Twin now facing charges in Beach murder

Published 7:28 am Monday, August 5, 2024

SOUTH BEND — The twin brother of accused killer Charles J. Watts, 43, is now facing felony charges that allege witness intimidation and tampering. The charges stem from the death of Jeffrey Beach, who was allegedly severely beaten in two attacks on July 3, 2017.

The Pacific County Prosecutor’s Office filed felony charges against Clarence J. Watts, 43, on July 30 after detectives from the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office conducted a follow-up interview with witnesses.

One of the critical witnesses thus far has been Dejour Owens, who is also allegedly another party in the first attack on Beach. He was reluctant to provide investigators with details about the incident.

Withholding key info

According to court records, PCSO detectives Cory Nacnac and Kevin Acdal conducted an interview with Owens on July 27, believing he might be more willing to share details now that Charles Watts is in jail in lieu of $1 million bail.

Detectives specifically wanted to hone in on the exact involvement of Clarence in the first attack, which allegedly also involved a third party. Owens was previously interviewed on May 11.

“During the [May 11] interview with Dejour, we attempted to establish his exact involvement in the altercation prior to the murder, as well as determine what individuals were present in Long Beach at the time,” Nacnac stated in court records.

“Dejour appeared to be extremely nervous, and states so at times. At one point during the interview, I read from a list of names and asked Dejour to respond with ‘Yes or No,’ or ‘I don’t know’ about whether each individual was in Long Beach at the time of the murder,” Nacnac added.

Nacnac noted that, “When I came to Charles’ name, Dejour responded ‘No,’ and his demeanor visibly shifted.”

Fear

Another witness expressed to investigators on May 10 a fear of the Watts family and said that was why they were reluctant to come forward with details. Nacnac suspected that was the reason Owens was reserved as well.

According to court records, during an interview with Owens on July 27, he immediately apologized to the investigators because he had been “scared.”

“Dejour explained that on [May 11] at approximately 10:30 [a.m.], he had received a call from Clarence Watts,” Nacnac stated in court records. “Clarence had asked Dejour if he remembered ‘the beach incident.’ Dejour had tried to ‘play it dumb,’ as he did not want to be further involved with Clarence and Charles.”

“Clarence had clarified with ‘on the fourth of July.’ Dejour then acknowledged that he did recall the event, and Clarence informed him that Taylor Watts had received a subpoena, and law enforcement was asking around and would likely be talking to him [Dejour] soon,” Nacnac added.

Clarence allegedly asked to meet up with Owens, who declined the request, but later obliged by meeting at a school. Owens reportedly showed a call log to the investigators proving the call happened.

Keep quiet

According to court records, the Watts family told Owens to leave his phone at home or turn it off. At the location, Charles allegedly checked to ensure Owens’ phone was off and checked to ensure he wasn’t wearing a concealed recording device.

“Once Dejour got in the truck and Charles confirmed the phone was off and that Dejour was not wearing a wire, Dejour was told to close the door,” Nacnac stated in court records. “Dejour complied, and Clarence began driving. This made Dejour uneasy as he had chosen [a middle school] due to its public nature, and Clarence was now taking them to a destination unknown to him.”

Owens was reportedly taken to side streets in the area and instructed by Charles about what he was to say if he was questioned by law enforcement about Beach’s death. He was reportedly explicitly instructed to deny Watts was at the beach at the time.

“Dejour felt helpless since Clarence and Charles were acting together, leaving Dejour feeling alone in the encounter,” Nacnac stated. “Additionally, Dejour was in a secluded area that he was not familiar with and was not able to immediately call for help should he need it, given he was made to turn his phone off.”

Shaken

Following the alleged intimidation, Owens reportedly fell into a dark psychological state marred by alcohol abuse and helplessness, which included a fear for his and his family’s safety.

“Dejour was known to both Clarence and Charles as a prospective witness in the investigation of the murder of Jeffrey Beach,” Nacnac stated in court records. “Although indirect, their conduct was sufficiently threatening to Dejour to cause severe emotional distress and led him to initially withhold information of vital importance to the investigation.”

Clarence now faces felony intimidation of a witness and felony witness tampering. He made a preliminary court appearance on Aug. 2 and visiting Judge Vini E. Samuel did not require bail.

Samuel rejected a request for a public defender and ordered a waiver of extradition so Clarence can work in Oregon. He also set Clarence’s arraignment for Aug. 16.