. He was cunning. He liked what he did. Of course he is going to do it again, and when there is the next victim, we can all take the blame for it."

This is absolutely ridiculous! And if this man does murder again, whom do we blame? The system cannot allow a mass murderer to go free on a technicality in the law. However, it is done every day- a felon is allowed to roam free due to a technical mistake in the law or one made in the court room.

[Matthew Hinman]

Coral Eugene Watts was tried and convicted in a Michigan court for first-degree murder and will serve a life sentence upon release from the Texas criminal justice system.

http://www.courttv.com/trials/watts/...ncing_ctv.html

Hope this puts everyone's mind at ease....

--
Matthew

[Flora Porter]

Originally Posted by Matthew Hinman

Coral Eugene Watts was tried and convicted in a Michigan court for first-degree murder and will serve a life sentence upon release from the Texas criminal justice system.

http://www.courttv.com/trials/watts/...ncing_ctv.html

Hope this puts everyone's mind at ease....

--
Matthew

Yea,
Matthew,

That's Good News. Thanks for spreading the word "Life"