Offender Record · OFF-2026-191
Coral Eugene Watts (photo from the Radford University biography)
Coral Eugene Watts
Also known as Carl Eugene Watts, The Sunday Morning Slasher
Sex
Male
Race
African American
Born
1953
Custody
Deceased
States
MI, TX, WV, TN
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Coral Eugene Watts, known as the Sunday Morning Slasher, was convicted of the first-degree murders of Helen Dutcher in Ferndale, Michigan (1979) and Gloria Steele in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1974), and pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to murder in Texas (1982). Watts confessed to 12 additional murders in Texas and Michigan under an immunity agreement and is suspected by law enforcement of murdering more than 80 women across the United States between 1974 and 1982. He died in prison on September 21, 2007, at age 53, from prostate cancer while serving two consecutive life sentences without parole at Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility in Michigan.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Jun 25, 1969, Detroit, Michigan
Aggravated assault and battery
Detroit Police Department · Wayne County District Court · Arrested Jun 29, 1969 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Committed to Lafayette Mental Clinic for psychiatric evaluation; released November 7, 1969
At age 15, while working as a newspaper delivery boy, Watts attacked a 26-year-old woman by punching her in the face repeatedly until she screamed. He admitted to the attack and was taken to Lafayette Mental Clinic for psychiatric evaluation.
SourcesMale Serial Killer Carl 'Coral' Watts; Radford University serial killer biography: Watts, Coral Eugene; All About Sunday Morning Slasher Carl Coral Watts
Offense date Oct 25, 1974, Detroit, Michigan
Assault and battery
Wayne County Court · Arrested Nov 16, 1974 · Charged (pending) Charged (pending) · Sentence: Pleaded no contest; sentenced to one year in county jail
Watts knocked on an apartment door asking for Charles; when the tenant Lenore Knizacky undid the chain lock, he forced his way in and choked her until she lost consciousness, then fled.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Watts, Coral Eugene; Coral Eugene Watts, The Sunday Morning Slasher
Offense date Oct 30, 1974, Kalamazoo, Michigan
First-degree murder (Gloria Steele)
Kalamazoo County Circuit Court, Michigan · Kalamazoo County Circuit Court · Arrested Nov 17, 2004 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
Gloria Steele, 19, a Western Michigan University student, was stabbed 33 times with a wooden carving tool and had her windpipe crushed. Trial began July 25, 2007; jury found him guilty on July 27, 2007; sentenced September 13, 2007 to life without parole.
SourcesThe Evidence Room, Episode 17 - The Sunday Morning Slasher; Carl Eugene Coral Watts (1953-2007) - Find a Grave Memorial; Trial begins for serial killer set to go free; Fall of the Sunday Morning Slasher: How a Houston woman stopped serial killer Carl Eugene Watts
Offense date Nov 12, 1974, Detroit, Michigan
Assault and battery
Wayne County Court · Arrested Nov 16, 1974 · Charged (pending) Charged (pending) · Sentence: Pleaded no contest; sentenced to one year in county jail
Watts knocked on apartment manager Diane K. Williams' door asking for Charles; he forced his way in and assaulted her. Her phone rang and she knocked it off, screamed for help, and the suspect fled. Williams saw him get into a tan Pontiac Grand Prix.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Watts, Coral Eugene; Coral Eugene Watts, The Sunday Morning Slasher
Offense date Oct 17, 1979, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Disorderly prowling
Ann Arbor Police Department · Arrested Oct 17, 1979 · Charges dismissed Charges dismissed · Sentence: Charges eventually dropped
Watts was arrested for disorderly prowling outside of a woman's house; charges were eventually dropped.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Watts, Coral Eugene
Offense date Dec 01, 1979, Ferndale, Michigan
First-degree murder (Helen Dutcher)
Oakland County Circuit Court, Michigan · Oakland County Circuit Court · Arrested Nov 08, 2004 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment without parole
Helen Dutcher, 36, was stabbed 12 times with a knife. Witness Joseph Foy saw the murder from his porch in December 1979 but did not identify the perpetrator until 2004, when he recognized Watts from a TV broadcast about his pending release from Texas prison. Watts was convicted on November 17, 2004 and sentenced on December 7, 2004.
