Where is Curtis Ray Watson now? Whereabouts explored ahead of See No Evil on ID

Curtis Ray Watson, a Tennessee inmate already serving a 15-year sentence for the 2012 aggravated kidnapping and assault of his wife, was sentenced to serve life in prison without parole for the r*pe and murder of a corrections administrator, Debra Johnson, who was found s*xually assaulted and strangled in her home on the grounds of the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in August 2019.

Watson pleaded no contest to first-degree murder in the perpetration of a r*pe and aggravated r*pe, and pleaded guilty to seven additional charges, which included aggravated burglary and escape. He allegedly escaped the prison using a tractor and while doing so, r*ped and murdered Johnson. He was arrested a few days later in Henning after a wild manhunt.

According to reports, Curtis Ray Watson is currently serving his sentence at the Morgan County Correctional Complex near Wartburg, Tennessee.

ID's See No Evil recounts Watson's prison escape and the murder of Debra Johnson in its latest episode, titled Prison Break.

Here's the synopsis for the episode:

"An escaped inmate murders Debra Johnson, a highly respected Correctional Administrator, at her home outside the prison; with the public at risk, police scour through surveillance footage for clues to hunt him down before he strikes again."

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Curtis Ray Watson, who escaped prison and murdered an officer, was arrested after a five-day manhunt

According to The New York Times, Curtis Ray Watson remained at large for five days after he strangled corrections administrator Debra Johnson at her house located on the grounds of the West Tennessee State Penitentiary on August 7, 2019, before fleeing the prison on a tractor. Five days after his grand escape, Watson emerged from a soybean field and surrendered to law enforcement.

The same reports state that as per David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, he looked "relieved to be over with his run." Rausch further stated in a press conference:

"He [Curtis] knew he wasn’t getting away because of the number of law enforcement that was present."

After being on the run for days, Watson was apprehended just before 11 am on August 11, 2019, by two correctional officers. The arrest was made once the case finally came to a head after Harvey and Ann Taylor's security system woke them up, alerting them that someone was behind their home on Graves Avenue. The couple soon recognized the man and called 911.

On the day of his escape, Watson was released from the facility for his work assignment of mowing lawns. He had access to prison equipment, including a golf cart and a tractor. It was the latter that he used to drive away in the morning hours that day. He then killed Debra Johnson, whose body was found strangled and s*xually assaulted at 11:30 that same morning.

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Curtis Ray Watson is still in prison

Sources state that after DNA samples taken from Johnson's home were used to place him at the crime scene, Curtis Ray Watson was charged with 15 counts, including first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree murder-felony murder burglary, first-degree murder-felony murder r*pe, and especially aggravated burglary-r*pe, among others.

In June 2021, Watson pleaded no contest to two charges - first-degree murder in the perpetration of a r*pe and aggravated r*pe - and pleaded guilty to seven other charges, including aggravated burglary and escape. He was sentenced to life without parole with a consecutive 25 years at 100 percent for the aggravated r*pe charge.

According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections, Watson is currently serving time at the Morgan County Correctional Complex.