Evil Eyes

by Corey Mitchell

Serial Thrill-Killer


In Houston, Texas, on the morning of May 23, 1982, Coral Eugene Watts, 28, trapped two young women in their apartment. Only hours before, he'd killed another woman by drowning her in her bathtub. As Watts attempted to do the same to 20-year-old Lori Lister, her roommate Melinda Aguilar, 18, made a daring escape, leading to Watts's arrest.



Justice Deferred


Watts was a sadistic slayer with a lust for killing in a variety of strangulation, suffocation, drowning, and stabbing. He confessed to thirteen murders, but with no direct evidence to link him to the crimes, he managed to plea bargain his sentence down to 60 years for burglary.



A Fiend Thwarted


Due to a legal flaw in the Texas criminal justice system, Watts was supposed to be released from prison in 2006. Through the ceaseless efforts of investigators and the mother of one of the victims, Watts was finally tried and convicted to life in prison for a murder he'd committed in Michigan in 1979. He remains the prime suspect in approximately 90 other slayings. Experts theorize that Watts may have slain more than Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy. . .combined! Here is the chilling story of how he almost got away with murder.



16 Pages Of Shocking Photos

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Serial Killer

432 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Ruth Turner · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled through one third of this book before I gave up.

The story itself may have been interesting, but the writing was not. Dry, boring and littered with annoying, useless pieces of information that had no relevance to anything:

“Her father developed an unusual habit of sleeping all day and sometimes not waking up until six o’clock on certain nights. It was not because of work either.” So??

“Hickam, who wrote about the small town in his bestselling book, Rocket Boys, which was later made into a popular movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, renamed October Sky.
Hickam may have even encountered Watts at the time when Watts would visit his grandmother” So??

Lori recalled that Suzi loved to dance and loved the Rolling Stones. Suzi and Keri definitely gathered no moss. Huh?!

The story doesn't flow smoothly. I may as well have been reading a newspaper article. The more I read the more I found fault and that's when I decided it was a waste of time to continue.

This may not be the worst true crime book I've read, but it comes close.

[Fishface · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare has nothing to worry about when it comes to this author, but I'm still glad he wrote this one. Finally, finally, a whole book about Coral Watts! The closest I ever came before was an article here and there in one of those encyclopedia-format books, and let's not forget the page devoted to him in one of Joel Norris's books, in which he refers to the killer repeatedly as "she." (Nice research job, there, Joel.) (Or should I be addressing the copyeditor?) I take this serial killer very, very personally because he killed women in 3 neighborhoods I lived in. It was only when I read this book that I realized he even killed a woman RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM ME -- I had the impression that case was never solved. So very good to know he's safely dead, and I hope every one of his victims met him at the "down" elevator lobby when he died, each armed with a board with a nail through it. There were many, many other murders I saw mentioned that the author didn't go into -- I would like to know who these victims were and how strongly they were connected to Watts!

[Lady ♥ Belleza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the true account of Carl “Coral” Eugene Watts, a serial killer in Michigan, when Michigan got too ‘hot’ for him, in the sense that a local detective had him pegged for several murders, he moved to Texas. He didn’t stop killing though, by the time he was arrested he had killed 13 more women. Watts killed in a variety of ways and left little evidence behind. He confessed but plea bargained to burglary with a 60 year sentence. Due to a legal flaw in the Texas criminal justice system, Watts was supposed to be released from prison in 2006. Through the ceaseless efforts of investigators and the mother of one of the victims, Watts was finally tried and convicted to life in prison for a murder he’d committed in Michigan in 1979.

This book has it all, the life of Watts, his life of crime, a brief biography of his victims, mainly because there were so many (I counted 40 women linked to or suspected to be linked to him), the trial and then the briefs and motions he filed to reduce his sentence and the efforts made to keep him in prison. A fascinating well written account of a horrible person.

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. As an avid true crime reader I was familiar with Eugene Watts and the crimes he committed.
I was shocked to learn that so many people don’t know about this or just do not seem to care.

And then how the parole works (worked) in America, They earn good points for every day served)
Well in my country it is much worse. If you kill someone you will get 3 to 4 years if you are unlucky and with all the punishments here, one third of it will be reduced of your jail time. so if your punishment is 9 months you will only have to do 6 jail time.
8.5

