Teen Pleads Guilty to CTA Brown Line Murder and Robberies

A teenager with a history of robbing CTA riders has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for stealing a commuter's phone, and killing a 68-year-old woman by shoving her down the station's stairs.

Prince Watson, 19, of Chicago pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder and two counts of robbery, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office. 

Police say he killed Sally Katona-King during one of several robberies at a CTA Brown line train station. He was also behind two 2011 robberies on the same line.

Prosecutors say that around 4:20 p.m. on March 28, 2011, Watson stole an iPhone from a 37-year-old's hands just as the train pulled into the Fullerton station.

Watson then ran toward the exit. The platform and stairs were crowded, so he shoved people to get through. As Katona-King walked down the stairs, Watson pushed her, causing her to fall down the stairs. She suffered injuries including a broken nose, fractured left clavicle, rib fractures, cerebral contusions and bleeding.

She was treated at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, but died the next day.

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Watson also pleaded guilty and was sentenced for the other 2011 robberies, which were similar to March incident. The was on April 6, 2011, at the Armitage Brown Line station, were Watson struggled with a woman for her iPhone.

Once he had possession, he ran and several witnesses chased him. He dropped the phone before getting away. Witnesses and the victim later identified him as the culprit.

He committed an April 17, 2011 robbery just as the Brown Line pulled into the Sedgwick Station. There, he also forcefully stole a woman's iPhone and ran away. He was again chased by the victim and got away. She later picked him out of a lineup.

Watson was convicted of another iPhone robbery on the CTA Red Line in May 2011. In that case, he was sentenced to four years in prison with a recommendation for boot camp.

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced Watson to the 32-year prison term during a hearing at the George Leighton Criminal Courts Building.

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Christa Bowden for her handling of the case.

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