The Disturbing Reason Why You’ve Never Heard of Coral Eugene Watts

(UPDATE: Coral Watts is going on trial. See this post).

Coral Eugene Watts is one of the luckiest serial killers who ever butchered an innocent woman. He went on a murder binge between 1974 and 1982, attacking and killing at least 13 women – probably dozens more; he suggests 80 to 100, and it is a frighteningly credible claim. His killings took place in various cities from Houston to Detroit to Kalamazoo to Ann Arbor to Windsor and points between. His Texas rampage alone resulted in the deaths of a dozen women in less than a year. It was only his own sloppiness that eventually led him to a life term in a Michigan prison.

He attacked his victims on the street or in their homes in a sudden frenzy, often by stabbing them, sometimes by drowning or choking his victims to death. His “signature” was the rapidity and savagery of the attacks. Some women who survived his assaults reported that he laughed while he tried to butcher them.

So why haven’t you heard of him? He is easily in the running as one of the most prolific serial killers ever produced in the United States, and he cut a wide, international swath. And yet if you search on Google for “Coral Eugene Watts” (in quotes), you’ll find a paltry 812 pages mentioning him. In Internet terms, that’s next to nothing. Other serial killers with comparable “body counts” are much more infamous. “John Wayne Gacy” gets 358,000 internet mentions. “Jeffrey Dahmer” gets 418,000. "Ted Bundy," 670,000. Even an obscure killer of seven prostitutes like “Dayton Leroy Rogers” has 6,650 mentions.

Is the only difference the fact that Coral Eugene Watts did not rape his victims?

There was no overt sexual component to his killings – that was all in his head. Does that explain why Watts is unknown, while sex killers become household names? What else would explain it? And if that's the case, what does that say about our crime media? What does that say about us? Frankly, I don’t like the answer.

Indeed, I could not even find one single website that accurately listed all of his known victims and the dates on which he killed them.

Watts, born in Texas but raised in Inkster, a working-class black suburb of Detroit, started attacking women when he was only 15 years old and was “treated” with outpatient therapy. He attended college in Kalamazoo (Western Michigan University), and his attendance coincided with a wave of attacks on women there. Over the years, he escalated in savagery and frequency of attacks.

This post ends with a partial list of some of the cases connected to Watts. Bold cases are those that he confessed to. This list may contain errors, as there is very little information on the internet documenting his crimes. Watts has never granted an interview. He says he killed dozens of women, but he won’t confess without a deal. And it seems there aren’t many people who care.

June 24, 1969 – Joan Gave was beaten by her teenage paper boy – Coral Watts.

Oct. 25, 1974, Kalamazoo - Lenore Knizacky, 23, was strangled and nearly killed in her apartment.

Oct. 30, 1974, Kalamazoo – Gloria Steele was stabbed to death 33 times. Watts never confessed to this murder. A trial was planned but put on hold.

Nov. 12, 1974, Kalamazoo –Diane Williams was attacked but lived.

October 8, 1979, Detroit -- Peggy Pochmara, 22, was strangled to death.

Oct. 31, 1979, suburban Detroit -- Jeanne Clyne, 44, a reporter for the Detroit News, was stabbed 11 times in the chest and killed as she walked in her neighborhood in Grosse Pointe Farms.

December 1979, suburban Detroit – Helen Mae Dutcher was stabbed 12 times and died in Ferndale. Watts was convicted partly with a confession, though he now denies the crime.

January to May 1980 – Watts went through a divorce.

March 11, 1980, Detroit - Hazel Connof, 23, was strangled to death.

March 31, 1980, Detroit -- Denise Dunmore, 23, was strangled to death.

April 20, 1980, Ann Arbor – Shirley Small, 17, was stabbed twice and died.

May 31, 1980: Linda Monteiro, 27, strangled, Detroit.

July 1980, Ann Arbor – Glenda Richmond was stabbed 28 times and died.

