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| Serial Killer Denied Parole Again |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/20/2002 |
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A serial killer who is due to be released from prison in 3 1/2 years despite his confession to 13 murders has again been denied parole. A three-member parole board panel announced their decision Tuesday. The inmate, Coral Eugene Watts, received similar news in 1990, 1993, 1996 and 1999. 'That was about as big a no-brainer as you will ever see,' victims' advocate Andy Kahan said of the parole board's decision. 'I wish I could say I was shocked. Parole has always been a moot point in this particular case. The imminent issue still is his release.' Because of a quirk in Texas law, Watts is scheduled for mandatory release in May 2006. He could be discharged even before that - after his next parole hearing in December 2005 - if he continues to show good behavior, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Larry Todd. In 1982, Watts admitted he killed 13 women. But he received immunity in 12 of the cases and went to prison for burglary with intent to commit murder. Prosecutors said they were short on hard evidence and intent on closing the open murder cases. At the time, they and the judge also thought a 60-year prison term would keep Watts behind bars until he was an in his 80s. But mandatory release laws require Watts' discharge on May 8, 2006, when he is 52. Texas' mandatory release program was approved in 1977 to relieve prison crowding. The program was rescinded in 1996. Inmates like Watts, however, remained eligible because they were incarcerated under terms of the plan. Watts confessed and received immunity for strangling a 20-year-old Houston woman, Michelle Maday, the same morning he was arrested in May 1982. Watts told police he killed 10 other Texas women and a woman from Michigan. He also confessed to strangling a 14-year-old Texas girl. Although he did not receive immunity in that case, prosecutors lacked the evidence to take him to trial. Authorities in Michigan and Texas are scouring old cases to try to find evidence that might lead to another conviction to block Watts' scheduled release. 'Our time to remedy this situation is shorter than we actually anticipated,' said Kahan, who has worked to organize victims' families in recent months. 'We are still brainstorming amongst each other and trying to see if there is anything that can be remedied.' |
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There is a lot of information on this website about inmates and prison guards. I didn’t realize what was going on in our prison system until I discovered this website. Similarly, I didn’t understand litigation finance until I read more from Hamilton Lindley who is a litigation finance expert based in Texas.