Evil Eyes (31 page)

“Today is the first step in the path to justice for the family of Helen Dutcher,” announced Granholm.

Michigan attorney general Mike Cox also spoke to the press about the potential for bringing Watts to Michigan. “It is rare when a lawyer or prosecutor can say with certainty that initiating a case or filing charges in a prosecution can save lives. Today, I can.”

Governor Rick Perry received the extradition request the following day, on Friday, April 2, 2004. Perry’s spokes-woman, Kathy Walt, addressed the media in regard to Michigan and Granholm’s request. “The governor’s general counsel wants to review the paperwork carefully and make sure everything is in order.” At the risk of not want-ing to sound as if there might be some foot shuffling going on in the Texas Governor’s Mansion, Walt quickly added, “The governor will sign it as soon as possible.”

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Walt informed that once the request was signed, it would be sent to Huntsville and delivered to Watts at the Ellis Unit. “Once he is served with the warrant,” Walt continued, “he can fight extradition.”

There was some hand-wringing going on as to whether Watts would comply with the warrant or if he would contest it. Not known for his cooperation, Watts denied all media requests. Most authorities had no idea whether or not he even had a lawyer.

The following Tuesday, April 6, 2004, Governor Rick Perry signed the extradition papers for Coral Eugene Watts. “By signing this extradition warrant,” Perry stated in his official press release, “families of Watts’s victims have renewed hope that he will remain behind bars for many years to come.” Perry continued by thanking the Texas Rangers, the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Special Crimes Unit, as well as the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, in addition to the “Michigan authorities.”

There were people waiting in line to get a piece of Coral Watts.

“We are not going to forget Coral Eugene Watts,” promised Waller County district attorney Oliver Kitzman. Speaking in reference to the murder of Emily LaQua, Kitzman stated that “we have a viable case against Coral Eugene Watts here in Waller County if it becomes appropriate to prosecute him.” The prosecutor added, “We are glad, frankly, to have Michigan come forward with what they seem to feel are cases they can make up there.” Kitzman brought up another point that had some officials perturbed that Texas could not bring charges against Watts sooner: Michigan did not have

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the death penalty. If Watts could be charged in Texas, Kitzman alluded, then “we would have the death penalty here available to us.”

Eight days later, on Wednesday afternoon, April 14, 2004, Watts made his first public appearance in more than two decades. The occasion was his extradition hearing before state district judge William McAdams.

Watts slowly lumbered into the courtroom, his legs restrained by metal shackles, his wrists with handcuffs. He looked much older, of course, and slightly disheveled. He took his time walking up to the defense table, where he was greeted by Texas State Counsel for Offenders attorney Rudolph Brothers. The legal aid attorney even assisted Watts by placing his oversized prison-issued glasses on his face so he could read Governor Granholm and Governor Perry’s extradition request.

Brothers addressed the court. He informed Judge McAdams that Watts recently had undergone major surgery for prostate cancer. Specifically, Watts had tubes im-planted in his ears and was also on the ass-end of exploratory nonterminal prostate cancer surgery. Brothers also informed the judge that Watts was currently on medication to “address some mental-health issues that he has.” Brothers did not care to elaborate.

He did, however, inform the judge of Watts’s inten-tions.

“He is willing to voluntarily return to the state of Michigan,” Brothers stated.

Judge McAdams looked directly at Watts: “You can fight extradition. If you can’t afford your own attorney (to represent him in an extradition fight), I’ll appoint one to represent you.”

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Brothers leaned over and whispered something into Watts’s ear. After a few moments, the men separated and Watts spoke to the judge. It was probably the first time that many people involved in the case actually had heard Watts’s voice.

“I understand” was all he said.

Watts then informed the judge that he had chosen not to fight the extradition request. His attorney, Brothers, however, did add that Watts “is concerned that he be able to complete his medical treatment before returning to the state of Michigan.”

Judge McAdams agreed to allow Watts to complete his treatment before being transferred to the state of Michigan.

