The Sunday Morning Slasher

Summary

Cold Case Files: The Sunday Morning Slasher

Introduction

In the gripping episode titled "The Sunday Morning Slasher," host Paula Barros delves into one of America's most chilling and elusive serial killer cases. Based on the Emmy-nominated series from A&E, this episode meticulously unpacks the harrowing journey from the initial murders in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the eventual capture and downfall of Coral Eugene Watts. Through detailed discussions, insightful interviews, and poignant reflections, listeners are taken on a comprehensive exploration of how a determined investigative team pieced together the puzzle of a man who would become one of the most notorious serial killers in U.S. history.

The Ann Arbor Murders

The story begins on September 14, 1980, a seemingly ordinary Sunday morning in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Detective Paul Bunton arrives at the scene of a brutal murder that would set the stage for a series of heinous crimes.

Detective Paul Bunton [01:22]: "Well, I walked in and as I looked down the walkway here, I could see Rebecca Hough's body lying face down right in this area right here. And spread around here was books and book bag and things like that."

Rebecca Greer Huff, a 30-year-old graduate student, was found stabbed over 50 times, likely with a screwdriver—a method of operation (M.O.) that would soon reveal a terrifying pattern. In the following months, two more women, Shirley Small (17) and Glenda Richmond (26), met similar fates. The brutality and timing of these murders unmistakably pointed to a serial killer.

Detective Paul Bunton [02:13]: "It became glaringly obvious at that point because of the wound pattern. And again, time of mourning Sunday morning, a couple of months apart, that we had a serial killer on our hands."

As fear gripped the college town, the local media quickly labeled the perpetrator the "Sunday Morning Slasher," amplifying the community's anxiety.

The Investigation Unfolds

Despite the evident M.O., the Ann Arbor police struggled to make significant progress for the first three months. It wasn't until Detective Bunton received an unexpected call from Detroit investigator Jim Arthurs that the investigation took a pivotal turn.

Detective Paul Bunton [03:02]: "When I read the M.O. the method of operation of the perpetrator, I recognized it immediately. As being that of Coral Eugene Watts."

Coral Eugene Watts had been a prime suspect in the 1974 unsolved murder of Gloria Steele, whose violent stabbing resembled the Ann Arbor killings. Watts’ troubled history, marked by violent assaults and psychiatric confinement, made him a person of interest, though his residence 50 miles away in Detroit posed a significant challenge.

Watts as a Suspect

Armed with the tip from Arthurs, Detective Bunton began a thorough background check on Watts. The more he unearthed, the more convinced he became of Watts' guilt.

Detective Paul Bunton [04:00]: "Watts’ background is checkered with violent assaults and psychiatric confinement. And when Bunton digs into the Gloria Steel case, he begins to see what Detective Arthurs saw."

However, Watts’ location in Detroit meant lacking direct evidence placing him in Ann Arbor. This hurdle seemed insurmountable until an opportunity presented itself on November 15, 1980.

Arrest and Interrogation

During a routine night patrol, Officer Don Terry observed a man acting suspiciously near a walking victim, which turned out to be Watts.

Detective Paul Bunton [04:50]: "And we saw a young lady walking down the street at 4:30 in the morning by herself. And she wasn't just walking, she was looking around everywhere."

Terry’s prompt identification led to Watts' arrest for stalking. Although Watts did not immediately confess to any murders, the arrest allowed the police to search his vehicle, uncovering wood carving tools that matched the wound patterns of the victims—strengthening the case against him.

Detective Paul Bunton [06:33]: "It yielded a lot of things that led us to believe that he very well may have been our suspect. There were some wood carving tools that the tools looked remarkably like the wounds."

Watts in Texas

After months of surveillance, Watts vanished from Houston, Texas, where Detective Doug Bostock had been monitoring him. During this period, Watts committed further crimes, including the murders of Elena Simander and Lori Lister, leaving the authorities struggling to keep him in custody.

Detective Paul Bunton [10:14]: "He was a hard worker. He had two jobs, a lot of time, and for like four, five, six months, he never did anything. And then all of a sudden, boom, he was out there driving around, stalking as your natural predator."

Continued Murders and Confessions

Coral Watts’ spree extended beyond Ann Arbor, with multiple attacks and murders across Texas. Survivors like Lori Lister and Melinda Aguilar provided crucial testimonies that linked Watts to these crimes.

Detective Paul Bunton [14:02]: "Melinda. Is she okay? Oh, the balcony, yeah, because when I... stole her belongings, including a set of architectural drawings. Drawings which Watts later burned."

In a pivotal moment, Watts agreed to lead the police on a tour of his crime scenes, offering detailed confessions to twelve unsolved homicides. His cooperation, however, was contingent upon a plea deal that would have significant repercussions.

Legal Challenges and Release

In September 1982, Watts pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to commit murder, receiving a 60-year sentence. Crucially, this deal exempted him from charges related to twelve of his confessed murders in Harris County, Texas.

Detective Paul Bunton [24:08]: "You don't give immunity to a murderer. You just don't do that."

This plea bargain created a loophole that would later allow Watts to be eligible for early release, despite being a confessed serial killer.

