Man accused of killing Montgomery County mother found guilty, sentenced to life in prison
Prosecutors argued Blair Watts tried to cover his tracks by reporting Jennifer Brown missing.
ROYERSFORD, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The man accused of killing Montgomery County mother Jennifer Brown has been found guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday.
He will now spend the rest of his life in prison.
The jury had been deliberating since Tuesday in the trial of Blair Watts, who authorities say killed Brown.
"I didn't kill Jennifer Brown," said Watts as he was walked out of court.
Earlier in the day, the jury had a question for the judge: what happens if they could not agree on a first-degree murder charge?
The judge instructed the jurors to move on the third-degree murder charge. But after hearing a recap of the coroner's testimony that pointed to asphyxiation as a possible cause of death, the jury of five men and seven women came back within minutes to find Watts guilty.
The 43-year-old mother went missing back in January. Her body was found near her home two weeks later.
Evidence presented in court showed that Watts used money Brown sent to him, which was intended for a planned business venture, for his own personal spending instead.
The largest payment, which was for $9,000, came to Watts on the day Brown went missing on January 4.
Prosecutors argued Watts tried to cover his tracks by reporting Brown missing. He was with Brown's young son when he made the missing persons report.
Desperate family and friends searched for Brown, knowing in their hearts she would never leave her child behind willingly.
The single mom was found in a shallow grave outside a Royersford business two weeks after she was reported missing. Investigators say evidence found in Brown's home led them to believe she was murdered there.
Prosecutors say a cadaver dog honed in on Watt's Jeep and to a gravesite where Brown's body was found. Detectives also allegedly found soil from the gravesite in the Jeep.
Watts has been locked up since February on first-degree and third-degree murder charges, as well as other offenses.
His attorney reportedly argued that no one could say for sure that Watts killed Brown, nor determine exactly how she died.
