At the age of only 12, Coral Eugene Watts confessed to having disturbing fantasies about harming and murdering women. By the time he reached 15, he had already carried out his first killing.
His twisted childhood thoughts paved the way for a life filled with depravity and violence. Many likened him to Samuel Little, a notorious serial killer linked to numerous female murders. Born in 1953 in Killeen, Texas, Watts later moved to Detroit during his youth, a transition that seemed to deeply affect him. Contracting meningitis at around nine years old marked a significant change in his demeanor, according to family members.
By the age of 15, Watts had already committed his initial murder and engaged in multiple sexual assaults. A former homicide detective chillingly recalled Watts boasting, “There aren’t enough fingers and toes in this room for the number of women I’ve killed.”
Despite a troubled upbringing, Watts earned a spot at Lane College in Tennessee on a football scholarship, offering a glimpse of potential redemption through sports. However, his disturbing dreams soon resurfaced, leading to his expulsion from the college just three months in for stalking women. Returning to Michigan, Watts embarked on a spree of violent attacks on women.
His first known victim, Gloria Steele, met a gruesome fate at only 20 years old, kidnapped, tortured, and ultimately murdered by Watts. Suspicions also arose regarding his involvement in the brutal killing of Zenaida Tomes in 1972, stabbed 45 times at the age of 20.
Upon being apprehended for his assaults, Watts exhibited alarming psychological traits, prompting concerns about his future behavior. Described as extremely dangerous and lacking remorse for his crimes, experts feared his high likelihood of repeating his offenses.
Dubbed the Sunday Morning Slasher, Watts terrorized Detroit in 1976, targeting and murdering five women, all resembling a pattern of attacks occurring around 4 am on Sundays. His victims, including news reporter Jeanne Clyne, fell prey to his vicious assaults. Watts’ killing spree extended to other women like Shirley Small, Glenda Richmond, and Rebecca Greer-Huff in Michigan before fleeing to Texas to evade capture.
In 1982, Watts attacked roommates Melinda Aguilar and Lori Lister, with Melinda managing to escape and aid authorities in apprehending him. On the same day, another victim, Michele Maday, fell to Watts’ brutality. His gruesome tally of 13 murders involved methods such as strangulation, stabbing, bludgeoning, and drowning.
Although caught in 1982, it wasn’t until 1990 that Watts was recognized as a serial killer with multiple victims across the country. Despite being initially sentenced to 60 years, a legal technicality allowed him to secure immunity, reducing his prison term to 24 years. In 2007, after a lengthy incarceration, Watts succumbed to cancer while serving time at the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility in Michigan.
