"This Never Ends for Families": KPRC 2's Robert Arnold on Coral Eugene Watts and the Campaign to Keep Him in Prison, 2023

Name: "This Never Ends for Families": KPRC 2's Robert Arnold on Coral Eugene Watts and the Campaign to Keep Him in Prison, 2023
Uploaded: 2023-06-14T00:00:00Z
Duration: 6 min 17 s
Description: A Houston station's investigative reporter explains how Coral Eugene Watts came close to legal release from prison, and how victims' families campaigned for two years to find a new case against him.

A Houston station's investigative reporter explains how Coral Eugene Watts came close to legal release from prison, and how victims' families campaigned for two years to find a new case against him.

Subject: Coral Eugene Watts
Recorded: about June 14, 2023
Runtime: 6:17

Content warning: Concerns serial murders of women and an attempted murder; no graphic detail.

The Interview

This is not an interview with Coral Eugene Watts. It is a 6-minute-17-second studio segment from KPRC 2 in Houston, posted on June 14, 2023, in which an anchor talks with KPRC 2 Investigator Robert Arnold about that week's episode of the station's true crime docuseries, "The Evidence Room." The episode, "The Sunday Morning Slasher," was about Watts. Watts is not heard.

Historical Context

Watts was arrested in Houston on May 23, 1982, after attacking two young women in their apartment; one escaped with her hands bound and got help. He then confessed to a series of killings. Under a plea deal he pleaded guilty to burglary with intent to commit murder and received 60 years, with immunity for the murders he confessed to. Because of good-time rules, he could have been released as early as 2006. Michigan prosecutors then convicted him of the 1979 murder of Helen Dutcher (2004) and the 1974 murder of Gloria Steele (2007). He died in prison custody in September 2007.

Circumstances

The segment was made to promote the episode. Arnold had interviewed the younger sister of Elena Semander, a 20-year-old Houston woman whom Watts admitted killing in 1982.

What the Interview Covers

Arnold describes Watts as one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history, saying that investigators are "comfortable saying" he was responsible for at least 40 murders in Texas, Michigan and Canada. He outlines the 1982 arrest, the plea deal and the 60-year sentence, and how Watts came close to being, in his words, "the first serial killer in U.S. history to be legally released from prison." Most of the segment is about the response: Elena Semander's mother, Houston victims' advocate Andy Kahan and the group Justice For All organized 20th anniversary memorials in Michigan and Texas and a "media blitz" to find a new case. Arnold says it took about two years. He recounts that Elena's sister grew up with news crews in the family living room, and that her mother told her after Watts died, "I have my life back."

What Makes the Recording Significant

It is a short account, from the Houston station, of the victims' families' campaign that kept Watts in prison, told from the side of the families.

Archival Importance

The full docuseries episode, if an embeddable copy exists, would be a stronger record.

Important Caveats

Watts is not heard. Arnold's "at least 40 murders" is his summary of investigators' views; Watts confessed to 13 murders in 1982. Arnold says the roommate jumped from "a second story balcony"; Wikipedia says she escaped through a window. The anchor is not named. Whether archive footage is cut into the segment was not checked.

Anchor: We are streaming a brand new episode of our true crime docuseries, The Evidence Room. This week we're bringing you into the case of the Sunday Morning Slasher, Coral Eugene Watts. Here with a preview is KPRC 2 Investigator Robert Arnold. Robert, bring us up to speed on who Watts was.

Robert Arnold: He was one of the most prolific serial killers in U.S. history that a lot of people didn't know about because, like some of the other killers that we've featured on our show, The Evidence Room, nobody knew he was a serial killer until after he was caught. So it wasn't like there were all these warnings out there, "There's a serial killer at work," all of these things, although some family members of victims knew it. They said, "There's a pattern here." Police were saying, "No, there's not." And then after this man was finally caught in 1982, it came to light that he was a serial killer. So he operated in Texas, Michigan, and Canada. Investigators are comfortable saying that he is responsible for at least 40 murders, but it could be higher.

Robert Arnold: What was particularly horrible about the way everything unfolded with Watts is he was finally caught in 1982 when he tried to kill two women in an apartment. He only thought one woman was home; he was surprised by the roommate. So he tied up the roommate while he was trying to kill one. That roommate, hands bound behind her back, jumped from a second story balcony and got help. So he was finally caught, and then he started confessing. And even though he led police to bodies, confessed to all these different murders, he was only charged with burglary with the intent to commit murder. And it was an odd plea deal, but that plea deal did come with a 60-year prison sentence. Unfortunately, that was not the reality of the time that he would have to stay in prison. So he came very close to being the first serial killer in U.S. history to be legally released from prison.

Anchor: Wow.

