The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, August 11, 1982-Page 3
PLEA BARGAINING REVEALS HE MAY HAVE KILLED 22 ACROSS NATION
Suspect linked to local killings
By GEORGE ADAMS Both de
WITH WIRE REPORTS Texas in
A bus mechanic in Houston im- Corbe
plicated himself yesterday in as many "only a
as 22 unsolved murders, including three there is
in Ann Arbor, in exchange for a plea- Michiga
bargained 60-year sentence on a to be se
burglary charge. Ann Ar
The suspect, 28-year-old Coral misdean
Eugene Watts, admitted slaying sequent
women at random in the Houston area slayings
and said he can help authorities solve 13 authorit
other slayings in five cities from Texas ned Wat
to Canada, according to Texas State to Texas
District Judge Doug Shaver.
SHAV
WATTS appeared before Shaver decisio
yesterday to enter a guilty plea to a agreeme
single count of burglary, part of a plea- Watts is
bargaining agreement not yet accepted
by the judge. Shaver
who "be
Ann Arbor Police Chief William Cor- said the
bett said Watts has been a suspect since dom. "1
1980 in three local murder cases oc- There's
curring that year. The victims, Ann sexual
Arbor resident Shirley Small and anything
University students Rebecca Greer
Huff and Glenda Richmond, were slain Prose
on three separate Sundays, a pattern agreed
which earned the killer the nickname Austin
"Sunday morning slasher." Ann Ar
and Wi
"(Watts') recent confession those a
strengthens our belief that he commit- prosecu
ted the crimes and that they are all
related," Corbett said yesterday. THE
Houston plolice authorities said Wat- women
ts led them to the grave of a woman strangle
Monday. The search for other victims cases da
will continue today. Durini
ANN ARBOR Detectives Lt. Dale ts, "It is
Heath and Staff Sgt. Paul Bunton continue
currently are en route to Houston to process
aide in the investigation, Corbett said.
Meteor
light show
Although last night's clouds may
have obscured the show, Ann Arbor
residents will get another chance
tonight to witness the annual return of
the most colorful meteor shower visible
from Earth.
The Perseid shower appears each
August 11 and 12 in the eastern to nor-
theastern part of the sky, according to
astronomy Prof. Richard Teske.
The shower comes from the debris of M
the Swift-Tuttle comet, discovered in
1862, Teske said. Dust particles from
the comet which "are no bigger than a
pinhead and weigh less than a postage
stamp" create the shower when they
fall into the earth's gravitational pull
and burn up 60 miles above the ground,
he said. percent
Heat and friction from the particles' Other
entry into the atmosphere create the cy with
shower's colorful blue and white Plawec
streaks, Teske said. Early evening may Kerry I
be best viewing time, according to Sen. Ed
Teske, since- the moon's light may ob- retired
scure some of the most colorful effects percent
after midnight. On th
Teske stressed, however, that the he woul
bright shower poses no danger because at least
the meteor particles disintegrate A Headl
before hitting the ground. a rep
tectives previously went to
May to question Watts.
tt said Watts' plea bargaining
pplies in Texas," adding that
a chance Watts may return to
n to stand trial. "That remains
en," he said.
,t said Watts was arrested in
bor in October, 1980, on a
manor charge and was sub-
y interrogated about the local
. Ann Arbor police alerted
ies in Houston when they lear-
tts was moving from Michigan
in 1981, he added.
ER SAID he will defer his
n on the plea-bargaining
ent until next Tuesday, when
scheduled for sentencing.
r described Watts as someone
elieves women are evil," and
victims were selected at ran-
He just does not like women.
never been any indication of
molestation or theft, robbery-
g,"he said.
ecutors in Texas said Watts
to lead them to other graves in
and Galveston, Texas; Detroit,
bor, and Kalamazoo, Michigan;
rndsor, Ontario, if authorities in
reas offer him immunity from
tion.
VICTIMS, most of whom were
and all of whom were either
d or stabbed, are unsolved
ting back to 1972.
g the hearing, Shaver told Wat-
my understanding that you will
to cobperate with police in the
of recovering bodies of victims
See HOUSTON, Page 5
AP rhoto'
CORAL EUGENE WATTS (right) is'questioned by detectives after leading
them to a shallow grave ina field near Houston Monday. Watts has been im-
plicated in at least 22 murders, including three in Ann Arbor.
Governors
federalism
AFTON, Okla. (AP) - The nation's
governors, backing away from a con-
frontation with President Reagan,
agreed yesterday to an uneasy, face-
saving truce with the White House on
"new federalism."
At the closing session of their annual
summer meeting, the governors voter-
without dissent to draft their own
federalism plan and then to submit it to
the president for his approval.
The clear threat behind the resolution
was that if they can't reach a com-
promise with the president, the gover-
nors then will take their plan to
Congress.
"CONGRESS has got to be a part of
agree on
'truce'
our discussions," said Gov. Scott
Matheson of Utah at a news conference
after the meeting ended.
Matheson, a Democrat who was
elected new chairman of the National
Governors' Association, also said, "We
do not intend to exclude or terminate"
negotiations with the White House on
federalism.
"I would hope those negotiations
would be directly with the president,"
he said. "It is my judgment, if the
president had been directly involved in
our discussions in the last six months
that we would likely have made much
more progress."
ch. Gov. Millik en
... to help draft plan
onchard wIs Democratic gov. primary
(Continued from Page l)-tr htspotfo h rn
Milliken, who strongly backed his long- ters that support from the Grand
of the vote. time lieutenant. Rapids area could pull their candidate
s in the field were Zolton Feren- Headlee attributed much of his suc- through. He also said that several key
11 percent, state Sen. David cess to "a lot of young voters who are precincts across the state showed the
ki with 10 percent, state Sen. concerned about their futures." He lieutenantgovernorrunning well.
Kammer with 5 percent, state also cited his tax reform proposals as
ward Pierce with 5 percent, and key to his victory. This story was compiled
minister John Safran with 1 At 11 p.m. both Patterson and a using reports from Daily staff
. Brickley spokesperson told their
e Republican side, Headlee said respective crowds that the election was writers George Adams, Beth
d not claim victory until he saw "still a horse race," but prospects for Allen, Greg Brusstar, Lou
25 percent of the votes tallied. both the candidates looked dim as the
lee victory would be considered evening progressed. Fintor, Bill Spindle, and Fan-
udiation for Gov. William Goodwillie told the Brickley suppor- nie Weinstein.
I