SourcesSerial killer guilty in 1979 murder case; Trial begins for serial killer set to go free; Convicted serial killer Coral Eugene Watts sentenced to life in prison; Conviction keeps serial killer in jail; Carl Eugene Coral Watts (1953-2007) - Find a Grave Memorial
Offense date May 23, 1982, Houston, Texas
Burglary with intent to commit murder; attempted murder
Harris County District Attorney, Texas · Texas District Court · Arrested May 23, 1982 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 60 years imprisonment; granted immunity for 12 additional homicides confessed
Watts broke into an apartment shared by two women, attempted to drown one in the bathtub and strangle her; the other escaped from a high window. Under a plea agreement brokered by Harris County ADA Ira Jones, Watts pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to commit murder and was granted immunity for 12 additional murders he confessed to in Texas and Michigan.
SourcesCoral Eugene Watts, who was sentenced to 60 years...; Carl Coral Eugene Watts; All About Sunday Morning Slasher Carl Coral Watts; Governor Granholm Calls for Extradition of Alleged Serial Killer Coral Watts
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
2
Victims convicted
12
Victims confessed
80
Victims suspected
Active years
1974–1982
Victim profile
Young women, Strangers
Stated motive
Power or control
Range from home
interstate
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
1
Died
2007-09-21 · natural
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Michigan Attorney General's Office · MI
Filed first-degree murder charges against Watts in 2004; extradition proceedings
Houston Police Department · TX
Arrested Watts May 23, 1982 for attempted murder/assault; homicide investigation
Kalamazoo Police Department · MI
Gloria Steele investigation and reopened in 2003
Ferndale Police Department · MI
Helen Dutcher murder investigation
Ann Arbor Police Department · MI
Disorderly prowling charge dismissed 1979-10-17; investigated murders
Oakland County Circuit Court · MI
Helen Dutcher first-degree murder conviction 1979-12-01
Source: Wikipedia
Michigan Department of Corrections · MI
Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility; housed Watts 2005-2007
Harris County District Attorney's Office · TX
Burglary with intent to commit murder conviction 1982-05-23; plea deal with immunity
Wayne County Court · MI
Assault and battery charges 1974-10-25 and 1974-11-12
Source: Texas True Crime Blog
Texas Department of Criminal Justice · TX
Housed Watts in Texas state prison 1982-2006
Kalamazoo County Circuit Court · MI
Gloria Steele first-degree murder conviction 1974-10-30
Source: Wikipedia, Oxygen.com
Detroit Police Department · MI
Early 1970s arrests for assault/battery; surveillance and investigation
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
MI
Inkster, Michigan
1955 – 1981 · Moved from West Virginia; lived with mother Dorothy Mae and stepfather Norman Ceaser
Inkster, Michigan
1969 – 1973 · High school; graduated 1973 with reading level of 4th grade
Inkster, Michigan
1969 – 1969 · Newspaper delivery boy
Detroit, Michigan
Sep 1969 – Nov 1969 · Lafayette Mental Clinic (forensic psychiatry center)
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Jul 1974 – Oct 1974 · Western Michigan University; studying engineering, worked in cafeteria
Woodhaven, Michigan
1976 – 1981 · E&L Transport Co.; started as porter, rose to diesel mechanic; worked 3.5 years
Detroit, Michigan
1976 – Jul 1976 · County jail (served one year for assault and battery)
Detroit, Michigan
1979 – 1980 · Lived on Parker Street with wife Valeria Goodwill
Ionia, Michigan
Dec 2004 – Sep 21, 2007 · Ionia Maximum Correctional Facility; transferred from Texas after 2004 conviction for Helen Dutcher murder
Jackson, Michigan
Aug 28, 2007 – Sep 21, 2007 · Foote Hospital in Jackson (secure hospital ward); hospitalized for prostate cancer; died here
TN
Jackson, Tennessee
1973 – 1973 · Lane College; enrolled under MLK grant program to play football as running back; dropped out after three months due to knee injury from football
TX
Killeen, Texas
Nov 1953 – Nov 1953 · Born at Fort Hood military base
Houston, Texas
Mar 1981 – May 1981 · Coastal Transport Co.; worked as diesel mechanic
Houston, Texas
Mar 1981 – May 1982 · Moved from Michigan in March 1981; lived briefly at Greenspoint Inn on Interstate 45
Houston, Texas
May 1981 – Sep 1981 · Welltech, Inc.; worked as mechanic maintaining drilling equipment
Houston, Texas
May 23, 1982 – May 23, 1982 · Arrested after breaking into apartment and attempting to drown and strangle occupants
Texas
Sep 03, 1982 – Nov 2004 · Texas prison system serving 60-year sentence for burglary with intent to murder
WV
Coalwood, West Virginia
approx. Nov 1953 – 1955
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1980 brown Pontiac Grand Prix – Brown Pontiac Grand Prix; used in Michigan area in 1980
approx. 1980 – 1980
Spotted by Officer Don Terry on November 15, 1980 stalking a female University of Michigan student
1974 tan Pontiac Grand Prix – Tan Pontiac Grand Prix; used in 1974 assaults
approx. 1974 – 1974
Vehicle identified by witness Diane K. Williams in November 1974 assault
Timeline
Nov 07, 1953
Coral Eugene Watts born in Killeen, Texas.