Advocacy Efforts

Harriet Samander, mother of one of Watts' victims, and Andy Kahn, a victim’s rights advocate, spearheaded efforts to prevent Watts' release. They petitioned the Texas legislature to abolish the mandatory release law, achieving partial success in 1996 but unable to retroactively apply the change to Watts’ case.

Detective Paul Bunton [25:25]: "It was unbelievable that he was allowed to kill so many women knowing what they knew about him. It's frustrating."

Their relentless advocacy kept public attention on Watts’ impending release, highlighting systemic flaws in the criminal justice system that allowed a serial killer to potentially regain freedom.

Final Trial and Conviction

In 2005, due to renewed efforts and a crucial eyewitness testimony from Joseph Foy, Watts was finally brought to trial in Michigan for the murder of Helen Dutcher. Prosecutor Donna Pendergast presented compelling evidence, including Watts’ own confessions and testimonies from survivors.

Detective Paul Bunton [43:34]: "He was the first time like this. When he got here. He pushed it all the way inside and then kicked like this. That's when he cut the rest of my neck and my ear."

The jury, recognizing the overwhelming evidence and the pattern of Watts' crimes, convicted him of first-degree premeditated murder, sentencing him to life in prison without parole.

Detective Paul Bunton [45:11]: "You do say upon your oath that you find the defendant guilty of first degree premeditated murder."

Watts' Death and Legacy

Coral Eugene Watts died in September 2007 from prostate cancer, putting an end to one of the most notorious serial killer cases in the United States. Despite his death, many questions remain about the full extent of his crimes, as authorities could only confirm a fraction of his alleged murders.

Detective Paul Bunton [45:30]: "He should be dead right now. He's breathing borrowed air. The only thing I can say, I hope God escorts his ass to hell."

Reflection and Closure

Detective Bunton reflects on the emotional toll the case took on him and the victims' families, expressing frustration over the justice system's shortcomings that allowed Watts to evade full accountability.

Detective Paul Bunton [24:33]: "I was obsessed with this case for several years. It's frustrating. It's a portion of your life that there's no closure to. And the victims families, there's no closure. And that bothered me a lot."

The episode concludes by highlighting the critical need for vigilance and systemic improvements to prevent such tragedies from recurring, ensuring that justice prevails for all victims.

Conclusion

"The Sunday Morning Slasher" serves as a sobering reminder of the complexities and challenges inherent in solving cold cases. Through meticulous investigation, unwavering determination, and the tireless advocacy of victims' families, justice was eventually served in the case of Coral Eugene Watts. This episode not only recounts the harrowing details of the murders but also underscores the enduring impact on those left behind and the imperative for continuous improvement within the criminal justice system.

Transcript

[Marissa Pinson]

Hi, cold case listeners. I'm Marissa Pinson. And before we get into this week's episode, I just wanted to remind you that episodes of Cold Case Files, as well as the A and E classic podcasts, I Survived American justice and City Confidential, are all available ad free on the new AE Crime and Investigation channel on Apple Podcasts and Apple plus for just 4.99amonth or $39.99 a year. And now onto the show. This program contains subject matter that may be disturbing to some listeners. Listener discretion is advised.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He killed at least a dozen Texas women stabbed or strangled for no apparent reason. It's almost like a horror movie. It was so horrific you can't believe it's real. But it was. But because of his good behavior behind bars, the state of Texas must legally free him. He will be the first serial killer in this country's history ever to be legally released unless we do something.

[Marissa Pinson]

There are over 100,000 cold cases in America. Only 1% are ever solved. This is one of those rare stories. It's September 14, 1980, a Sunday morning in Ann Arbor. Michigan homicide detective Paul Bunton heads to the scene of a murder.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Well, I walked in and as I looked down the walkway here, I could see Rebecca Hough's body lying face down right in this area right here. And spread around here was books and book bag and things like that.

[Marissa Pinson]

The victim is 30 year old Rebecca Greer Huff, a University of Michigan graduate student. She has been stabbed more than 50 times with what police believe to be a screwdriver. It is an M.O. detective Bunton has seen before.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

All of them were very early morning Sunday mornings.

[Marissa Pinson]

In the past six months. Two other Ann Arbor women were stabbed to death while walking home alone. 17 year old Shirley Small and 26 year old Glenda Richmond.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

It became glaringly obvious at that point because of the wound pattern. And again, time of mourning Sunday morning, a couple of months apart, that we had a serial killer on our hands.

[Marissa Pinson]

The local media catches wind of the story and dubs the killer the Sunday Morning Slasher. And the college town begins to churn with fear.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

It was a shock for the community, especially for the university community. There's women walking around up on campus very, very late at night. It was very shocking. There was a lot of fear and rightfully so.

[Marissa Pinson]

Three months after the Huff killing, Ann Arbor police are no closer to their killer until news of the killings catches the eye of a Detroit investigator named Jim Arthurs.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

When I read the M.O. the method of operation of the perpetrator, I recognized it immediately. As being that of Coral Eugene Watts.

[Marissa Pinson]

In 1974, Coral Eugene Watts was the prime suspect in the unsolved murder of a woman named Gloria Steele. Multiple stab wounds and a similar wound pattern tell detectives that Steele's murder might be related to the Ann Arbor homicides.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I never forgot him because I really felt bad about the fact that we were unable to get a case on him. We just didn't have enough physical evidence, I think, at that time. And I never forgot the guy.

