Teen Pleads Guilty and Receives 32 Years in Prison for CTA Brown Line Murder and Robberies

A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for an incident that caused the death of a 68-year-old woman at a CTA train stop, as he fled after stealing the cell phone of another passenger in 2011, according to the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

Prince Watson, 19 of Chicago pled guilty to one count of First Degree Murder and two counts of Robbery for killing Sally Katona-King during a robbery at a CTA Brown line train station and for other two separate robberies on the CTA Brown line in 2011. 

According to prosecutors, on March 28, 2011 at 4:19 p.m. as the Brown Line train pulled into the Fullerton Station, Watson reached from behind a 37-year-old woman and grabbed her iPhone from her hands. The woman struggled with the defendant for control of the phone but Watson was able to take it from her.

The defendant then fled onto the platform and towards the stairs to the street.  The platform and stairs were very crowded and the defendant pushed and shoved his way through the crowd to get away. As Katona-King descended the stairs, she was pushed by Watson who was trying to get to the street.  The victim then fell down the stairs and suffered multiple massive injuries including a broken nose, fractured left clavicle, multiple rib fractures, cerebral contusions and bleeding.  She was treated at Illinois Masonic hospital but died the next day from her injuries.

Watson also pled guilty today and was sentenced for two other robberies on CTA Brown line stations in 2011: The first incident occurred on April 6, 2011 at the Brown Line train station at Armitage when Watson grabbed a female victim’s iPhone and struggled with her for control.  Once he had possession, the defendant fled to the platform and was chased by several witnesses. Watson dropped the phone before getting away.  He was identified by witnesses and the victim.

In the second incident, on April 17, 2011 as the Brown Line pulled into the Sedgewick Station, Watson grabbed a female victim’s iPhone, forcibly removing it from her hands.  The defendant then fled the train chased by the victim but he was able to escape.  Watson was later identified by the victim in lineups.

According to prosecutors, Watson was convicted of another iPhone robbery on the CTA Red Line in May 2011. In that case, he was sentenced to four years in prison with a recommendation for boot camp.

Cook County Judge James Linn sentenced Watson to the 32 year prison term during a hearing at the George Leighton Criminal Courts Building.

State’s Attorney Alvarez thanked Assistant State’s Attorney Christa Bowden for her handling of the case.