Port Orchard, Washington — Three men were found guilty by a jury of killing a family in Washington state in 2017. Detectives said the killings were related to drugs and money.
On Friday, Danie Kelly Jr., Robert Watson III, and Johnny Watson, Watson’s younger brother, were all found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder with intent, four counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and first-degree arson. This was revealed by KING-TV.
On January 27, 2017, Christine Careaga, 37, Hunter Schaap, 16, and Johnathon Higgins, 16, were found dead in their burned-out home on the Kitsap Peninsula, west of Seattle. After two days, John Careaga’s body was found inside a burned-out truck at a tree farm in Mason County. He was 43 years old.
Juanito’s Taqueria was a successful Mexican restaurant in Bremerton that the Careagas owned. Detectives said in court papers that John Careaga also brought cocaine from California to sell in the area every couple of months.
He started selling cocaine to Robert Watson, who police said was the leader of a local chapter of the Bandidos biker club. Watson was a close friend of his. The killings had nothing to do with the club, according to the police.
In the end, Careaga’s friend stopped selling drugs. The next time Careaga went to California to get drugs, Robert Watson went “on John’s heels,” and police say the two talked more and more until the day of the murders.
Investigators say that John Careaga’s lawyer told them that Careaga had hidden hundreds of thousands of dollars under his house, but the money was never found.
Court records show that Robert Watson, who worked for Kitsap County Public Works, quit going to work and was fired in September 2017. Detectives said that he got about $303,000 in deposits that year, and that there were “numerous cash deposits from which the source could not be identified.”
Detectives say Kelly was a “hang-around” with the Bandidos and used to be good friends with Careaga before they had a fight.
On the day of the killings, a Careaga neighbor heard gunshots at the house and saw John Careaga’s speeding truck drive off, with Kelly behind the wheel and another car close behind.
During the months-long trial, the defense lawyers tried to throw doubt on the timeline and the cellphone towers that were used to track the three people’s movements. Lawyers for the defense also said there was no proof that anything had been taken from the Careaga home.
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