Nov 10, 1953
Watts moved to Coalwood, West Virginia with mother and sister Sharon.
1955
Watts moved to Inkster, Michigan after parents' divorce.
1961
At age 8, Watts contracted meningitis and polio, requiring hospitalization; missed entire third grade.
Jun 25, 1969
At age 15, Watts assaulted 26-year-old Joan Gave while delivering newspapers in Detroit.
Jun 29, 1969
Watts arrested for assaulting Joan Gave.
Sep 02, 1969
Watts taken to Lafayette Mental Clinic for psychiatric evaluation.
Nov 07, 1969
Watts released from Lafayette Mental Clinic on his sixteenth birthday.
1973
Watts graduated high school with reading level of 4th grade; received football scholarship to Lane College in Tennessee.
1973
Watts dropped out of Lane College after three months due to knee injury from football.
Oct 25, 1974
Watts assaulted Lenore Knizacky at her apartment in Detroit, choking her unconscious.
Oct 30, 1974
Gloria Steele, 19, murdered in Kalamazoo, Michigan; body found later that day.
Nov 12, 1974
Watts assaulted apartment manager Diane K. Williams, who identified him and his tan Pontiac Grand Prix.
Nov 16, 1974
Watts arrested and charged with two counts of assault and battery.
Dec 06, 1974
Watts interviewed by court investigator; admitted attacking approximately 15 young women; demanded a lawyer.
Dec 19, 1974
Watts pleaded no contest to assault and battery charges; sentenced to one year in county jail.
1975
Watts released from mental hospital; worked sweeping up a local church.
Jan 08, 1975
Watts attempted suicide at Kalamazoo Mental Hospital by hanging himself with laundry cord.
Jun 1975
Watts admitted to Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Michigan.
1976
Watts released from jail after serving one-year sentence.
1976
Watts returned to Inkster; connected with childhood friend Deloris Howard; she became pregnant.
Jun 1978
Approximately 5 attacks on women in Detroit with same modus operandi: breaking into homes at night.
Feb 03, 1979
Watts had a daughter, Nakisha Watts, with Deloris Howard; did not claim paternity.
Aug 17, 1979
Watts married Valeria Goodwill; they lived together on Parker Street in Detroit.
Sep 21, 1979
Headless body of Malak Haddad, 32, found in Allen Park, Michigan; head never recovered.
Oct 08, 1979
Body of Peggy Pochmara, 22, found strangled in Grosse Pointe area, Detroit; not sexually assaulted.
Oct 31, 1979
Jeanne Clyne, 44, stabbed 13 times outside her home in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
Dec 01, 1979
Helen Dutcher, 36, of Ferndale, Michigan, stabbed 12 times; murder witnessed by Joseph Foy.
Jan 25, 1980
Judge Gilmore ruled that Watts was father of Nakisha and ordered him to pay child support.
Mar 10, 1980
Hazel Connof, 23, found dead tied to chain-link fence with belt around neck in Detroit driveway.