Robert Arnold: And so family members, victim rights advocates, they had to launch this massive nationwide campaign to find another case to hopefully keep him in prison. And really that's where we're focusing this week's episode, is that effort by the families: one, one mom in particular, one of his victims, Elena Semander. We were lucky enough to speak with her sister for this week's episode, and she talked about her mom, it just consumed her life, and she took up, carried the torch for all the victims.

Anchor: Yeah, the, the impact that this must have on these families, the loved ones of these victims, is just tremendous.

Robert Arnold: Well, she talks about how she didn't even realize how much it had consumed...

Anchor: Right.

Robert Arnold: ...her mom's life until after Watts died. And that was when she got a call from her mom saying, "I have my life back." And that's when she's like, "Oh my God, this really did..." She, because the mom really never thought that she would outlive...

Anchor: [unclear: "She couldn't breathe, right" / "Breathe, right"]

Robert Arnold: She [unclear: "couldn't outlive" / "could not live" / "could now live"] Watts. And you know, it was, it was a really surreal moment talking with the sister of Elena Semander, is she was the younger sister. She was in high school. And so when it came about that Watts, you know, is going to be released at some point, and this big nationwide campaign was launched, what really hit me is here's this young girl in high school saying it was very common for her to come home and there'd be news crews in her living room. Think about that, how odd that must have been to [unclear: "get growing up" / "get growing to seeing that" / "get gross, to see that"; probably "grow up seeing that"]. I mean, I've been in this business almost three decades now. I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually come across a news crew when I wasn't working.

Anchor: Right.

Robert Arnold: It's not common to see us out and about, but yet this poor young girl, it was very normal to see, to see, to see photographers and reporters in her house.

Anchor: You know, you mentioned, uh, some of those campaigns. How did the campaign come about to find a new case on Watts?

Robert Arnold: OK, so family members, in particular Elena Semander's mother, and victims' rights advocate Andy Kahan, who's with Crime Stoppers; he was with the City of Houston at that time. So they're sitting around and they're talking, they're talking with another group that, that no longer exists, but it was called Justice For All. And they're like, "Well, what can we do? What can we do?" And they go, "You know what? We're going to put Watts back on the map. We're going to have a 20th anniversary memorial service..."

Anchor: Right.

Robert Arnold: "...to remember all the victims." He was caught in '[unclear: "20" as heard; probably "'82"]. "We're going to do this, and we're going to do it in Michigan. We're going to do it here in Texas. We're just going to do this massive media blitz to remind people about Watts, and let them know, hey, he's coming out because of the way the laws work. There is no keeping him in prison unless we find this case."

Anchor: This brought it back on the forefront.

Robert Arnold: Oh my goodness. I mean, the Michigan attorney general had news conferences. I mean, it was, it was really a full-throated effort to find another case. But he was a suspect in so many cases that they knew that they had a good shot at finding one. They just needed that one to come forward. And it took, it took about two years, even with a nationwide effort, it took about two years. They came very close to seeing his release before they did find another case.

Anchor: That's so powerful, though, you talking about the mother who said, you know, she can finally breathe, she can finally [unclear: "live her life" / "live." with Arnold overlapping "She had her life back" / "let her life"]. Out of all of the, the things that you have learned through this case on this episode, is there one thing that stands out the most?

Robert Arnold: How people still don't realize that even after a trial is over, a sentence is given, this never ends for families. It never, ever ends. You always have that empty chair. You always have that sense of loss. You always have that, that just, that sadness...

Anchor: Yeah.

Robert Arnold: ...that is there. And then when you have something like this, where you are fighting for justice for so long, you don't even really, I think, come to terms with the fact that it's consumed your life. Like I said, you know, Elena's sister said that she didn't really fully understand how much it had consumed her mom's life until Watts finally died in prison, and her mom called her and said, "I, I have my life back," because she just never thought she'd outlive the guy.

Anchor: That's so powerful. You know, nothing changes, no matter what you do, nothing changes what happened. Uh, and then to be consumed by it for so long.

Robert Arnold: It's, well, that was, that was the thing. "We can't change, we can't bring her back, but by God, we're going to make sure that he is fully held accountable for everything." And he's, and I mean, it's very strange. You sit here and you think, here's a guy who confessed. It wasn't like it was a whodunit.

Anchor: Yeah.

Robert Arnold: He confessed, he led police to bodies, he talked about, he even agreed to confess to Michigan murders, but Michigan officials wouldn't agree to a plea deal. So he didn't. I mean, it was just, it was, it was insane how prolific a killer this man was, but nobody really knew it. Just wild.

Anchor: Yeah. OK. Well, you can watch the latest episode on The Evidence Room, streaming tonight at 6:30, exclusively on KPRC 2+. Robert, thank you very much.

Robert Arnold: Thanks. Appreciate it. [06:12 to 06:17: music; no words (second machine pass, which returned only a stray "you," treated as an artifact).] ---