[Marissa Pinson]

Arthurs puts in a call to Ann Arbor and passes the name Corll Watts onto Detective Paul Bunton.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

We started doing some basic work up on Corll Watts and found that he was a very, very troubled person. And the more work we did on his background, the more convinced we became that he was our prime suspect.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts background is checkered with violent assaults and psychiatric confinement. And when Bunton digs into the Gloria Steel case, he begins to see what Detective Arthur saw.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

When we looked at the photographs, the wound pattern, the wound type was practically an overlay to two of our homicides.

[Marissa Pinson]

There is, however, one big problem with Watts as a suspect. He lives 50 miles away in the city of Detroit, and no witness can place him in Ann Arbor. But that is about to change.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

You see these meter heads on the parking meters here? Somebody had been going around sawing those off.

[Marissa Pinson]

On November 15, 1980, Officer Don Terry works night patrol looking to catch a petty thief. In the early hours of the morning, he sees something far more sinister.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And we saw a young lady walking down the street at 4:30 in the morning by herself. And she wasn't just walking, she was looking around everywhere.

[Marissa Pinson]

Terry spots a man alone in a vehicle who appears to be stalking the woman.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He went down a block and then came back up a block ahead of us and stopped and stared at her again. And then he went up, turned around, came back, stopped, did the exact same thing again. It was very obvious that he had an eye on her and he was following her. He went by, saw her, came up, turned around, went around the block, came back, she was gone.

[Marissa Pinson]

Terry calls in the suspect's tag number and dispatch comes back with the name Coral Eugene Watts.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

You could hear Mary's voice go up about three octaves when she came back and said that comes back to Corl Watts. Exactly. And he's on the suspect list. He, for whatever reason, decided to go over a block instead of staying on the main street he'd been on. And when he did that, he had to make an illegal turn.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts illegal turn gives Terry grounds to Pull the suspect over. Across town, Detective Paul Bunton is just about to call it a night when he hears Watts name crackle across the scanner.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And when I heard you radio in that you had that subject stalking, that kind of got my ear. And I radioed to Don, hold him, I'm on my way. I probably made that trip back in record time because you were still at the scene when I got there, yeah.

[Marissa Pinson]

26 year old watts is handcuffed and brought in for questioning. He gets a lawyer and reveals nothing. But his arrest for stalking allows police to get a search warrant for his car.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

It did not yield a lot of usable evidence, but it yielded a lot of things that led us to believe that he very well may have been our suspect. There were some wood carving tools that the tools looked remarkably like the wounds. None of them had human blood on them however. But it just solidified what we already believed about him.

[Marissa Pinson]

Believing someone to be a serial killer and proving it are two very different things. Police place a tracking device on Corll's car and place him under 24. 7 surveillance.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He knew that he was a suspect in my eyes if nothing else. And he was suspecting that he was being followed. He was suspecting a lot of things.

[Marissa Pinson]

Eight weeks later, Detective Bunton sits down with Watts and presses him about the murder.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And we talked for several hours. I tried not to get too accusatory because I wanted to keep talking with him. But I finally started getting fairly accusatory and he continued to talk to me. And I even got to one point where I says, coral, I even know how you did it. And I actually got around behind him and I put my hand around his throat like this. And I said, you just stabbed like this. I kept stabbing. And he practically went limp on me when I did that. And I said, you are a very sick, troubled person. And he agreed with me. He at that point just kind of went within himself and said, I want to talk to my mother.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts admits to being troubled, but does not admit to being a killer. Bunton is left to face the victims families, letting them know he has a suspect in his custody, but not the evidence he needs to arrest him for murder.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

That's the way I believe it happened to me. It was totally bewildering. Somebody just stepped out of the dark and stabbed her to death. Now that's, that's tough to take.

[Marissa Pinson]

Time passes and the Sunday morning slashings stop. Surveillance on Watts is scaled back and the suspect disappears.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And I happened onto an old employer that owed him money and he had Stopped by and gave him a forwarding address to Houston, Texas.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detective Bunton picks up the phone and puts in a call to Texas.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The building right back there, that kind of bright beige one, that's the original police academy.

[Marissa Pinson]

In the spring of 1981, Doug Bostock is a homicide detective in one of America's fastest growing cities. Houston, Texas.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

We were a very busy city back in those times. We had several years of 700 murders a year.

[Marissa Pinson]

On April 8, he gets a call from Paul Bunton in Ann Arbor warning him about Coral Eugene Watts arrival in Houston.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to commit more murders. That's why I called down there and told him this is one dangerous guy. You need to keep an eye on him. He's not going to stop.

[Marissa Pinson]

Bostock places a transmitter on Watts car and tails him on and off.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

For two months he was acting just like I'm doing. He was driving down the road, going to work, going home. He was doing nothing that any normal person would be doing that was working for a living.

[Marissa Pinson]

In a city with as many as 700 murders a year, detectives can spend only so much time watching Corl Watts and waiting.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

We would just do spot checks on him at work and so forth. And he was still checking in at work, he was still at the apartment. And after a while he completely disappeared.

[Marissa Pinson]

Cora Watts vanishes in the city of Houston. But a few months later, bodies begin to surface.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I saw Alaina just the night before she was killed.

