In the autumn of 1979, the life of Peggy Ann Pochmara, a 22-year-old white female, was tragically cut short in Detroit, Michigan. On October 8, she was found strangled in a neighbor's front yard. The young woman had not been sexually assaulted or robbed, adding a chilling layer of randomness to her violent death.
At the time, no immediate arrests were made in connection with her murder.
However, her case would eventually be linked to one of the most prolific and elusive serial killers in American history: Carl Eugene 'Coral' Watts. Watts, an African American man, terrorized communities in both Michigan and Texas throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. His method of operation was varied and terrifying; he stalked his victims, who were often young, attractive white women, and killed them through strangulation, stabbing, bludgeoning, or drowning. He was known for not leaving behind significant physical evidence, which complicated investigations into his many suspected crimes.
Peggy Pochmara fit the profile of Watts's victims, and her murder occurred during the period he was active in the Detroit area. Despite being a prime suspect in her death and dozens of others, Watts was never formally charged or convicted for the murder of Peggy Pochmara. This was due to a controversial plea bargain he made with Texas prosecutors in 1982 after his arrest there. In exchange for a guilty plea to burglary with intent to commit murder, he was granted immunity for a dozen murders he confessed to, and he offered to clear up cases in other jurisdictions, including Michigan, under the same terms of immunity. Michigan authorities, however, refused to grant him this immunity.
As a result, while Watts confessed to numerous crimes, a formal conviction for Peggy Pochmara's murder was never secured. Carl Eugene Watts was eventually convicted for the murders of Helen Dutcher and Gloria Steele in Michigan in the 2000s and was sentenced to life in prison. He died of prostate cancer in prison on September 21, 2007, taking the full truth of his involvement in many unsolved murders, including Peggy Pochmara's, to his grave.
