Eugene Wayman McWatters Jr. (born June 28, 1978), known as The Salerno Strangler, is an American serial killer who was sentenced to death for the 2004 rape-murders of three homeless women in Port Salerno, Florida.[1] His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment on a technicality in 2014, and he is currently incarcerated at Taylor Correctional Institution in Perry, Florida.[2]
Eugene McWatters | |
|---|---|
 Inmate Mugshot | |
| Born | Eugene Wayman McWatters Jr. June 28, 1978 Port Salerno, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | "The Salerno Strangler" |
| Conviction(s) | First degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | March – May 2004 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida |
Date apprehended | June 23, 2004 |
| Imprisoned at | Taylor Correctional Institution |
Early life
editMcWatters was born on June 28, 1978. Little is known about his childhood, but after dropping out of high school due to a drug habit, he struggled to find a job and engaged in low skilled labor for work. In January 1998, McWatters was arrested on charges of aggravated battery on a teenage boy. He pleaded no contest to the crime, for which he was convicted and served seven months in prison before being released on probation.[3] McWatters was arrested once again in 2001, after injuring his girlfriend's father with a gun, but he only served three months for violating his probation.
In February of the following year, he was arrested for assaulting his landlord's son, but the charge was dropped after a lack of evidence was put forward.[3] In November, he was again apprehended by authorities for robbing a man and stealing his necklace, but after the alleged victim refused to cooperate and later left the country, the charge was dropped. Nine months later in August 2003, McWatters was again arrested after he was caught robbing a woman's car, but he was later released after the victim did not cooperate with police.[3]
Murders
editOn December 15, 2003, McWatters raped a homeless woman at a campsite in Golden Gate. The victim did not report the attack to police.[3][4] On March 24, 2004, McWatters raped another woman, 43-year-old Jackie Bradley. During the attack, McWatters choked and strangled Bradley to death. He took her body and dumped in a ditch filled with shallow water, where he attempted to bury it underneath a pile of rocks.[3] On March 31, a jogger discovered the body. During the subsequent investigation, McWatters became someone of interest, as he was identified as the man last seen with her, but police didn't seek to question him. On May 31, McWatters picked up 29-year-old Christal Wiggins, a prostitute. He subsequently strangled her to death, and later dumped her body in a pile of brush. Hours later, McWatters struck again, this time the victim was 18-year-old Carrie Ann Caughey, who McWatters proceeded to strangle and cover up her body with a pile of branches, but accidentally tripped and broke his foot. Four days later, Caughey's body was discovered by a group of passersby.[3]
By the time Caughey's body was found, she was assumed to have been killed by the same person who murdered Bradley. On June 7, the body of Wiggins was discovered, and she too was connected to the string of murders. During the investigation, detectives found out that McWatters was treated at a hospital after breaking his foot. By this time, the woman who was raped by McWatters in 2003 came forward, and she subsequently identified him in a photo-line up, and he was arrested the next day, and he confessed to all the murders, but later recanted.[4][5]
Trials and imprisonment
editThe trial began in September 2006. Prosecutors claimed that McWatters was a calculating killer, who lured in his victims with promises of drugs and alcohol, and that he remembered everything.[1] McWatters’ attorneys claimed that McWatters only confessed because he enjoyed attention, but that he didn't kill any of the victims. Ultimately he was found guilty and sentenced to death on December 4, 2006. For the next eight years, McWatters remained on Florida's death row awaiting execution. In 2014, a judge awarded McWatters a new trial, on the grounds that his original defense team did a poor job.[5] In the new trial, McWatters pleaded no contest, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015.[6][2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Prosecution lays out case against McWatters". The Palm Beach Post. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Eugene McWatters, man dubbed Salerno Strangler, sentenced to 3 life terms". WFLX.com. 10 April 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f "Eugene McWatters no stranger to police; The McWatters timeline". The Palm Beach Post. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Victim of December rape ID'd suspect from lineup". The Palm Beach Post. 25 June 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ a b "'Salerno Strangler' seeks new trial, says original attorneys were ineffective". Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
- ^ "'Salerno Strangler' pleads no contest to first-degree murder". The Palm Beach Post. 11 April 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2021.