[Marissa Pinson]

It's February 6, 1982, a Saturday night. Harriet Simander watches her 20 year old daughter Elena get ready for a night out.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And I came on into the kitchen and a few minutes later I see.

[Marissa Pinson]

Her kind of rushing out and she.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Says, bye, I'll see you later. And I said, okay, see you later.

[Marissa Pinson]

The following morning, Elena is missing. Her father begins calling friends, looking for his daughter.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Something was wrong over a friend's apartment.

[Marissa Pinson]

On the other end of one call, a friend is reluctant to talk and quickly cuts the conversation short.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

So we waited about 30 minutes and finally my husband called back. He says, if you know anything about my daughter, tell me now.

[Marissa Pinson]

I want to know what's going on. And he handed the phone over to.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The police and they had found her.

[Marissa Pinson]

Body in a trash dumpster. Alaina Simander has been strangled and Houston Homicide has no idea why.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

After that, we just kept checking with the police to see if they had any news and they didn't.

[Marissa Pinson]

It was kind of a cold case.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

After a while, I just drove in.

[Marissa Pinson]

From the Driveway there. And I always had a habit of parking in front of the fire station. Three months later, early on a Sunday morning, Lori Lister pulls into the parking lot of her apartment complex.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

So I would park right over there that morning and just walked into the courtyard.

[Marissa Pinson]

She makes her way up to apartment 1223, unaware that a stranger is waiting.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And he attacked me, like, just before.

[Marissa Pinson]

I reached the staircase because he didn't.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Know if I was upstairs or downstairs. And he came behind me, but then.

[Marissa Pinson]

He pulled me underneath into this patio area here where we were kind of.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Hidden behind the fence there.

[Marissa Pinson]

The attacker puts Lori in a stranglehold and demands to know which apartment is hers. And I remember at that point thinking, he's going to kill me, and if I don't tell him where I live, he's going to put me in his trunk and bury me somewhere if I.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Do tell him where I live.

[Marissa Pinson]

Melinda's up there.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I heard Lori's keys at the door.

[Marissa Pinson]

Melinda is Lori's roommate. When she goes to open the door, she is immediately attacked.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Everything happened so quick. When he grabbed me, he put a.

[Marissa Pinson]

Knife to me and said that he.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Was going to kill me. So at that time, he was also choking me, and I couldn't breathe.

[Marissa Pinson]

And then I knew that I had.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

To do something, otherwise I would pass out.

[Marissa Pinson]

So that's when I pretended to pass out. Melinda plays dead. The attacker drags her to the bedroom and ties her up with a wire hanger. He then returns to Laurie, choked, unconscious and left lying outside.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He went outside, and I heard him dragging her up the stairs, so I assumed that she was out because he was dragging her up the stairs.

[Marissa Pinson]

And I could hear her body hitting the steps. Thinking Melinda is unconscious, the attacker focuses on Lori filling a bathtub with water and preparing to drown her.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I opened up the sliding door there to your right.

[Marissa Pinson]

Melinda seizes her chance to escape.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

What I did is I jumped as high as I could and went did a somersault, and I actually hit my head on top.

[Marissa Pinson]

And then when I came down, I landed on my knees.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

There was a lady sitting out, you know, out in her little porch area drinking coffee.

[Marissa Pinson]

And that's, you know, I told her I needed help.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Someone was trying to kill my roommate.

[Marissa Pinson]

As police respond to the call, the assailant flees, leaving Lori submerged in a tub of water.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The next thing I remember is when I was in the ambulance and I.

[Marissa Pinson]

Was still blacked out, but I remember jumping up and saying, melinda.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Melinda. Is she okay? Oh, the balcony, yeah, because when I.

[Marissa Pinson]

Hit my head, it was hard. While Lori is transported to the hospital, Melinda remains with police who have arrested a man seen running away from the apartment.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I went out there and I had to go to the police car and of course the door was open and.

[Marissa Pinson]

They asked me if that was him.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And I said yes and he just, you know, gave me one of those looks.

[Marissa Pinson]

The man ID'd by Melinda is Corll Watts, the same man suspected of three unsolved slayings in Michigan.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I was advised that Coral Eugene Watts was in fact in custody.

[Marissa Pinson]

Houston homicide Detective Doug Bostock has been trying to keep track of Watts for.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

A year, but I was ecstatic. It looked like he was going to be off the streets. We've got one attempted homicide that literally was pulled from the bathtub from being drowned, literally by a witness. The other one escaped him and could testify. Today's date is August 10, 1982.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts is arrested for the break in and two attacks.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Interview with Coral Eugene Watts.

[Marissa Pinson]

The suspect sits down with police and begins to talk about the details of the murder.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He said he just wrapped the tube top around her neck and lifted her up and hung her on a bush.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Detective Paul Bunton]

Okay, Coral. At this point, we're only going to talk about cases that fall under the Harris County District Attorney's office jurisdiction.

[Marissa Pinson]

In the summer of 1982, detectives from the Houston Police Department sit down with Coral Eugene Watts, led by sergeant Tom Ladd. Detectives know Watts is guilty of an attack on two women. They suspect him of much more, but lack the evidence to prove it.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The first case we'd like to bring up about the female over the southwest end of town.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts agrees to plead guilty to a charge of burglary with intent to commit murder. Then he admits to nine more killings in the city of Houston in exchange for a deal.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Well, the agreement was, is that he was offered immunity on the cases that fell into the jurisdiction of Harris county in Houston. When did she realize that you were fired?