July 1980, Windsor - Irene Kondratowiz, 22, was attacked, but lived after having her throat slashed. Sandra Dalpe, 20, lived through being stabbed from behind. Mary Angus, 30, of Windsor, escaped attack by screaming when she realized she was being followed.

Sept. 14, 1980, Ann Arbor – Rebecca Huff, 20, was stabbed about 50 times and died.

Nov. 15, 1980, Ann Arbor – Police caught Watts stalking a woman on the streets.

Jan. 17, 1981, Toledo - Connie Sue Thompson, 18, was found stabbed and strangled. Watts was suspected by police at one time.

Spring, 1981 – Watts moved to Texas.

September 5, 1981, Houston – Linda Tilley, 22, was drowned in her apartment complex swimming pool.

September 12, 1981, Houston – Elizabeth Montgomery was stabbed to death. The same day, Susan Wolf, 21, was stabbed to death.

January 4, 1982, Phyllis Tamm, 27, was choked to death and her body hung from a tree at Rice University.

January 17, 1982, Houston – Julie Sanchez was stabbed several times but lived.

January 17, 1982 - Margaret Fossi, 25, was also killed at Rice.

Jan. 29, 1982 – Alice Martell was murdered.

Jan. 30, 1982 – Patty Johnson (survived?)

Feb. 7, 1982, Houston – Elena Semander, 20, was strangled.

March 20, 1982 – Emily LaQua, 14, was strangled to death.

March 27, 1982 - Anna (Edith?) Ledet, 34, was murdered. Glenday Kirby (survived?)

March 31, 1982 – Mary Castillo was strangled to death.

April 3, 1982 - Christine McDonald was strangled to death.

April 5, 1982 - Suzanne Searles, 25 ?

April 15, 1982 – Corrie (Carrie?) Jefferson, 32 ?

April 16, 1982 – Yolanda DeGracia (Gracia?), 21 ?

May 1, 1982 – Sheri Straz ?

May 1982 – Gloria Cavellis ?

May 23, 1982, Houston – Michele Maday was strangled and drowned in her bathtub. The same day, he attacked roommates Lori Lister and Melinda Aguilar, but they escaped him. His bungled attempt to murder these two women led to his eventual seizure.

***

Sources:

Crime Library http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/coral_watts/3.html

About.com on C.E. Watts http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/watts2.htm

Murder Victims http://www.MurderVictims.Com/

Serial Killer Central http://www.skcentral.com/news.php?readmore=582

Houston Chronicle, Via Justice for All http://www.jfa.net/pub/page6.html

Predator Profiles http://www.extremeselfprotection.com/predator_profiles.htm

Comments

[Soobs]

Great post, Laura. I've often wondered why most people don't know about Watts. I thought it was because he is black, but the lack of a sexual assault could also be the reason. Not salacious enough for the general public??

[Jeri Westerson]

Well done, Laura. You've put those other web sites to shame.

[craig henry]

Great post. Unfortunately, i think you may have hit on part of the problem. Soobs's point is also a good one. Sort of like the difference between Mark Essex and Charles Whitman.

A couple of other possibilities: Dahmer and Gacy hit the headlines because of the carnage the police found in their residence. The arrest of Bundy and BTK solved a series of crimes that were already big news. Was there a big manhunt/ investigation in Michigan or Texas before Watts was captured?

[Emari]

I didn't know about Watts till I read this. Really good job there, and disturbing.

[Allison Brennan]

Laura, I think you hit on something here. I actually have read about Coral Watts in a book called THE SERIAL KILLER FILES by Harold Schechter. I looked up the entry on him and it was interesting that he was able to strike a plea deal in 1982 and for the murder of 13 women (though as you mention it was likely much higher), he was given a 60-year sentence with the possibility of parole as early as this year. I believe the was tried last year for another crime in another state, and convicted, but I don't know the details on it. FILES came out in 2003. I just thought it was interesting that Watts could have been the first serial killer paroled.

BTW, if you type in "Coral Watts" you get more hits, but still not nearly a fraction of the "big name" serial killers.