[Johnny Story · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true crime book about Coral Eugene Watts, an African-American serial killer, that maybe killed ninety women in America, making him the "most prolific serial killer of all time."...a title that seems to sell, though there's probably truth to Mitchell's claim. Watts only confessed to thirteen murders, and later is put on trial for more.
True Crime books seem to have a consistent structure. A big opening (often the capture of a serial killer), a summary of all their previous murders, a return to the capture, the ensuing trial, and then glimpse into the mind of the serial killer.
What works against the book is that Eugene Watts is a boring serial killer compared to the likes of Bundy, Gacy, and The Night Stalker. He was just a guy who was happy to kill women. The brutality of his murders is shocking. He didn't rape the women. He didn't steal anything. He just strangled, stabbed, or drowned them and left laughing. The frequency of the attacks and the total number of them are appalling. Since there wasn't any evidence connecting him to the murders when he got caught in the early eighties he worked out a plea bargain. 60 years for confessing to 13 murders. Of course, 60 years means more like 20 with good behavior, or maybe 8 years before parole if he can prove water isn't a deadly weapon.
What works for the book is trial process. Not just the original conviction but the continual labor to stop the parole of a man who not only murdered 13 women but said he'd do it again once he got out. The ultimate question these books aim to answer and a big part of the intrigue is always "Why did he do it?" Well, as he puts it, "because I saw evil in their eyes."

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF... I couldn't get into this story. I am not sure if it was due to the way the story was written or if I found the crimes to be repatative. In the end I only got to 111 pages.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok Coral Watts was a dirt bag. Good story to tell by Corey Mitchell. A black mass murderer and why don't we hear more about black mass murderers ? Good angle. But here's where you go astray. Stamping the book with "Includes Killer's Shocking Confession!" spoils the end from the start. Furthermore, opining on irrelevant issues such as the Bush election over Gore is going to turn off your readers and is totally inappropriate. But you also really missed something huge here.

I don't think Watt's killed Dutcher. No way Foy could have remembered, and even seen it to begin with. I'm not saying that Watts is not the lowest scum on the earth. I'm saying Foy is a liar. He wanted to help society see what he believed was justice. But the end does not justify the means. I'm in this sort of business and I can tell you even the best eyewitnesses suck. They had not one scrap of forensic evidence against the guy? I hope the witch hunt leader Semander can live with herself.

Finally why aren't the real problemed children addresses by Mitchell? The incompetent police and DAs who botched all these cases, losing evidence in the process. How about we stop paying these people and put *them* on trial? It irks me no end that the system seems riddled with meat headed buffoons who are never held accountable for malfeasance.

[Tina]

This monster attacked my cousin leaving her for dead. Thankfully she survived. While he was eventually caught, he was never convicted for attacking her. I was still in grade school at the time. I still don’t know if I can sit down and read about this man. I do think that more people in the Detroit Windsor area should know about the victims of this monster. He was not just an American serial killer.

[Julie Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure evil

Frightening to know there are people in this world as demented as Watts. I rarely skip pages in a book but in this case I did. Might be for you if you want a detailed description of what every person in the book is wearing, how they styled their hair, body type, etc. Every conversation and courtroom drama seems to be told verbatim to the point of tedium.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Riveting up until the point the author thought it was a good idea for the next ten chapters to be the word-for-word transcripts of the interrogations/confessions. Then I just started skipping and skimming because it got super boring with not only that but chapter after chapter of the names of politicians and laws that had nothing to do with the subject matter.

[Jane Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Crime

This is a story of the serial killer Coral Watts, who killed an unknown number of young women. They were als alone, usually on Saturday night or Sunday morning. It is a little odd in that the author so often expresses his own opinion.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

horribly written for true crime book..don't bother

[Roblee · Rating 2 out of 5]

A serial killer finally caught, and the resulting changes in laws and procedures because of him. Way too much verbatim of court transcripts and confessions.

[Manda · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are very few books written about serial killer Coral Watts. He’s not a name that comes up in true crime circles very often, and even those well-versed in true crime rarely have heard of his crimes. So I had high hopes for this book. This book really reads like a series of newspaper articles and excerpts from trial transcripts. It’s very dry, it could’ve used a lot more editing, and I skimmed over large portions of it. For example, the first quarter of the book is dedicated to descriptions of some of the crimes that Mr. Watts committed. Then there’s a portion on the book that is verbatim transcript of his confessions to said crimes. Then during the trial portion of the book there’s verbatim transcript of the victim or witnesses testimony about the crime. And then the author essentially transcribes the prosecutors entire closing argument, and large portions of the defense attorneys closing argument. While I think use of the direct quote can be important when writing nonfiction books, A lot of it felt very repetitive, and unnecessary. I got the feeling that the author took a lot of the statements of the parties at play from other interview sources, as opposed to interviewing the subjects himself. If I am wrong, that just shows the weakness of the writing of this book. I also felt like the book really liked a coherent thesis for what systems failed these victims, what should be done in the future to prevent criminals like Watts from victimizing. There was an opening to have this kind of discussion with Coral’s early psychological evaluations and how he was treated in the juvenile system In the numerous systems that did not help prevent these crimes but it didn’t go anywhere. Could a youth with Watts’ similar psychological evaluation and criminal history be cut loose from the system the same way he was if it happened today? We don’t know. They’re also seem to be no scrutiny from the author in the conflicting statements about Coral’s childhood. For example, his mother described him as being a violent child, but his sister denied that he was violent. In short, if you’re just looking for basic information about these murders and the victims, this book provides it. But if you’re looking for the information and for the author to go a little further in analyzing and scrutinizing and offering solutions, this book fall short.

