Carl Eugene Watts

Overview

Carl Eugene Watts, infamously known as the Sunday Morning Slasher, was an American serial killer whose reign of terror spanned from 1974 to 1982. Born on November 7, 1953, in Killeen, Texas, Watts is suspected of being one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, with estimates of his victims ranging from 15 to over 100. He died on September 21, 2007, of prostate cancer while serving two life sentences without parole in a Michigan prison for the murders of Helen Dutcher and Gloria Steele.

Quick Facts

• Born: November 7, 1953, Killeen, Texas, U.S.
• Died: September 21, 2007 (aged 53), Jackson, Michigan, U.S.
• Other Names: The Sunday Morning Slasher
• Spouse: Valeria Goodwill (1979 – 1980)
• Children: 1
• Convictions:
  • Texas: Aggravated burglary
  • Michigan: First-degree murder (2 counts)
• Criminal Penalty:
  • Texas: 60 years imprisonment
  • Michigan: Life imprisonment
• Victims: 15–100+
• Span of Crimes: 1974–1982
• Country: United States
• States: Michigan, Texas
• Date Apprehended: May 23, 1982

Watts confessed to the murders of thirteen women but later claimed to have killed forty and hinted that the actual number could exceed eighty. Despite his confessions, police consider him a suspect in around ninety unsolved murders, and he is now believed to have killed more than one hundred individuals.

Early Life and Criminal History

Carl Eugene Watts was born to Richard Eugene Watts and Dorothy Mae Young, both from Coalwood, West Virginia. His father served in the U.S. Army and was transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, shortly before his birth. Just days after his arrival, the family returned to West Virginia, where his sister Sharon was born soon after.

Watts’ parents divorced when he was less than two years old, leading his mother to raise him as a single parent. In 1962, she remarried Norman Caesar, and they moved to Inkster, Michigan. This transition was tumultuous for Watts, who struggled to adapt to his new familial environment, particularly due to his dislike for his stepfather. He worried that he would lose his mother’s attention amid the changes.

Watts often visited his maternal grandmother in Coalwood, where he learned to hunt and skin rabbits, an activity he enjoyed. He even adopted the nickname "Coral," a southern pronunciation of his name, reflecting his strong ties to that region. However, he faced academic challenges in Michigan, despite managing reasonably good grades.

A pivotal moment in Watts' early life occurred when he contracted meningitis at the age of eight. The illness nearly claimed his life, and family members noted a marked change in his personality afterward—he became shy, quiet, and introverted. This change was accompanied by violent dreams where he battled the "evil spirits" of women, a theme that would later manifest in his adult life. When asked about his motivations for killing women, Watts chillingly stated he wanted to "free their spirits" because they had "evil eyes."

By twelve, Watts was indulging in fantasies about torturing and killing girls and young women. It’s believed he committed his first assault before the age of fifteen. On June 29, 1969, while on his paper route, he assaulted Joan Gave, a 26-year-old woman. Following the attack, she reported him to the police, leading to his apprehension. He was subsequently ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment at the Lafayette Clinic in Detroit.

During his evaluation, Watts expressed no remorse for his actions, stating, "No, I feel better after I have one," regarding his violent dreams. He was diagnosed with a mild intellectual disability and antisocial personality disorder, demonstrating a delusional thought process without clear evidence of psychosis. Despite his troubling behavior, he was discharged from the Lafayette Clinic on his 16th birthday, only to return for outpatient care numerous times in the following years.

Watts graduated high school in 1973 and even received a football scholarship to Lane College in Tennessee, though his time there was short-lived due to charges of stalking and assault against women. Following his expulsion, he briefly lived in Houston, Texas, and worked as a mechanic before enrolling at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, where a series of horrific assaults on women began.

Murders

Watts' confirmed murders began in 1974, characterized by a gruesome pattern of kidnapping, torture, and murder. He targeted primarily thin, attractive white women, using methods such as strangulation, stabbing, bludgeoning, and drowning. His victims ranged in age from 14 to 44, and despite the scale of his killing spree, he managed to evade capture for almost eight years.

One of the earliest suspected victims was Zenaida Tomes, discovered on September 6, 1972, in Taylor, Michigan. She had sustained forty-five stab wounds, and although Watts was in the area at the time, his known modus operandi didn’t align with the circumstances of her death.

On October 25, 1974, Watts attacked Lenore Knizacky, a 23-year-old, by tricking her into opening her door. He choked her into unconsciousness, but she later reported the attack to the police, who were unable to find him. Just days later, he murdered Gloria Steele, a 20-year-old student at Western Michigan University. Steele suffered a crushed windpipe and thirty-three stab wounds to her chest. Witnesses described a man matching Watts’ description seen near the scene, leading to his eventual arrest.

Following his diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, Watts was moved to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Michigan. During this time, he was questioned about the Steele murder but denied involvement despite admitting to attacking approximately fifteen other women. When police searched his residence, they found carving tools but no direct evidence linking him to Steele’s murder. He was sentenced to a year in county jail for the assaults.

Watts returned to Inkster in 1976, where he fathered a child and later married Valeria Goodwill. Friends and family reported his increasingly erratic behavior during this time, including bizarre actions around the house.

From 1979 to 1980, five women were brutally attacked on Sunday mornings, leading to the moniker "Sunday Morning Slasher" for the perpetrator. Notable victims included Jeanne Clyne, a reporter who was fatally stabbed in broad daylight, and Shirley Small, a high school student who was murdered outside her home.

On October 6, 1980, a survivor named "Dalpe" narrowly escaped a vicious stabbing and later identified Watts as her attacker. By this time, he had crossed into Canada, where he continued his spree, assaulting women in Windsor, Ontario.

Arrest and Discovery

Watts' criminal activity escalated in 1982 while living in Houston. He assaulted multiple women, leading to several near-fatal encounters. One victim, Cheryl Sibolo, bravely confronted him, causing him to flee. However, he was soon apprehended after assaulting Carrie Mae Jefferson, whom he choked and attempted to kill before burying her body.

Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, prosecutors lacked sufficient proof to charge him with murder. In a shocking turn of events, Watts struck a plea bargain in May 1982, confessing to the assaults and leading detectives to three of his victims’ graves in exchange for a reduced sentence of 60 years for burglary with intent to murder.

In his confessions, Watts acknowledged murdering 13 women, including Jeanne Clyne, but refused to admit to others, such as Gloria Steele. His claims of additional victims fueled speculation about the true extent of his crimes.

Michigan Trial and Death

Watts was sentenced in Texas but quickly found himself in legal turmoil when the Texas Court of Appeals ruled that he had not been informed of the severity of his actions regarding the attempted drowning of Lister. This ruling classified him as a non-violent felon, making him eligible for early release.

In 2004, Michigan authorities sought to prosecute Watts for the murder of Helen Dutcher, whose death he was linked to via eyewitness testimony. The jury convicted him on November 17, 2004, and he received a life sentence on December 7. Shortly thereafter, he was charged with the murder of Gloria Steele, convicted, and sentenced to life without parole on September 13, 2007.

Tragically, Watts succumbed to prostate cancer just days later, on September 21, 2007, in a hospital in Jackson, Michigan.

Conclusion

The case of Carl Eugene Watts remains one of the most chilling in American history, marked by the sheer number of victims and the prolonged period of his evasion. His life reflects a complex tapestry of mental illness, violence, and missed opportunities for intervention, leaving behind a legacy of loss and unsolved mysteries.

Sources

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