3 suspects found guilty in Careaga family quadruple murder
PORT ORCHARD – After a full week of deliberation since they were handed the case, a Kitsap Superior Court jury on Friday found three men guilty following a five-month long trial for the 2017 murder of four members of the blended Careaga family.
Judge Kevin Hull read the jury's verdict just after 2:30 p.m. at the Kitsap County Courthouse, after the 12-member jury handed over its decision to unanimously find Robert James Watson III, Danie Kelly Jr. and Johnny James Watson guilty on ten felony charges, including murder and premeditated murder in the first degree and arson in the first degree.
Family members of the extended Careaga family filled nearly three rows of the courtroom to hear the verdict, and an audible cheer was heard after Hull initially read the jury's finding of guilt for Robert Watson's charges. Hull warned the courtroom to stay silent during proceedings, but after adjourning the emotions among family spilled out in the courthouse hallways.
"I'm just relieved, it has been a long time," family member Dallas Llamas said, between offering hugs to relatives, including Carly Schaap, the mother of 16-year-old son Hunter Schaap, one of the four victims killed in Seabeck in January 2017, along with John Careaga, 43, Christale Careaga, 37, and Johnathon Felipe Higgins, 16. "It doesn't replace them, but it gives us a sense of relief."
"This brings a lot of peace to our family, a lot of peace for the surviving kids," Anthony Martinez, one of John Careaga's cousins, said following the verdicts. "Now we can move on with our lives and try to rebuild."
None of the three defendants had a visible reaction as the verdicts were read. The three men have been held in Kitsap County Jail since their arrest in 2022, and jury selection for this case began last November before opening statements began in early December. The trial was delayed at times for illness, including a COVID outbreak in January, and went over more than 1,800 pieces of evidence in significant detail. The jury also spent a day outside the courtroom, on a bus tour of significant sites associated with the case.
Now, they face a life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder charges, and are scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
Background on the case: Careaga quadruple homicide suspects go to trial
Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese and Kitsap County Prosecutor Chad Enright spoke following the court proceedings, and credited the series of law enforcement agencies that took part in the investigation and prosecution of the case. Gese mentioned his pride in the thousands of hours of help from agencies like Bremerton Police, Poulsbo Police, Washington State Patrol and the Pierce County Prosecutor's Office, and Enright credited the dedication of county prosecutors, including Kelly Montgomery, Lael Carlson and Phil Bacus.
"This case would have never turned out as effectively as it did without the prosecuting attorneys and staff," Enright said. "They put the family and the victims foremost in their minds, and did an absolutely incredible job."
John and Erika Higgins, the father and stepmother of Johnathon Higgins, addressed the media Friday afternoon as members of the Careaga family exited the courthouse. John Higgins commented that the four victims received justice, and "can rest," while Erika Carlson expressed the emotion and exhaustion felt by the family over the past seven years, as they wait on final sentencing.
"You kind of get numb after seven years," said told gathered media outside the courthouse. "To finally get this close to the end, it's still a lot to digest."
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: 3 suspects found guilty in Careaga murders