[Maggie]

I was attacked by Coral Watts in Ferndale, MI in 1979. There is a police report. I was attacked while getting into my car. He said he had a knife, he didn't. He ordered me to move over from the drivers seat, I couldn't because of a counsole. He beat my face with his left fist, I had a good hold on his right and I was biting. I ended up with a fractured cheek, concussion and broken nose.

I probably would be dead except he stopped hitting me and said: "I just want a ride to 12 Mile". At that point I knew he was really crazy and I swung my feet out, started screaming and kicking. A couple coming from 'Delta Lady' started running towards my car. He took off running to a side street, got in a car and took off.

I made a police report and was taken to the hospital. The police later told me they got him trying to attack two other women at a bus stop.

When I saw his name pop up recently, I called the Ferndale police and offered to testify. They told me they did not need my testimony, they had plenty of evidence. I hope they do.

[sarah l]

My ex-fiance once told me that he lived with Coral Watts in Texas. He said he was a nice guy, he just hated women. Needless to say that's why I said he's my ex-fiance.

[Tom Hearndon]

I have no doubt that the lack of sex is one reason why Watts is so unknown, but the fact that he was a black serial killer who targeted mostly white women is the over-riding reason. The police in both Michigan and Texas have noted the racial cast of this case and much of Watts' confession to cops contains many racial aspects, but the media picked up on the "evil eyes" statement and ran with it. The fact is, "evil in their eyes" was an inference that meant hatred of blacks to Watts.

[Kitty]

I just finished reading about "The Michigan Murders" and wonder if Watts wasn't doing some of the killings in that period since he was in the area at the time?
They eventually convicted James [Anderson] Armstrong, for only one of the seven murders, that of Carol Ann Gebhardt, and only because they found her blood in his law-enforcement uncles house, that he was house-sitting at the time of her death.
However he is a strong suspect for the other six and yet he claims innocence and no "proof" was ever found that pointed to him in the others--now I wonder if it wasn't Watts doing the killings at the same time?

James [Anderson] Armstrong's Victims:

Marilyn Pindar-Ypsilanti, Mich. 7/10/1967
Jill Hersch-Ann Arbor, Mich. 07/1/1968
Jeanne Holder-Ypsilanti,Mich. 03/21/1969
Mary Grace Clemson-Ann Arbor, Mich. 03/24/1969

Unsolved: Four mutilated corpses-Benton Harbor, Mich. 02/1965 three were not sexually molested, only the sole child found [7 yrs old] was.

Unsolved: Four decimated bodies of young women unearthed from a shallow grave, they were so mutilated that the actual cause of how they died was never determined-Cape Cod, Mass. 02 & 03/1969

Dale Harum-Ypsilanti, Mich. 04/16/1969
Audrey Sakol-Ann Arbor, Mich. 06/09/1969
Carol Ann Gebhardt-Ypsilanti, Mich. 07/23/1969

Unsolved: Ginger Lee Neary-Salinas/Carmel, Cal. 06/30/1969

Just curious--has anyone ever checked on these murders to see if he possibly did commit them?

Of course it's too late now---but just curious if he left any writings behind too?

And although we may never know if he killed these girls, we do know he is reaping the "fruits" of his labors in the Gardens of Hell, for those he admitted to--and I for one am glad.
K

[Henwood]

I'm not sure how it happened, but the comments I posted a couple of months ago, are attributed to Allison Brennan and dated Oct.19, 2006. The comments describe the horrific experience I endured when I was accosted by Coral Watts in the summer of '79' in Ferndale, MI. I wouldn't want anyone to think that Allison Brennan was attacted by Watts.

I don't know how, but the wrong name is on the posting.

[Laura]

Hi,
Typepad is not very well laid out. Each comment has a line that appears below it, and the name of the commenter appears below the line. When there are several comments this can make it confusing as to who left a comment. I will look for a layout that clears up this problem, which others have mentioned.
Laura

[Tom]

To my knowledge, Christine McDonald was not strangled - she disappeared entirely.