Mar 31, 1980
Denise Dunmore, 26, found strangled in Detroit parking lot.
Apr 20, 1980
Shirley Small, 17, found dead with 2 stab wounds to heart and deep face slices in Ann Arbor.
May 1980
Valeria Goodwill filed for divorce from Watts.
May 31, 1980
Linda Monteiro, 27, found strangled outside her Detroit home.
Jul 13, 1980
Glenda Richmond, 26, found dead 27 feet from her Ann Arbor apartment, stabbed 28 times with screwdriver.
Jul 31, 1980
Lilli Marlene Dunn, 28, abducted from Southgate, Michigan driveway; US Customs photo of Watts' car crossing border.
Sep 14, 1980
Rebecca Greer Huff, 20, found dead outside Ann Arbor apartment, stabbed 54 times with screwdriver; Ann Arbor press coined term Sunday Morning Slasher.
Oct 06, 1980
20-year-old woman Dalpe attacked and stabbed with deep face cuts; one cut severed jugular vein; survived.
Nov 1980
30-year-old woman Angus attacked after Halloween party.
Mar 1981
Watts flew to Houston aboard Delta Airlines with knapsack, sleeping bag, and small trunk.
Sep 1981
Watts began Texas killings, 5.5 months after arrival; confessed to Texas murders between September 1981 and May 1982.
May 23, 1982
Watts arrested in Houston after breaking into apartment, attempting to drown and strangle occupants.
Sep 03, 1982
Watts sentenced to 60 years in Texas for burglary with intent to murder; granted immunity for 12 confessed murders.
Nov 08, 2004
Watts arrested in Texas and charged with first-degree murder of Helen Dutcher after eyewitness Joseph Foy recognized him from TV broadcast.
Nov 17, 2004
Jury found Watts guilty of first-degree murder of Helen Dutcher; also charged same day with murder of Gloria Steele.
Dec 07, 2004
Watts sentenced to life in prison without parole for murder of Helen Dutcher.
Jul 25, 2007
Trial begins in Kalamazoo County for 1974 murder of Gloria Steele.
Jul 27, 2007
Jury finds Watts guilty of first-degree murder of Gloria Steele.
Sep 13, 2007
Watts sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for murder of Gloria Steele.
Sep 21, 2007
Coral Eugene Watts died of prostate cancer at Foote Hospital in Jackson, Michigan at age 53 while serving two life sentences.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Serial Killer Calendar ·
Coral Eugene Watts“2 first-degree murder convictions, both in Michigan. He was given immunity in Texas for twelve killings he confessed to. Years active: 1974 - May 23, 1982”
News report · Crime Library ·
Coral Eugene Watts, The Sunday Morning Slasher“Investigators identified the attacker as Carl Coral Eugene Watts, 29, a Houston mechanic. When they asked him why he tried to kill the women, he told them that they had evil eyes”
Other government record · Crime in Detroit Archives ·
THE MAN WHO MURDERED WOMEN CORAL WATTS STALKED THEM“Coral Eugene Watts flew in to Houston aboard a Delta Airlines jet in mid-March 1981...Wayne Silcox, who had worked with Watts as a diesel mechanic in Michigan, met him at the airport.”
News report · Dallas Observer ·
Evil Eyes: The Serial Killer Who Kept Beating the System“Arrested in December 1974, Watts, now 21, was charged with two counts of assault and battery. That day, Watts met with a court investigator on the Knizacky assault charge and admitted he'd assaulted at least 15 females.”
News report · Grunge ·
How The Sunday Morning Slasher Was Eventually Caught“Carl Eugene Watts...got a plea deal to get him out of any murder charges if he confessed to 12 murders. Watts confessed to those killings in 1982 in exchange for the charge of burglary with intent to murder, and was sentenced to 60 years in prison”
Other · Wikipedia ·
Carl Eugene Watts“Carl Eugene Watts (November 7, 1953 – September 21, 2007)...was an American serial killer who murdered numerous women and girls between 1974 and 1982...He died of prostate cancer while serving two sentences of life imprisonment without parole in a Michigan prison for the murders of Helen Dutcher and Gloria Steele.”