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts begins with the night of September 12, 1981 and the murder of 24 year old Elizabeth Montgomery.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

All right, now you grabbed her by the what, shoulder? By the neck. Then what happened? You stabbed her one time. Do you remember what area of the body you stabbed her somewhere in the chest.

[Marissa Pinson]

That same night, Watts found his next victim, 21 year old Susan Wolf.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Just for the record, how long was it from the first girl you stabbed till you stabbed this second girl in a time frame you're talking about what, an hour, 30 minutes, 45 minutes? An hour, hour and a half. Best as you could recollect, maybe 15 minutes. The only problem Corll had was he had difficulty in remembering some of the victims. Dress you know, what they were wearing. But as far as how he killed him, where he killed him, the immediate surroundings, he was right on the money all the time. When you first saw her, she was already in her car, driving.

[Marissa Pinson]

Four months later, Corl Watts stalked and killed 24 year old Margaret Fosse in.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

A small blue car. He saw her leaving Rice University, which is in the downtown area, and he followed her out to her brother and sister in law's home. When she got out, Coral got out of his vehicle, came up and struck her in the throat. Then what happened? How long did you choke her? He's saying that he choked her, but in fact she died from a blow to the larynx. Instead. It crushed her windpipe. All he remembers is going for the throat. After you killed her, what did you do with her body?

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts tells police he placed Fosse's body in the trunk of her own car and stole some of her belongings, including a set of architectural drawings. Drawings which Watts later burned.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Why did you burn the drawings? Figured kill the spirit. When he took something and he admitted it, we'd ask him why. I said, well, it was to help killer spirit. Now, whether or not he really believed that or he was just feeding me a line just to get me off his back, I don't know. But he stayed with that story all throughout the interview. First time you out of her. She was just walking down the street.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts gives police a similar motive for his attack on 22 year old Yolanda Gracia.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I wish you killed her. Could she believe? How could you determine this? I can see it in her eyes. You know, I never believed that. You know, he actually believed that. I think it was just his way of. It's kind of like the word whatever, you know, he really probably didn't have an answer and so he just said evil in her eyes. You know, hoping that would satisfy our curiosity. Do you think she realized you were there?

[Marissa Pinson]

In the case of Elena Simander, Watts tells police the victim made a futile attempt to flag down a passing motorist for help.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

You think she was blowing the horn, trying to get some help. Then what happened? I grabbed her. All right, then what did you do? Picked up and put.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts's decision to leave Elena's body in a dumpster seems to be one made simply for the purposes of convenience.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

What made you decide to put her in the dumpster? I don't know. Was the dumpster close to where you strangled her? Yeah. How close? Right there. Coral was real cognizant of the area.

[Marissa Pinson]

Watts agrees to Lead police on a tour of his crime scenes and offers details that corroborate his confessions.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He drove us to this block here and he said that he had saw this girl jogging and he pulled over and when she came by him, he jumped out, strangled her down and then took her tube top, wrapped the tube top around her neck and lifted her up and hung her on a bus.

[Marissa Pinson]

Bush Watts confessions close the case on 13 unsolved homicides. Then the killer leads police to two of the bodies.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

So this is the bio. This is called White Oak Bio. Here where we're going now is where we dug up the grave of Carrie Jefferson. She too was listed as a missing person. And Coral had to actually take us to this location and show us he buried her right down there on the banks of the bayou, just back a little bit beyond that, where that high weeds are.

[Marissa Pinson]

As Corl Watts talks, details of his confession begin to spread throughout the law enforcement community, eventually finding their way to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the desk of Detective Paul Bunton.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I got a telephone call that said you need to get down here right away. If you give him a grant of immunity, he'll confess to your three murders.

[Marissa Pinson]

Police in Ann Arbor have long suspected Corll Watts in three unsolved murders there, but lack the evidence to make an arrest.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

So I got ahold of the chief and we got the prosecutor in. We sat and talked with him and all of us decided you don't give immunity to a murderer. You just don't do that.

[Marissa Pinson]

Without a grant of immunity from Ann Arbor, Corll Watts goes silent about his time there. And detectives are left with nothing.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Well, I think the first thing you get obsessed with the case, and I was obsessed with this case for several years. It's frustrating. It's a portion of your life that there's no closure to. And I felt obsessed. But the victims families, there's no closure. And that bothered me a lot.

[Marissa Pinson]

On September 3, 1982, a Texas court accepts Watts plea of guilty to a charge of burglary with intent to commit murder. Under the terms of the DA's deal, he receives the maximum sentence of 60 years in prison and is not charged with any of the Harris county murders he's confessed to.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

You know, when you lose a child.

[Marissa Pinson]

That'S the worst thing that can happen to you. The sentence provides only some comfort for Harriet simander, Elena's mother, one of Watts 13 murder victims.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I felt. I felt relief, yes, that he was going to be locked away, but I still had the anger towards the police.

[Marissa Pinson]

Department like Many in Houston. Samander is upset by the police department's inability to keep track of Watts after learning he was a murder suspect in Michigan.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

If I would have known that there was a mass murder around, those girls would have been warned. They would have not been out late at night, and they never would have traveled alone. I think, you know, that somebody missed the boat around here. It was unbelievable that he was allowed to kill so many women knowing what they knew about him. It's frustrating.

