MERCER — All charges against the man accused in the murder of transgender teenager Pauly Likens and dumping the victim’s disembodied remains were ordered held for court after a preliminary hearing Thursday in Mercer County Court. The list of charges grew Thursday as prosecutors added accusations of homicide and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Dashawn Dale Depree Watkins, 29, of the 300 block of Sterling Avenue in Sharon, is accused of murdering Pauly, 14, of Sharon, June 23 in downtown Sharon near the Budd Street canoe launch along the Shenango River, authorities say.
Watkins is charged with first-degree murder, homicide, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated assault, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence. District Judge Travis P. Martwinski ordered all of the charges held for court after a hearing that began at 10 a.
m. and extended into the afternoon. Several witnesses testified in Watkins’ preliminary hearing Thursday including Mercer County Coroner John A.
Libonati, state trooper Joseph B. Morris, trooper Joshua Black, state police Cpl. Chad Savannah and trooper Tyler A.
Craig. Craig is lead investigator in the case. During his testimony, he showed and explained videos that showed Watkins carrying an empty bag out of his apartment, dragging the loaded bag back in, cleaning up areas in the hallway to his apartment and making several trips carrying plastic bags out.
Craig also said that during his interview with Watkins, Watkins admitted to having sex with a person described as the victim. In his closing argument, Assistant Public Defender Vincent Nudi said there was very little evidence to prove the involuntary deviate sexual intercourse charge. He said the sex was described as consensual.
Then, he said that the case is circumstantial based on hearsay. “”There’s no direct evidence at this time and conflicting testimony,” Nudi said. “There’s nothing to tie the individual to the defendant.
” Assistant District Attorney Kendra Strobel said the testimony was not solely hearsay and that the commonwealth did enough to prove its case to be held over to Common Pleas. “There’s still a long road ahead in seeking justice for a 14-year-old victim of a brutal murder,” Strobel said after the hearing. “We believe the judge made the right decision holding everything to court and with the continued efforts of PSP and the other local law enforcement agencies, we are confident that we will bring justice and closure to the family and the community.
” Pauly’s father spoke to the media about the teenager. “He was my boy. He was my son.
He was a brother. He was a nephew. He was a grandson.
He was a cousin,” Likens Sr. said. “He was loved.
He knew he was loved.” Likens Sr. said Pauly was an amazing kid.
“Very responsible. He made mistakes, but we all do. He was the light of my life,” Likens Sr.
said. “One thing I can say to Dashawn Watkins. I forgive you for what you’ve done to my son.
You will answer for this when you walk through the fires on judgement day.” Pauly’s mom said they were a beautiful person. “She had a big heart.
She loved everyone,” McClure said. “And to be taken away in such a disgusting manner. Justice needs to be had.
” Police said in a criminal complaint that Sharon police took a report at 2:31 p.m. June 25 that Pauly had gone missing.
Pauly’s father said they were going to spend the night at a friend’s house, but he did not know the name of the friend. Police interviewed a friend of Pauly’s who said Pauly was at the friend’s house on June 22 until about 9 or 9:30 p.m.
and that she left to walk home. About 2:30 a.m.
, Pauly posted an image on Snapchat of a dark road and said she was out for a late-night walk to clear her mind. The friend said Pauly told her they were OK. On July 1, police reportedly had no leads to indicate whether anyone had seen or had contact with Pauly since the early morning hours of June 23.
Pauly’s cellular provider indicated that they may have left the area of their house on Cedar Avenue and gone a few blocks toward Budd Street and the Shenango Valley Freeway (U.S. Route 62) between 3 and 3:40 a.
m. June 23. Her cell phone shut off at 3:40 a.
m. Video images obtained from a business and residence near the location showed a person whose appearance was consistent with Pauly’s description walking south on South Dock Street then west on Budd Street. The person was shown using a cell phone, walking slowly and pausing frequently.
Police said the person appeared to be waiting for someone. Pauly appeared to have been in the area of the canoe launch, which is off West Budd Street. Story continues below video On July 25, Hermitage police responded to a report of dismembered human remains at Shenango River Lake in Clark recovered partly in the water.
Over the next week, other dismembered human remains were recovered in the area surrounding the lake. That area of the lake is about 10 miles northeast of the canoe launch in downtown Sharon. Mercer County Coroner John A.
Libonati confirmed the remains to be Pauly’s. Upon completion of an autopsy for some of the recovered remains the coroner’s office ruled Pauly’s cause of death to be sharp force trauma to the head with the manner of death as homicide. Libonati testified that Pauly was stabbed six times in the neck and head.
Surveillance video from June 23 in the area of the canoe launch shows a vehicle entering and exiting the canoe launch when Pauly’s phone last connected with cellular towers in the area. State police found that the vehicle traveled from the nearby Riverwalk Apartment complex onto Sterling Avenue, turned east on Budd Street, across the Budd Street bridge over the Shenango River and into the lane toward the wooded canoe launch. A short time later, surveillance images show the vehicle turning toward the Riverwalk Apartment building, where Watkins lives.
After the vehicle leaves the canoe launch, the victim is not seen leaving the area, police said. Police also watched video surveillance from inside Watkins’ apartment complex from the early morning hours of June 23. The surveillance shows Watkins carrying a large duffel bag out of the apartment just before the time of Pauly’s last known phone activity.
The video evidence shows that Watkins took this duffel bag with him to make initial contact with Pauly on June 23, authorities say. At that time, the bag appeared to be empty. Watkins returns 20 to 25 minutes later carrying the bag, which then appears to be heavy and awkward, into the first floor of the apartment building.
Police said Watkins struggled to carry the bag and placed it on the floor twice, and a substance that appeared to be blood could be seen in the surveillance images in the area where Watkins placed the bag in the hallway. The video shows Watkins returning a short time later to clean up the hallway. The video images then show Watkins leaving and returning to the apartment carrying a shopping bag.
Later in the early hours of June 24, video shows Watkins making multiple trips out of the apartment complex carrying multiple bags and garbage bags. State troopers detained Watkins on July 2. The troopers interviewed Watkins at the Sharon Police Department.
According to the criminal complaint, Watkins told police he used the Grindr app to arrange a meetup with someone. Grindr bills itself online as “the world’s largest social networking app for gay bi, trans and queer people.” In the interview, Watkins said he did not previously know the person whom he described as Pauly.
Watkins said he had sexual contact with the person at a location off East Broadway Avenue and that he might have gone to the canoe launch but couldn’t remember. Watkins explained the bag by telling police that he took a large bag from his car that had been there from a vacation from about a month earlier. Police executed search warrants on the entryway of 335 Sterling Ave.
and of Watkins’ apartment. Preliminary tests indicated that there was blood in the hallway and inside the apartment at multiple locations including the bathroom and under the bathroom flooring. A receipt from June 23 indicated that Watkins bought a saw with exchangeable blades, which was found in the apartment.
“Waiting for the justice is probably the worst part,” McClure said. “Pauly deserves the most justice possible,” said Leelynn Lindsay, Pauly’s neighbor. “Pauly was an innocent child.
Her life just started. She didn’t get to follow her dreams, she didn’t get to reach what she wanted in life because this cruel monster ended all that before it started. And now this family is suffering.
” Follow Melissa Klaric on twitter @HeraldKlaric or email her at [email protected].
