Trial for Careaga quadruple homicide suspects underway in Kitsap County Superior Court

Nathan Pilling, Kitsap Sun
Updated ·4 min read

Trial proceedings for three men accused of killing four members of the Careaga family in the greater Seabeck area in January 2017 are underway in Kitsap County Superior Court, just shy of seven years after the shocking killings occurred.

Who were the victims?

Four members of the blended Careaga family were killed: John Derek Careaga, 43, Christale Lynn Careaga, 37, Hunter Evan Schaap, 16, and Johnathon Felipe Higgins, 16. Christale and the two teens were shot, and their remains were found at the family's home, which was set on fire, near Tahuya Lake in rural Kitsap County. John was also shot, and his remains were found in his burnt truck on a tree farm in Mason County. Law enforcement investigation has linked the killings to drugs and money connected to the family.

Who is on trial?

Investigators connected Danie Jay Kelly Jr., 45, and brothers Robert James Watson III, 52, and Johnny James Watson, 50, all associates of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, with the circumstances surrounding the killing of the Careaga family. The three men were arrested in June 2022 and have been held in the Kitsap County Jail without bail since then awaiting trial.

The cases against the three men will be heard in a consolidated trial before the same jury over the coming weeks and months.

What have they been charged with?

The three men face a slate of murder counts and special allegations for each of the four victims, including aggravated first-degree murder charges, which would carry a life sentence without the possibility of parole upon conviction, and each has been charged with a total of ten felony counts connected to the matter. The three men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Who will determine guilt in the trial?

Attorneys selected a jury panel of 18 Kitsap County residents who will hear the case. Before deliberations begin, six of the jurors will be designated as alternates, and then the remaining 12 members of the jury will be asked to render a unanimous verdict.

How long will the trial take?

The complexity of the cases and the number of parties involved means the trial is expected to take an extended amount of time to complete. Estimates have placed the timeframe in the range of three to four months.

Who is involved in the trial proceedings?

Superior court Judge Kevin Hull is overseeing the trial.

The Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is represented by attorneys Philip Bacus, Kelly Montgomery and Lael Carlson.

Robert Watson is represented by attorneys Matthew McGowan and John Cyr. Johnny Watson is represented by attorney Craig Kibbe. Danie Kelly is represented by attorneys Tom Weaver and Allyson Barker.

What are the attorneys saying?

Kitsap County Prosecuting Attorney Chad Enright said that the case involves investigation from local, state and federal law enforcement and said the amount of data, primarily cell phone records, in the case is “mind blowing.” He noted the complicated case involves a large amount of circumstantial evidence and acknowledged that the case is difficult because there are no eyewitnesses to the killings.

“We are piecing this together by identifying motives and locations of where they could have been when it happened,” he said. “It’s a lot of different pieces all pointing in similar directions.”

"Law enforcement will still investigate any new information that comes in," he added. "The investigation has been ongoing, and if there's any new information the public has, the sheriff's office will certainly follow up on that."

Said attorneys for Robert Watson in a statement provided to the Kitsap Sun: “Robert Watson is eager for the opportunity to present his case to the jury. We trust that an unbiased and critical look at the facts will lead to a just exoneration of Mr. Watson.”

Weaver declined to comment, and Kibbe didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Previous coverage

This page will act as a hub for the Kitsap Sun’s coverage of the trial and will be updated with links to stories as the proceedings unfold over the coming weeks:

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Careaga family quadruple homicide suspects set to go on trial