Michigan attorney general Mike Cox was already gear-ing up for the trial. “My office is taking the necessary steps to ensure this murder trial is held in a timely and reasonable manner.” The youthful-looking attorney general was not afraid to spread his plume either.

“I created the Office of Special Investigations—with sea-soned and skilled prosecutors—for cases exactly like this one.” He gesticulated, while apparently forgetting that it was Donna Pendergast who read about the “Call to Action” memorial service in 2002 and acted upon it. Two people who truly greased the wheels of justice after decades of creaky starts commented on Watts’s decision not to fight the extradition. Andy Kahan replied that “this is a big step in assuring that a cold-blooded killer never gets out to victimize any other person.”

Harriett Semander was pleased, but still cautious. “It’s not the end. He has to have a conviction,” for her to be satisfied.

*

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Early Thursday morning, April 22, 2004, Coral Watts was transported by the Michigan State Police Department from the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Texas, to Michigan. He was delivered to Oakland County sheriff Michael Bouchard. Watts had completed his cancer treatments successfully and was ready to stand trial for the 1979 murder of Helen Mae Dutcher.

On Friday, April 23, 2004, Coral Watts was arraigned by Judge Joseph Longo in the Forty-third District Court, located in Ferndale, Michigan. Watts ignored the large gathering of reporters as he shambled into the building. Once inside the courtroom, Watts remained quiet.

Dressed in a dark blue sweat suit, Watts listened as the judge read the charges against him. Bespectacled in thick, dark glasses, Watts aimlessly tapped his toes to a rhythm only he could hear. His manacled hands kept him relaxed as he occasionally scratched his skin.

“Coral Eugene Watts, on or about December 1, 1979, in the city of Ferndale . . . did with intent to kill, and with premeditation, kill and murder one Helen Mae Dutcher.” Since Watts had no legal representation, the judge entered a plea of not guilty of the murder of Helen Mae Dutcher on Watts’s behalf.

With his head bowed down, Watts then asked Judge Longo for a court-appointed attorney. He also stated in a barely audible voice, “My legal papers were withheld from me.” Quiet, yet defiant.

Judge Longo informed the defendant that he would appoint an attorney to handle his case. He also ordered

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that Watts remain in the Oakland County Jail without bail and set his initial preliminary hearing for the following Thursday. The hearing was expected to be postponed once Watts was assigned an attorney.

On April 29, 2004, attorney Ronald E. Kaplovitz was given the unenviable task of representing Coral Watts. Kaplovitz ran a successful legal practice that focused on immigration law and criminal law.

The preliminary examination was postponed, as expected. Kaplovitz needed more time to prepare an appropriate defense for his newest, most notorious client. The attorney claimed he just had over three thousand pages of evidence against his client dumped on his desk that needed to be reviewed. Furthermore, Kaplovitz claimed, Watts had not been receiving proper medical treatment for his prostate cancer.

“Since he has been in the county jail,” Kaplovitz de-cried, “he has not been provided with what I believe is adequate medical care.” The passionate defense of Coral Eugene Watts had begun officially.

Judge Longo rescheduled the preliminary hearing for June 2, 2004, so Kaplovitz could prepare better.

Kaplovitz made good use of his time between hearings. He made sure to fire his opening salvo in the press to question the legitimacy of Joseph Foy’s claim to have seen Coral Watts murder Helen Dutcher.

“I have some serious questions about a witness who says he saw something for a few fleeting moments in a dark alley on a dark night twenty-five years ago.”

Another sticking point for Kaplovitz was Pendergast’s desire to file a motion to request that Watts’s previous murder confessions be allowed in as evidence. Kaplovitz, of course, was adamantly opposed to such a motion.

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He would have just over a month to prepare his initial arguments.

On Thursday, May 20, 2004, Judge Joseph Longo placed a gag order on all legal parties involved in the Coral Watts murder case. He ordered that certain evidence and testimony that would come forth in the preliminary hearing be concealed. Longo claimed he wanted to prevent contamination of the potential jury pool.

Ron Kaplovitz was pleased. “It’s one of those situations where you have to balance the right of the public to know versus the defendant’s right to a fair trial.”

