Dawn Jerome

On October 2, 1979, the life of Dawn Jerome, a 20-year-old woman and mother, was violently cut short in Taylor, Michigan. She was found strangled, leaving a void that would never be filled and a case that would remain unsolved for decades. Her death left her husband, Richard K. Jerome, to face the unimaginable task of raising their two young daughters alone. Amber was just seven years old, and her little sister, Amy, was only one. The sudden loss thrust the young family into a new reality defined by grief and the practical wreckage that follows such a tragedy—ambulance bills, funeral costs, and the desperate scramble to arrange childcare and housekeeping.

The crime occurred in a Downriver community grappling with a series of violent acts against women. Taylor, a suburb situated about 18 miles southwest of Detroit, was part of a region that felt the shadow of a predator in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The day Dawn was killed was part of a terrifying string of homicides in the area. Just weeks before, on September 21, 34-year-old Malak "Mimi" Haddad had been found murdered in the nearby city of Allen Park. The day after Dawn’s body was discovered, another woman, 22-year-old Peggy Pochmara, was also found strangled.

The investigation into Dawn’s murder was handled by local police, but no suspect was immediately identified, and no arrests were made. The case, like so many others, grew cold as the years turned into decades. The family was left in a brutal limbo, holding onto memories while the pursuit of justice stalled. Public records of the aftermath paint a stark picture of a family permanently altered by violence, but they offer no resolution, no named killer, and no trial.

Over the years, Dawn Jerome’s name became linked with one of the most prolific serial killers in American history: Carl “Coral” Eugene Watts. Michigan State Police came to believe that Watts, a native of Inkster, Michigan, may have been responsible for Dawn's death, as well as the murders of Zenaida Tomes in 1972 and Malak Haddad in 1979. Watts, who was also known as the "Sunday Morning Slasher," was a predator whose methods included stabbing, bludgeoning, and strangulation. His known and suspected attacks on women across Michigan and Texas were marked by their randomness and brutality.

In 1982, Watts was granted a controversial immunity deal in Texas, where he confessed to 13 murders in exchange for a 60-year prison sentence. Authorities believed he would never be free again, but a mandatory release program threatened to set him free in 2006. This prompted Michigan authorities to act. In 2004, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox made a public plea for information on any unsolved murders that could be tied to Watts. This led to a new trial for the 1979 murder of Helen Dutcher in Ferndale, based on crucial eyewitness testimony. Watts was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He was later also convicted of the 1974 murder of Gloria Steele.

Despite the strong suspicions and the pattern of his crimes, Carl Eugene Watts was never formally charged with the murder of Dawn Jerome. He died in a Michigan prison from prostate cancer on September 21, 2007, taking any secrets about Dawn’s death with him to the grave. For law enforcement, he remains a likely suspect, but for the official record, the case is unresolved.

As of November 2004, Dawn Jerome's murder remained an open and unsolved homicide investigation. Her family was left without answers, and the community was left with the chilling knowledge that a killer had walked among them. The case is a haunting reminder of the many lives touched by a serial predator and of a young mother whose future was stolen, leaving behind two daughters to grow up without her. The killer has never been found.