Murder Suspect Held For Trial In Slaying of Limerick Mom

LIMERICK, PA —-A 33-year-old Limerick man was held for court Thursday on first-degree murder and related charges in the Jan.3 killing of his former business partner, Jennifer Brown, a mother of two.

Brown, 43, was found buried in a shallow grave in the 200 block of North Fifth Avenue behind a warehouse in Royersford by a passerby. She was missing for two weeks.

Watts reported to police Brown was missing on Jan. 4 after she did not show up to pick up her son at the bus stop.

An investigation, however, led police to identify Watts as a primary suspect.

Watts was arrested for the murder of Brown on Feb. 9 while he was exiting a courtroom in Chester County on an unrelated matter.

District Judge Richard H. Welsh ordered Watts to stand trial on first-degree murder and related charges following a five-hour preliminary hearing. First-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Watts’ lawyer, Chris Mandracchia, of Conshohocken, said his client is innocent, noting there is no direct evidence linking his client to the death.

An autopsy showed Brown of Stafford Court had three broken ribs and her death has been ruled a homicide.

District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said that the evidence links Watts to the slaying of Brown.

According to court records:

Prosecutor said the evidence shows that Watts killed Brown in her kitchen.

They said a piece of her hair clip was found on the floor of her home and in the shallow grave where the victim’s body was found.

Police said the two were planning to open a restaurant, “Birdies Kitchen,” in Spring City. But police said records show that Watts transferred $17,000 from Brown’s account to his own and phone records put him at the scene of the slaying.

Brown, grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, before moving to Galloway Township, Atlantic County, N.J., according to Brown’s obituary.

She was a 1997 graduate of Absegami High School and Atlantic County Vo-tech’s culinary program.

She went on to study cooking at Cape May Community College. She worked as a senior representative of inside sales at a distribution center in Norristown.