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Carl Watts, once largely unknown to the American public, is now recognized as one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history. According to CBS, Carl "Coral" Watts admitted to killing more than a dozen women. Law enforcement agencies believe the true number of victims may be as high as 100.
Despite the severity of his crimes, Watts was nearly released from prison after serving just 24 years of a 60-year sentence. A plea deal made in Texas in 1982 gave him immunity from murder charges in exchange for confessions. This agreement, originally seen as a way to close unsolved cases, later raised serious legal and public safety concerns.
Texas law at the time allowed for sentence reductions based on good behavior, even for violent offenders. Watts was ultimately brought to trial again in Michigan before his release date. He was convicted of a 1979 murder after a witness identified him decades later. The case and the legal path that allowed him to come so close to release remain controversial.
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As per the Los Angeles Times, Watts died in prison on September 21, 2007, at the age of 53, from prostate cancer while serving his sentences in a Michigan prison.
The television show Unknown Serial Killers of America will debut on the Oxygen network on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 7 pm EST. The true-crime documentary series features serial killers who worked underground, escaping public and law enforcement notice for years. Each episode is about a different killer, with the first being Carl Watts.
Carl Watts and his pattern of crimes
Carl Watts was first in trouble with the law as a teenager. According to CBS, he attacked a woman while delivering newspapers at age 15. He was later institutionalized and suspected in other violent incidents, including a stabbing during his college years.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, police in Michigan and Texas began to suspect Watts in multiple killings, though they lacked enough evidence to arrest him. In Houston in 1981, Carl Watts began killing young women. According to CBS, he later confessed to 12 homicides in Texas. These included various methods such as drowning, stabbing, and strangulation.
The victims were not sexually assaulted, and there was no clear motive or consistent pattern. Watts targeted women at random, usually attacking near their homes. Police described him as someone who could kill in seconds and disappear without leaving evidence.
He was finally caught in 1982 after an attempted attack in which one of his intended victims escaped and called for help. According to CBS, Watts was arrested shortly after and charged with burglary with intent to murder.
The Texas plea deal and its consequences
Carl Watts was not convicted of murder in Texas. Instead, as reported by CBS, he accepted a plea deal to serve 60 years for burglary with intent to commit murder. In exchange, he gave detailed confessions to 12 homicides. The Houston district attorney granted him immunity from those murders as part of the deal.
Law enforcement officers took Watts to the scenes of the crimes. He provided detailed accounts and showed investigators where some victims had been buried. As per CBS, the detective Tom Ladd, who took his confession, noted that Watts was calm and specific, never confusing details of one murder with another.
At the time, authorities believed the sentence would keep him imprisoned for life. But Texas law allowed first-time offenders to reduce their sentences for good behavior. This meant Watts, who had no prior felony conviction on record, was eligible for release after just 24 years.
Officials in Texas, including Houston crime victim advocate Andy Kahan, raised alarms. According to CBS, Kahan said Watts had told investigators he would kill again if released. By the early 2000s, Watts’ release appeared inevitable unless new charges could be brought against him in a different state.
Michigan reopens the case
Law enforcement in Michigan formed a special task force to prevent Watts’ release. According to CBS, investigators reviewed around 90 unsolved homicide cases where Watts was a possible suspect. In one of those cases, a man named Joseph Foy came forward and said he had witnessed the 1979 stabbing of Helen Dutcher in a Detroit suburb.
Foy had originally called the police in 1979 but was unable to identify the suspect at the time. More than two decades later, he claimed to recognize Carl Watts as the man he had seen in the alley. Based on his testimony, the state of Michigan charged Watts with murder.
Prosecutors argued that Watts’ earlier Texas confessions, as well as testimony from surviving victims like Melinda Aguilar, should be admitted in court. A Michigan judge allowed the jury to hear those details.
According to the CBS article, Carl Watts was ultimately convicted in Michigan. He remained in prison and was not released after the 24-year mark. Michigan authorities also continued investigating other possible cases linked to him.
Watch Unknown Serial Killers of America on Oxygen for more details about Carl Watts.
