Limerick Mother Jennifer Brown Killed By Business Partner: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA —A month-long investigation into the death of a 43-year-old mother, Jennifer Brown, culminated Thursday when Brown's business partner was charged with first-degree murder.

The investigation disclosed that Blair Watts, 33, of Royersford reported Brown missing on Jan. 4, the day after he killed her in her home and got rid of her body, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said.

Watts dumped his supposed friend and business partner's body in a shallow grave in Royersford, Steele said.

Watts told police Brown failed to pick up her 8-year-old son off the bus that afternoon after the boy spent the night at Watts' home, Steele said.

"Watts tried to get rid of her body before he reported her missing," Steele said during a press conference attended by two dozen media representatives.

"For 37 days since this devoted mother was found missing, detectives have been accumulating evidence, piece by piece, bringing into focus what happened to Jennifer and who murdered her," Steele continued.

"The picture shows Blair Watts murdered Jennifer Brown on Jan. 3, then moved her body, and ultimately buried it in a shallow grave."

Before the press conference, Watts was picked up by detectives Thursday in the Chester County Justice Center after a hearing in an unrelated case on harassment charges. He was arraigned before District Judge Richard H. Welsh in Limerick.

He was committed to Montgomery County Correctional Facility without bail. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Brown was described as a loving mother

An Upper Providence Elementary School teacher said Brown's son was upset on Jan. 4 because he had not seen his mother, police said.

The teacher told the police he tried to contact Brown and received no response, which was highly unusual.

Brown's aunt, Diane Brehm, described Brown as an attentive and loving mother who was devoted to her son's upbringing.

Her friends and neighbors told police Brown was the "best mother" who would never leave her eight-year-old son.

The evidence

The district attorney said separate pieces of a broken hair clip found in Brown's Limerick home and in the shallow grave where her body was found indicated Brown was murdered in her house.

The broken hair clip led detectives to believe that a struggle occurred in Brown's house before her death and disappearance. Police said Brown was not wearing shoes or socks when her body was found.

According to the district attorney:

• Police found two cash transfers, totaling $17,000, from Brown's accounts to Watts on the day Brown was found missing.
• A K-9 cadaver dog, Patton, found the scent of human remains in the area where the hair clip was found in Brown's kitchen.
• Other evidence linking Watts to the slaying included connecting Watts' cellphone to Brown's home at 6:37 a.m. on Jan. 4, and evidence that human remains had been in a Jeep driven by Watts.

An autopsy conducted by Dr. Ian Hood, a forensic pathologist, showed that Brown had three broken ribs. The victim's body was not found until Jan. 19, 16 days after she was killed. Hood ruled the cause of death was a homicide.

The investigation was conducted by Montgomery County detectives and Limerick police.

Brown was last seen at 2 p.m. on Jan. 3 in the Limerick/Royersford area, police previously said.

She was scheduled to pick up her 8-year-old son from the bus stop the following afternoon but did not show up.

She was found two weeks later, partially buried in the 200 block of North Fifth Avenue behind a warehouse in Royersford.