As the preliminary hearing crept closer, some parties refused to keep quiet. Harriett Semander, Keri Whitlow, and Andy Kahan all planned on attending the hearing. Semander was far from relieved. “I want this burden to be lifted from me,” the advocate and grieving mother declared. “You hope for closure for you, the rest of the family who’s moved on, married, and given me grandchil-dren.” The exhausted woman shook her head as she said, “They return to my home and still see newspapers spread on the table from twenty-two years ago. I know it’s a long time, but how do you move on? It’s my daughter.” Keri Whitlow lamented that “survivors are dealing with their own torment in surviving. This is hell on people’s lives. Who wants to relive it?” But Whitlow knew the pain she would feel would pale in comparison to the pain her friend Suzi Wolf suffered at the hands of Coral Eugene Watts. She would be there, no matter what.

“You go because someone needs to represent the victims.”

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Two fellow victims’ family members from Michigan would join them. Michael Clyne stated, “I owe it to Jeanne and all the other victims to be there. It’s not cu-riosity, it’s seeing this through.”

Clyne also added that “closure is a funny word. The most important closure for me is to keep him off the streets. That’s what I’m most worried about. Intellectu-ally, I’m prepared for this [trial]. Emotionally, I won’t be.” Judy Wolf Krueger would also attend the hearing. “For me, the wound never closed, and I don’t know what I’d do if he’s acquitted.” Instead of anger, however, Krueger spoke of faith: “I’ve been having multiple conversations with God lately. I say, ‘God, you have to help us out. Give us the wisdom, insight, and guidance to do what we can to help keep this man in prison.’”

Semander talked of a very personal, very practical plan if Watts was convicted. She said that her boxes of newspaper clippings would meet their own demise.

“I have boxes and boxes of newspaper clippings, files, and notes. It just goes on and on. I think I’ll have a party and burn everything.”

On Wednesday, June 2, 2004, at 9:00
A
.
M
., the rescheduled preliminary hearing took place before Judge Joseph Longo in the Forty-third District Court in Ferndale to determine if there was enough evidence to proceed with a trial against Coral Watts. More than twenty of his victims’ surviving family members or friends were in attendance in the less-than-spacious courtroom. Among them were Judy Wolf Krueger, Harriett Semander, Keri Whitlow, and two of Helen Dutcher’s sisters. Andy Kahan was also in attendance.

One of the most memorable encounters was that of

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Harriett Semander and Paul Bunten. For twenty-two years their lives had been intertwined; however, it was the first time they had met each other: the man who suspected Watts back in Michigan, and the mother who lost a daughter to the man Bunten suspected. A meeting under much different circumstances would have been preferable, but the officer and the mother were glad to meet one another finally.

“I’m here to see him,” Bunten declared in reference to Watts. “I wish it could have been one of my cases, but I’m excited he finally may face justice.”

He spoke about how he had officially been off the case for years, but that the thought of Coral Watts never left his mind. “You don’t retire from something like this. It’s important to me because of the number of people he impacted and the fact that it’s still open and hanging there. I want to see this get some closure.”

In regard to Harriett Semander, Bunten had nothing but praise: “It was tough to talk to Harriett. . . . [It] brought back a lot. Here’s someone who has done so much good out of something so tragic.”

The key testimony in the hearing was the unveiling of Joseph Foy, the man who claimed to have witnessed Watts murder Helen Dutcher more than twenty-five years earlier. After giving a detailed description of what he saw that night, Foy positively identified Coral Watts as the man who murdered Helen Dutcher.

During a recess, however, Watts’s defense attorney, Ron Kaplovitz, disputed Foy’s claim. “His whole testimony is questionable,” pitched the bulldog of an attorney. “The guy tells prosecutors his memory today is better than twenty-five years ago. It could not have happened the way he said it did.”

Apparently, Foy’s memory was good enough for Judge

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Longo. After five hours in the hearing, the judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Coral Eugene Watts to stand trial for the first-degree murder of Helen Mae Dutcher. Longo then ordered Watts back to his county jail cell.