News report · Houston Chronicle ·
Fall of the Sunday Morning Slasher: How a Houston woman stopped serial killer Carl Eugene Watts“By September 2005, Watts was given two life sentences for the murders of Michigan residents Helen Dutcher and Gloria Steele. While most of Watts' victims were in Michigan, at least 14 women killed were in Texas around the Houston and Austin areas between 1981 and 1982.”
News report · Click2Houston ·
The Evidence Room, Episode 17 - The Sunday Morning Slasher“Watts was then charged and convicted of Dutcher's murder in 2004. He was sentenced to life in prison. In 2007 Watts was convicted of the 1974 murder of Michigan college student, Gloria Steele, and sentenced to life without parole. Watts died in prison the same year of prostate cancer.”
News report · Oxygen.com ·
All About Sunday Morning Slasher Carl Coral Watts“Following Watts' 1982 arrest, prosecutors charged him with attempted capital murder and burglary with intent to commit murder. For his cooperation in the unsolved cases, Watts accepted a 60-year prison sentence for the May 23, 1982 attacks”
News report · Texas True Crime Blog ·
Carl Coral Eugene Watts“In May 1982, after the attacks on Melinda Aguilar and Lori Lister, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Ira Jones brokered a plea bargain. Coral would only be charged with burglary with intent to murder if he confessed fully to his crimes, and he would receive immunity from prosecution on the murder accusations. A 60-year sentence was imposed for this offense.”
News report · Hell Horror ·
Male Serial Killer Carl 'Coral' Watts“Carl was arrested on June 29, 1969 for sexually assaulting Joan Gave, who was 26 years old. He was sentenced to a mental hospital, Lafayette Clinic in Detroit.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Watts, Coral Eugene“Coral Eugene Watts biography from academic research compilation”
News report · Tucson.com ·
Admitted serial killer Coral Watts dies; was serving life sentences in 2 Mich. slayings“He had confessed to 12 killings, 11 in Texas and one in Michigan. Watts received immunity for 12 killings to which he had confessed as part of a 1982 deal with Texas prosecutors. Nearly all the killings to which Watts confessed happened in 1981 and 1982 after he moved to the Houston area from Michigan.”
Other · Find a Grave ·
Carl Eugene Coral Watts (1953-2007) - Find a Grave Memorial“On 07 Dec 2004 he was given a life sentence for one murder and on 13 Sep 2007 was sentenced to life without parole for the other murder. He was incarcerated at a maximum security prison in Ionia, Michigan, and died in a hospital in Jackson, Michigan, of prostate cancer.”
News report · LawFuel ·
Convicted serial killer Coral Eugene Watts sentenced to life in prison“Convicted serial killer Coral Eugene Watts...was sentenced this afternoon to life in prison for a 1979 first-degree murder...Watts was found guilty on November 17 stemming from the 1979 first-degree murder of Helen Dutcher.”
News report · Fox News ·
Conviction keeps serial killer in jail“Coral Eugene Watts, 51, was found guilty of stabbing 36-year-old Helen Dutcher to death in a Detroit suburb in 1979. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.”
News report · NBC News ·
Serial killer guilty in 1979 murder case“Coral Eugene Watts, 51, was found guilty of stabbing 36-year-old Helen Dutcher to death in a Detroit suburb in 1979. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.”
News report · NBC News ·
Trial begins for serial killer set to go free“Coral Eugene Watts, 51, is charged with the murder of a 14th woman, Helen Dutcher, whose body was found in an alley in 1979. Watts confessed to the 13 killings in 1982 in a deal with Texas prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to a lesser charge of burglary with intent to murder”
Other government record · Michigan Office of the Governor ·
Governor Granholm Calls for Extradition of Alleged Serial Killer Coral Watts“Governor Granholm today initiated proceedings to extradite an alleged serial killer from Texas who is suspected in the 1979 murder of a Ferndale woman. Governor Granholm signed the extradition request for Coral Watts who is currently serving a 60-year sentence in the Texas correctional system after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary in 1982.”
News report · UPI ·
Coral Eugene Watts, who was sentenced to 60 years...“Watts was sentenced to 60 years in prison Friday on a burglary charge and has confessed and been granted immunity from prosecution in the slaying of 13 women”
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