[Marissa Pinson]

Houston homicide Detective Doug Bostock tailed Corll Watts on and off for months, but never had sufficient grounds to pull him off the streets.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

If we could have done something prior to that, we would have. If there was any way possible we could, picked him up, charged him, we'd have done it. We just didn't have anything to work with. He blended in with the community. He was a hard worker. He had two jobs, a lot of time, and for like four, five, six months, he never did anything. And then all of a sudden, boom, he was out there driving around, stalking as your natural predator.

[Marissa Pinson]

On September 24, 1982, Coral Watts is booked into the maximum security prison in Huntsville, Texas. And the story should end here, but it doesn't. I made one call just to check on him, just to see where he is. Harriet Samander's phone call is to the Texas Department of Corrections. The person who I spoke with told me that he was coming up for parole.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The heck with parole. Parole is a moot point.

[Marissa Pinson]

Andy Kahn is a victims rights advocate in the city of Houston. At the request of Harriet Samander, Kahn checks into Corl Watts parole status.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

And I asked the question of the decade when I contacted authorities. All right, he's up for parole, but does he have an automatic mandatory release date? Yes. It turned out that as the case went up the appeal process, there had been a loophole.

[Marissa Pinson]

At the time of his plea, Corll Watts was never given notice that the water he used to to try and drown his victim was considered a deadly weapon. Sitting in prison, Watts himself picked up on the omission. Donna Pendergast is a prosecutor for the Michigan Attorney General's Office.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

No lawyer caught it. Watts caught it. And when it went up the appeal chain, they ruled in his favor and said, you were right. You weren't put on proper notice. So his crime was kicked down into a lower category of burglary.

[Marissa Pinson]

Without the aggravation variable, burglary with intent to commit murder becomes simply burglary. And Texas's mandatory release law comes into play.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The way the mandatory release Law works. It's your calendar time known as your day by day time plus good time credits. And Watts by definition was considered a model inmate. So he was accumulating good time at the highest rate possible.

[Marissa Pinson]

The bottom line, the headline is the confessed serial killer turned model inmate is now scheduled for release in April 2006.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

We thought that was it.

[Marissa Pinson]

Samander and Khan team up to try and keep Corl Watts behind bars for good. An answer, just once, you know, one answer.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

To keep him in prison.

[Marissa Pinson]

Their first step, Petition the Texas legislature to abolish the mandatory release law. The results are mixed.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

We did abolish mandatory release effective 1996. But we couldn't go back retroactively and pass this law and keep people like Watts from getting out. This guy was Murphy's Law in the one. Anything that would go in his favor went.

[Marissa Pinson]

Because Watts mandatory release was already in motion before 1996. The new Texas law will not be enough to keep him in prison.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

There is a storm in the sky and it is stirring.

[Marissa Pinson]

On the 20th anniversary of Corll Watts last killing spree. Family and friends of the victims gather for a call to action.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

It hurt coming here today as I walked through that door. Cause I knew we were gonna talk about her. You're looking at family members talking about their loved one that was murdered at the hands of a diabolical, cold blooded serial killer. And we're letting the public know who these people were. I would like to share our memories of Carrie Mae Jefferson.

[Marissa Pinson]

20 years of grief and sorrow give way to anger and disbelief over the serial killer's looming release.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I would suggest to you that what we face here at this time and place is a confrontation with pure evil. I want him to stay in that prison or any other prison where they put him all his mortal life. The whole world is watching Texas today and judging what goes on. And I hope with the help of God that changes can be brought about to change the criminal justice system where there will be some justice for the victims and not just. Just the criminal.

[Marissa Pinson]

Brainchild of Harriet Simander and Andy Kahn, the service is an event tailor made for the 10 o' clock news.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The faces of the murder victims all known to have died at the hands of one serial killer. These are the faces of the family members left behind, gathering to honor the victims. I think the media helped in identifying.

[Marissa Pinson]

Him as a serial killer.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

They kept the story alive. So they're launching a petition drive, doing whatever they can to keep a confessed serial killer off the streets. We knew it was now or never. And we figured if we were going to lose and he was going to be released, we were going to go down kicking, screaming and fighting. And the whole world was going to know that a serial killer was going to be legally released. As most of you know, Carl Eugene Watts will be the first serial killer in this country ever to be legally released. And I'm asking everyone here, are we gonna let that happen? I covered this case when I was a very young man and I never forgot it. Coral Watts apparently spotted her a crime.

[Marissa Pinson]

Reporter with the CBS affiliate in Houston. Doug Miller is swept up in the Coral Watts story.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Reporters aren't supposed to take sides or take positions, but there's such a thing as, as a bad guy. And this guy was a bad guy. And the very notion that this man would ever go free was simply terrifying. But because of his good behavior behind bars, the state of Texas must legally free him in less than three years. People telephoned our television station and asked, how in the world can this happen? What can we do to stop it? The truth was there was nothing they could do to stop it. Governor himself could put a stop to this. You can yell and scream and, you know, be upset all you want, but the law's the law. And unless you can miraculously find a cold case that's 25, 30 years old, he's gonna be released. They had really just about run out of, run out of avenues when we got this inquiry and I started having contact with Andy Kahn and he asked us to begin looking at our old cases.

