A jury in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, has found Blair Watts guilty of killing his so-called friend and business partner, Jennifer Brown.
The 33-year-old Watts was convicted yesterday of first-degree murder in the death of 43-year-old Brown on January 3, 2023. He immediately received a mandatory life sentence. The killer continues to maintain his innocence, claiming he didn’t do it as he was led away.
Watts reported Brown missing on January 4 and admitted to being the last person to see but claimed to have no idea where she had gone.
Brown’s son went to Watts’s home for a sleepover with his children on the night she disappeared. The young boy had special needs but did not take his medicine or any extra clothing, which Brown’s family and friends said was unheard of for the doting mother.
Watts reported Brown missing when she supposedly failed to pick up her son.
Brown’s remains were found a couple of weeks later in a shallow grave behind a warehouse in Royersford, PA. The cause of death was unclear, but it was likely caused by compression asphyxiation.
A search of Brown’s home using a cadaver dog indicated the presence of human remains. The cops also found the broken shards of a hairclip that was with her remains.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelThe cadaver dog also indicated the presence of human remains in Watts’s car. And soil that matched the earth in the shallow grave was also found in his car.
The cops suspect greed motivated Blair Watts to kill Jennifer Brown
The cops began to suspect Watts was the killer and concluded the likely motive was greed.
Last year, Brown had agreed to invest thousands of dollars in a restaurant Watts hoped to open in Phoenixville, PA. Brown gave him $14,000 to help with leasing a building and getting the business up and running.
However, the police concluded the restaurant was never going to open. He had been refused a lease on the supposed premises, and there was no further movement toward a functioning business. However, Watts continued to ask Brown for money.
Cellphone data helped lead to a conviction against Blair Watts in Jennifer Brown murder
On the day before Watts reported Brown missing, $17,000 was transferred using a CashApp from Brown’s cellphone to Watts. The police learned from Brown’s son that Watts had his mother’s cellphone when he took him to his home for the sleepover.
The FBI also provided further data that indicated Watts had stolen Brown’s cellphone. Location data also placed both Watts’s and Brown’s cell phones at the site of the shallow grave.
After yesterday’s verdict, Brown’s aunt Diane Brehm said, “I feel amazing today. Justice was served for my niece, Jennifer Brown. It will never bring her back. But at least I know he will never walk out and hurt another family again the way he has destroyed ours.”