At the age of 12, Coral Eugene Watts confessed to harboring dark desires of harming and taking the lives of women. By 15, he had committed his first murder, propelled by twisted fantasies that haunted his youth. Drawing comparisons to infamous killers like Samuel Little, Watts’ unsettling journey began in Killeen, Texas, in 1953, before relocating to Detroit during his early years, a transition that seemed to unsettle him. Stricken with meningitis at nine, family members noted a drastic shift in his demeanor thereafter.
His descent into violence continued, with a homicide detective recalling Watts’ chilling admission of the staggering number of women he claimed to have killed. Despite a troubled past, Watts briefly found solace as a star football player at Lane College in Tennessee, thanks to a sports scholarship that briefly hinted at a positive turnaround. However, his deviant inclinations soon resurfaced, leading to his expulsion from the college for stalking women.
The first known victim of Watts, Gloria Steele, met a tragic end at just 20 years old, kidnapped, tortured, and murdered with brutal precision. Suspicions also lingered over the killing of Zenaida Tomes, who suffered a similarly gruesome fate. As Watts spiraled into a spree of violence and terror, psychologists flagged his concerning mental state, warning of the high risk of repeat offenses.
Dubbed the Sunday Morning Slasher, Watts terrorized Detroit in 1976, targeting slim, blonde, and white women in a series of brutal attacks. From news reporters to unsuspecting individuals like Jeanne Clyne and Helen Dutcher, his victims faced horrific deaths at his hands. The trail of bloodshed extended to Michigan, claiming the lives of Shirley Small, Glenda Richmond, Rebecca Greer-Huff, and others before Watts fled to Texas to evade capture.
The killer’s reign of terror was finally halted in 1982 when Melinda Aguilar managed to escape an attack, aiding in his capture. Watts’ arrest revealed a chilling tally of 13 murders carried out through various brutal methods. Despite being apprehended, it took years for authorities to fully grasp the extent of his atrocities, with Watts eventually confessing to a portion of his crimes in 1990.
Sentenced to 60 years in prison, Watts exploited legal loopholes to reduce his term to 24 years. In 2007, the notorious serial killer succumbed to cancer while incarcerated at the Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility in Michigan, marking the end of a dark chapter in criminal history.