Most Prolific Killer in U.S. History Was Caught by Michigan Witness

He was nicknamed "The Sunday Morning Slasher," but Carl "Coral" Eugene Watts was much more than that—he has been called the most prolific serial killer in United States history. Born in Texas, but raised in the Detroit area, Watts left a chilling trail of bodies that still haunts Michigan to this day.

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People Magazine reports that authorities believe Watts murdered more than 100 women between 1974 and 1982. His crimes began young. By 20, he'd already served time for violent crimes against women.

The Sunday Morning Slasher’s Michigan Murders

According to Oxygen, the string of grisly Sunday morning murders across Michigan, including Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, and Ferndale. It's thought that growing suspicion led Watts to flee to Texas, where his appetite for murder only grew.

How Watts Was Caught—A Survivor & A Tip

In 1982, a brutal attack left two women bound and nearly drowned in Houston. One of the victims, Melinda Aguilar, managed to escape and eventually identified Watts, leading to his arrest.

Michigan’s Legal Intervention Stops Release

He would go on to confess to 13 murders in Texas, but thanks to a plea deal, Watts received immunity and a reduced sentence. You didn't read that wrong. CBS News reports that one of America's most dangerous killers could have walked out of prison in 2006.

Enter Michigan.

Thanks to a tip and new testimony from Joseph Foy, who witnessed the 1979 murder of Helen Dutcher in Ferndale, Michigan, the cold case was reopened, and Watts was eventually convicted of a 14th murder.

In 2004, Watts was convicted of Helen Dutcher's murder and would eventually die in an Ionia prison.

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His victims, like Michigan's own Shirley Small, never got to tell their stories. While nothing can undo the horror he left behind, it was Michigan that made sure Watts spent his final days where he belonged: locked up and remembered only as a cautionary tale that evil lurks everywhere.