[Rose]

Also to my knowledge, Christine McDonald disappeared entirely. I have been trying to find information on her disappearance for several years. How can I speak to the other person who commented about her? Rose

[Sandra]

I am the Sandra Dalpe mentioned above. Just saying I was attacked from behind is an understatement. I was left for dead, I nearly died. I suffered several wounds to my back neck and face resulting in severe physical problems as well as all the emotional and mental problems that go with it. I was in intensive care for a while and then moved to a step down area of the hospital. Getting proper help from the medical system and government is a challenge I have to live with on a daily basis. He stalked me for a few days at least and I saw him at least four times before he attacked me. He was going to be the first serial killer released from prison and thank goodness the Michigan authorities found two cases to charge him with to keep him in prison. On paper he was released from prison from the Texas system.

[Sandra]

During the first trial in Michigan the Peterson case was on Court TV so it took precedent over the Watts trial.

[EJ]

The Michigan Murders were commited by John Norman Collins. In the book, the author changed the names and acknowledged doing so in the book notes.

As to why almost no one has ever heard of Watts, I think you cannot overlook the fact that he was smart enough to know to keep quiet. In almost all the cases, the only evidence against him was his confession. He never gave interviews to the press. He refused to speak to law enforcement without a grant of immunity. He didn't bragged to any fellow inmates. I think there were just other more vivid monsters to talk about. It's not surprising that he was the one who almost got out of jail.

[rms]

May 1, 1982 - her name was Sheri Strait. We went to the same school, worked at the same mall, across the way from each other. She and I were both working the nigh she went missing. I never really knew what happened other than she was found at a different mall's parking lot. I saw something on TV about Carl Watts years ago, I think he went by Corl. Something about the story reminded me me of one night walking to my car after work, hearing footsteps feeling like someone was following me. I kept walking faster to my car with my keys ready. I got in, locked the car looked, but never saw anyone. I know I heard footsteps. I remember hearing on the news about murders and crime and the news person said to always be aware of your surroundings. (I constantly remind my children of this) I honestly believe if I hadn't been aware I would have had the same fate as Sheri. She went missing shortly after my scare. I searched his name years ago and found Sheri's name listed, but not much information. Sheri and I both had dark hark, similar build, she was a little taller, but I am sure at 16/17 yr. 5'1" and 86 lbs, I was an easy target, had I been attacked, would have been impossible to fight back. I am sure he knew I knew he was there. I have always wondered if I was the target and he mistook her, or if she was the target and realized I wasn't her. RIP Sheri. Tomorrow 5-25-14 would have been her 30 yr High School Graduation.

[Eileen McH.]

Just an aside: Watts DID rape Lena "Joyce" Bennett. She lived right down the road and turn left from my house, in Harper Woods, MI. He confessed to that killing and was given immunity for it.

[melanie miller]

I dont know if this could have been the man that attacked me or not. They never caught the man. I was taken by a black male on my way to school. I lived on portage and went to school at edison, I was nine at the time but looked like a teen. He drove a Lincoln continental, i remember that he was wearing gray blue pants with a black or navy strip down the outside, like a postman or some type of uniform pants. He was able to get me in his car and told me to lay down and keep quiet or he would kill me. When he stopped and got in the back seat with a knife i had a accident in my pants. He got mad and let me go in a parking lot. It was 1974 but it was the first part. That was 41 years. Ago. My mom brought me to Alabama when i was ten to 10 so i would feel safe. I wonder if it was him. He had a beard at the time.

[Timothy Tunson]

I WORKED WITH WATTS AT THE AT HOU-TRAN AND WE ALWAYS HAD LENGTHY CONVERSATION ABOUT SLAVERY, BLACK AND WHITE AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.I THINK IM THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY KNOW WHY HE KILLED AND WHY IT WAS ALMOST 100% WHITE WOMEN.HE MENTIONED IT TO ME ON MORE THAN SEVERAL OCCASIONS.