[Marissa Pinson]

Donna Pendergast represents the last and perhaps best to keep Corll Watts behind bars. In the summer of 2003, Michigan's Assistant Prosecutor begins reviewing a series of cold murders from the 1980s. Corll Watts is suspected of committing all three.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

It was particularly interesting to me because when I was a senior at the University of Michigan, there was an individual known as the Sunday Morning Slasher. And all these years later, as I started looking into the Krolewatsky case, I started reading about it and I realized that it in fact had been him.

[Marissa Pinson]

Despite her suspicions, Pendergast has no evidence to charge Watts in any of the Ann Arbor murders. So she decides instead to do a little searching. At the DA's request, Michigan State Police begin a massive re examination of Wayne County's cold case files from the late 1970s and early 80s.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Here we have approximately 150 open homicides just from the city of Detroit. We were looking for obviously female victims. Stabbing, strangulation, drowning. This is from a murder in 1980. The problem was being that a lot of These cases were 25, 30 years old, and during a time period in which there were quite a few murders going on in the middle metro Detroit area, a lot of these cases, we were having problems coming up with the evidence. This case here has several envelopes filled with photos.

[Marissa Pinson]

Detectives managed to locate 35 cold cases that match Watts Mo and have evidence suitable for DNA testing.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

This is the DNA report that we just did recently at the Michigan State Police crime lab. Unfortunately, nothing came back on this case. It was progressing very slowly. I'd get periodic calls from Andy Kahn saying, do you guys have anything up there? And I'd say, andy, we're looking, we're trying. But we knew the clock was ticking. He is a lethal and imminent threat.

[Marissa Pinson]

On January 13, 2004, Michigan's Attorney General, Mike Cox appears on a national news program appealing for public help to build a case against Watts.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Time once again was ticking, and it certainly was worth a try. He went on national TV and he basically explained a little bit about the Coral Watts case and said, if anybody knows anything out there, please come forward. Well, they can call my office.

[Marissa Pinson]

517 the following morning, the phone is ringing in the Attorney general's office.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

The man and woman were standing over here by this telephone pole.

[Marissa Pinson]

On the other end of the line. An eyewitness that police had hope will keep Coral Watts back behind bars.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I witnessed evil that night.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Detective Paul Bunton]

I was on my back porch of my house, probably about 50ft into the.

[Marissa Pinson]

Lot on a cold December night in 1979. A man named Joseph Foy witnesses the murder of 25 year old Helen Dutcher.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

While I was on my back porch I seen the man raise his hand and bring it down in a slashing motion and when he was done with that, the body dropped to the ground and that's when he walked to his car and he came around this way, just the way I'm walking now and watching. He was looking at me while I was looking at him and he stopped at his door, car door, just like this and just kept looking at me. I looked in the face of evil that night. I can't describe it any other way. It was like looking in the face of the devil.

[Marissa Pinson]

Foy provides Ferndale police with a description of the suspect and his vehicle, but the lead is not enough to catch Dutcher's killer. The case is cold for two years when Foy happens upon on the Face of the Devil Again.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I'm watching TV and it's the nightly news and this thing catches my eye of this black man being led into a courtroom and I just yelled at my wife, that's the guy that killed that woman.

[Marissa Pinson]

The man in the news report is Coral Eugene Watts. In 1982, Watts is facing a 60 year stretch in prison on a charge of burglary with intent to commit murder.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

As soon as the broadcast was over, I called the Ferndale police and said I had just seen the man that killed the woman in Ferndale and they eventually said they weren't going to do anything because of the plea bargain that they made down in Texas with him. They were satisfied that he was getting 60 years. He probably either ended up dead or an old man coming out of prison. And I kept constantly calling him, bickering at him, yelling at him, you got to do something. You got to do something. The last words I got from them was, put it to bed, Mr. Foy. Just put it to bed. And I couldn't fight the government. There was nothing I could do about it. So that's exactly what I did. I put it to bed.

[Marissa Pinson]

For 24 years, Joseph Foy carries the memory of Corl Watts face. One day, he sees that face on television yet again.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Authorities say Watts began assaulting women when he was only 15 years old. And now he's a suspect in dozens of murders from Michigan to Texas. The channels again. Here's that same clip again of Watts being led into the courtroom. And I'm going, now what is this idiot doing on TV again?

[Marissa Pinson]

In 21 years in prison, Watts has managed to uncover a loophole in his plea agreement, one that makes him eligible for early release in 2006.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He is a lethal and imminent threat. It ended up being the Attorney General of Michigan, and he's pleading for people. If anybody knows anything on any case of Cora Watts, plead help them. And I'm sitting there like, you idiots. I said, don't you know anything about the Ferndale murder? How come no one's ever calling me about this? Well, they can call my office. 517.

[Marissa Pinson]

First thing the following morning, Joseph Foy calls the Attorney General's office.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I came in the next morning, and my secretary handed me a pink message slip, and it said, joseph Foy saw one of Korl Watts murders. And I just looked down, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I said, sure you did. And I looked at my secretary. I said, wacko. And she said, I don't think so.