Also, Donna Pendergast is probably one of the most accomplished and celebrated assistant attorney generals in Michigan’s history. She has tried numerous big-name homicide cases in the state. The author constantly describing what she is wearing just felt strange. I can’t help but wonder, why did he not actually interview her? Her editorializing about the case would’ve been far more interesting than just reading transcripts of her closing.

[Susan Ashline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book went off on a lot of tangents. There was a lot of extraneous information; also a lot of repeated information. The story was told chronologically; lacked focus and cohesiveness. I can't believe how much the author injected his biased opinions. The author did not develop one or more characters enough to make me care--one way or another--about any of them. The verbatim court transcripts were boring and unnecessary. Oddly, it was really small things that irked me. The author would exclusively use a person's first name, then suddenly switch to last name. It was confusing. He ended a sentence with "with." Not horrible and everyone makes mistakes (especially me), but this bugged me. He uses the word "retarded" instead of "developmentally disabled." I realize it was written in 2006, but were we really using that word back then? What irked me most is the author using the word "panties" exhaustively in referencing women's underwear. Men: abolish this word from your vocabularies. Women's underpants are for a utility purpose, just as men's underpants. Do not sexualize women's underpants, or assign them baby names. Yes, I realize retailers use this word. Those retailers are men. Women find it loathsome.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Facts!

3.5 stars is my actual rating.
This one reads very much like a police procedural/ report.
Just past the beginning where the reader learns about Carl Eugene Watts who later changed his name to Coral, it takes off in a dizzying pace of names and locations of countless victims.
There is no examination mentioned as to why Coral committed these crimes other then he just "felt the urge" and that is disappointing.
However, that is not the author's fault(if the information has been provided, it would have been in the book,no doubt)
Perfect for a law student, with all the law policy changes.
Glad to hear, he's behind bars.

[Jeff Norgaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible read regarding one of our least know serial killers. Coral Watts was a complete sadistic, sexual serial killer. Texas at the time would have given him parole if not for Michigan stepping up.

[Lucia Chaplin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally I didn't like the way this was written and the version I read had very small text.

[Susan MCINTIRE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Very well written story but emotional.

[Donna Humble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very thorough book about the murderer Coral Watts that was characterized as more prolific than Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy combined.

[Carl Cudmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, really thought the closing arguments near the end of the book was well done walking us through both sides of the case.

[Heather Hall · Rating 1 out of 5]

it took me literal months to finish because it was so dry. The most descriptive this book got was saying “greased up like a seven-eleven hotdog” and it was all downhill from there.

[Mike]

Feb 2017

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew nothing about Carl Eugene Watts or about any of the women he killed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but because of the book Evil Eyes by Corey Mitchell, I was able to get a detailed analyses of a case that shook a certain part of Michigan and a certain part of Texas before I was even born.

If Evil Eyes' intent was to scare the heck out of you as well as let you see how much of a monster and an animal Watts was, then the book succeeded. Every time I read about the different ways that Watts snatched up and then killed each of his female victims, I was angry, kind of scared, and more and more aware that Watts wasn't a human being, that man was an evil and sadistic animal.

Mitchell did a very good job in this book as far as describing much of the murders or assaults that Watts committed in the 1974 to 1982 time period. Mitchell also did a good job of telling you why Watts became the killing machine that he became and why he hated women so much. If you're going to write a book about a serial killer, you must delve into what made them so evil and Mitchell did that in the earlier parts of the book. Watts even mistreated his younger sister to the point where she became afraid of him.

Pros of Evil Eyes: Mitchell's storytelling style let you really feel for Watts' victims. Mitchell didn't tell you about how these women were killed by Watts, he showed you with vivid details how he strangled, beat, and then delivered the final death blow with either a knife or his bare hands to these poor victims.

Cons of Evil Eyes: I could have lived without the 61-pages worth of interrogation/confessional sessions that Watts had with officers that started on page 148 and went all the way to page 208. The book was detailed enough, so that 61 pages of writing was not needed in my eyes.

In conclusion, Evil Eyes was a thought provoking and detailed book on an evil man who killed a lot of young women who were in the prime of their lives. One of the women he killed was on her way to becoming a physician. This book was an interesting book to read, but it also was a very sad solemn book to read.

[Sandy]

I was really surprised when I started reading this that it was about Coral Watts. LOTS of Michigan connections: Kalamazoo, Bay City, Detroit, Ann Arbor. It's surprising, given the number of his victims, that his story is not more widely known.