[Marissa Pinson]

Pendergast contacts Foy and listens to his story.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I did believe what he was telling me because he sounded so certain of himself, and so he had details. He sounded like he really wanted to come forward. But, you know, hey, I've tried this before. Will you just listen?

[Marissa Pinson]

The Attorney General's office issues an arrest warrant for Coral Eugene Watts, charging him with the murder of Helen Dutcher, nearly 25 years after the fact.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Ladies and gentlemen, the jury, what you're about to hear in this courtroom will terrify you.

[Marissa Pinson]

On November 7, 2005, prosecutor Donna Pendergast goes to trial. Her case depends on the Testimony of one eyewitness in a dark alley 80ft away from the crime scene.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

But I also felt confident that after hearing about Watts, numerous cases in Texas, that if we could get a judge to show that we had a pattern and we could get similar acts testimony in that, we'd have a much stronger case. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you will be hearing evidence that will be introduced to show that the defendant committed crimes for which he is not on trial.

[Marissa Pinson]

Judge Richard Kuhn agrees and allows Watts confessions to 12 prior murders into evidence.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

Each and every one of them alone, stalked, murdered. You know, the jury heard just a terrible, you know, story of, you know, the death of just all these beautiful, promising young women. But they were just faces and names to them. I wanted the jury to put a human, alive, human, human face on just the devastation and horror of Coral Watts. He came around and grabbed me.

[Marissa Pinson]

To that end, the state produces three survivors of Watts attacks in Texas. Lori Lister, Melinda Aguilar, and Julie Sanchez. I was attacked from Behind Me in 1982. Sanchez had her throat cut by Coral Watts.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He grabbed me like this. He was the first time like this. When he got here. He pushed it all the way inside and then kicked like this. That's when he cut the rest of my neck and my ear. Then he got my head and he just went like this against the car. Julie Sanchez's testimony was just horrifically riveting. She talked about how after her throat was slit and she was laying by the side of the highway, how Watts turned around and just began laughing. I mean, it was just absolutely bone chilling. Did you see the man who attacked you turn around as he was running away? Yes. He stopped complete, turn around and look at me and smile. He was laughing. He was just laughing at me. It's almost like a horror movie. It was so horrific. You just. You can't believe. Believe it's real. But it was. You're gonna hate that guy. You hate him already. Right now, there's no doubt about that.

[Marissa Pinson]

The defense's best hope lies in directing the jury away from Watts's prior bad acts and focusing on details of the Dutcher case.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

But when the case really all boils down to, it's gonna come down to one single witness. He walked from the front of the car to the car. He walked around the front of the car. Correct.

[Marissa Pinson]

That witness is Joseph Foy, a man who's been waiting nearly 25 years to tell his story to a jury.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I said I had a full facial look at him, and both of us locked eyes. I Went in with a game plan. It was just like a sporting event. I was psyched up. I knew him, and I would go head to head that he would try to discredit me as much as he could. Did you use the word glance when you said you had a glance at him? Is that correct? Correct. You said you could actually use the word glance twice? Correct. You said you locked eyes, but you also said it was a glance. Correct. You ever have a glance in a bar with a woman? That could last forever, too. He kept saying that. Well, how can your memory be that good 25 years later? And again, you don't need a good memory if you're telling the truth. You're able to recognize the person's eyes? Yes. That's what you want us to believe? Yes. Okay. And if you ask the question again, I'll tell you yes, then. One of the best witnesses I've ever seen, he just. He came across very credible. He didn't let the defense attorney rattle him. And you see him for one second, that's all I needed. He just exuded credibility. Will you bring the jury in, please?

[Marissa Pinson]

After six days of testimony and four hours of deliberation, the jury returns its first verdict.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

You do say upon your oath that you find the defendant guilty of first degree premeditated murder.

[Marissa Pinson]

Coral Eugene Watts is found guilty of the murder of Helen Dutcher and sentenced to the maximum penalty in Michigan, life in prison without parole.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

This case cries out for the death penalty.

[Marissa Pinson]

It is a sentence that some feel is not enough for a man who was admitted to killing so many.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

He should be dead right now. He's breathing borrowed air. The only thing I can say, I hope God escorts his ass to hell.

[Marissa Pinson]

In 2007, Watts was also found guilty of the murder of Gloria Steele and given an additional life sentence. Corll Watts died on September 21, 2007, of prostate cancer. Following his death, Michigan authorities can only speculate who else Watts might have killed.

[Detective Paul Bunton]

I finally looked at him and I said, carl, I haven't got enough fingers and toes to count the amount of people that you have killed, have I? And he looked around the room and he said, there's not enough fingers and toes in this room. And there were four of us in there. I mean, here's a guy that 99.99% of the public has never heard about yet. Basically, he is credited with more murders than guys like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer, the Green River Killer. But no one knows this guy. Just when you thought summer couldn't get any hotter. Pluto TV is turning up the heat with thousands of free movies presenting Summer of Cinema. Stream your favorite blockbuster films like Gladiator, I Will have My Vengeance, Good Burger, this is what I Do. Fast Figure Beverly Hills Cop, the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Julie and Julia. Bon Appetit. All for free on your favorite devices. Pluto TV Stream. Now pay Never.

[Marissa Pinson]

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[Detective Paul Bunton]

Thanks.

[Marissa Pinson]

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