Ex boyfriend, Steven Pieper, pleads guilty to the murder of Jenni-Lyn Watson and is sentenced to 23 years to life in prison

Family, friends and classmates turned to prayer and Facebook on Wednesday amid an ongoing search in upstate New York for a missing college student.
Jenni-Lyn Watson, 20, of Liverpool, was last seen Friday morning at her family's home, said Sgt. Robert Marshall of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office. Watson was on a Thanksgiving break from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. Liverpool is a suburb of Syracuse.
"This [disappearance] is extremely uncharacteristic for Jenni-Lynn," said Marshall. Watson's parents reported her missing Friday night.
The college junior's purse and other personal items were found at the home, but a Verizon LG enV3 phone is missing.
One call was made on the phone from a heavily wooded area near other residences, said Marshall, who declined to provide details. The phone has since been turned off or is not operating, he said. Authorities are looking at records of Watson's cell phone calls.
"We're still looking at everything," spokesman Sgt. John D'Eredita said Wednesday night. Detectives are following leads from numerous phone calls, but D'Eredita was not aware of any sightings of the young student.
Authorities consider Watson's disappearance a missing-person case, Marshall said. Detectives traveled to Mercyhurst, where they met with faculty and staff, the Onandaga County Sheriff's Office said.
Searchers had covered about 600 acres by Wednesday evening.
Sheriff's deputies are trying to identify the driver of a dark pickup truck that was seen near her residence the day Watson disappeared, D'Eredita said.
Watson is described as 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighing about 100 pounds. She has dirty blond hair and brown eyes.
As of Wednesday afternoon, when simultaneous vigils were held for Watson, nearly 21,000 people had become members of a Facebook page about her disappearance.
One of the church vigils was organized by the family; the other was held in a chapel at Mercyhurst College, a Catholic institution.
"It was amazing today to see the turnout during fall break," college spokeswoman Debbie Morton said of the vigil held there. About 200 people attended, including members of the football team, which has a NCAA Division II game this weekend.
"You felt overwhelming worry, but you still felt there was reason to hope," Morton said.
Watson is a dance major and ballet dancer at Mercyhurst. "It is a highly disciplined area," Morton said of Watson's field of study.
Authorities asked people with information to call 315-435-3081.

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This is the link to the FB page:

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Geez, another one, will it ever stop?

Police in Upstate New York Follow Leads in Case of Missing College Student
By Cristina Corbin
Published November 25, 2010
| FoxNews.com
Jenni-Lyn Watson, of Liverpool, N.Y., was reported missing Nov. 19
Police in upstate New York were following up on leads Thursday for any clues in the case of a missing college student who disappeared last week while home for her Thanksgiving break.
Search and rescue teams in Clay, N.Y. -- about 14 miles outside of Syracuse -- have scoured a 600-acre wooded area near the home of 20-year-old Jenni-Lyn Watson, who was last seen Friday inside her Liverpool home.
Kelly Kinahan, a spokeswomen for the family, told FoxNews.com that authorities are focusing on the two-mile stretch of wooded land because that is where Watson's cell phone was last used.
Watson, an accomplished ballerina and dance major in her junior year at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa., was reported missing by her family on Friday. She had returned home from school on Nov. 18 for Thanksgiving vacation.
Her parents and sister reported last seeing her Friday morning, wearing a tan sweatshirt and blue, green and white pajamas. There was no sign of a struggle inside the home, police said.
"This is completely out of character," Kinahan said of Watson, whom she described as a talented and caring young woman.
Kinahan said she was "exhausted" from having just finished final exams and "her plans were to do nothing but rest for two days."
"She's always in contact with families and friends," Kinahan said.
Watson -- 5-feet-2 and 100 lbs. with dirty blond hair and brown eyes -- was reported missing after her family returned to their home Friday afternoon and found her gone. Her Verizon LG enV3 cell phone with a blue cover was also missing, but Watson's purse -- including her wallet and keys -- were left at the home, police sources told FoxNews.com.
Sgt. Robert Marshall of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office said there are currently no leads or persons of interest in the case. He said authorities are combing the 600-acre woods near the woman's home because of a signal detected on her cell phone. He declined to elaborate further.
Marshall also said that police are looking to question the driver of a dark-colored pick-up truck that was seen driving in the area on the day Watson disappeared. He said the vehicle was spotted near the woman's home between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Friends describe Watson as a "sweetheart" who excelled in ballet for 16 years, performing with the prestigious Moscow Ballet.
A friend of Watson's, who spoke to FoxNews.com on condition of anonymity, said the young woman had recently broken off an engagement.
"The break-up didn't go as cordially as it should have," the friend said.
Approximately 15,000 fliers with Watson's photo have been distributed. As of Thursday morning, a Facebook page devoted to her disappearance had drawn more than 22,000 members.
Family members held a vigil for Watson at a local church on Wednesday.
"Thank you to our friends, family and community for all of their love, support and efforts with posting fliers and raising awareness to help bring Jenni-Lyn home safe and soon," the family said in a statement. "Please continue with your prayers."
Authorities are urging anyone with information on Watson's whereabouts to contact sheriff's detectives at 315-435-3081.

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The break-up raises a red flag.

I am trying to figure out just where they live. Are they isolated in the wooded area or do they live close to the wooded area?

I can't imagine her going for a walk in her pajamas.

The boyfriend, husband is always the one that is looked at first. But LE is smart enough to not focus solely on them.

Neighbors, friends of friends. Those last phone calls she made and received will be important.

Just checked the facebook page and nothing new on Jenni. Was hopeing she was home.

Why does the last cell phone call almost always come from a heavily wooded area?

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Quite a few articles and pictures over at this site.

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A dark colored pick up truck was seen in the area. They are looking for more information.

She had a recent break up with a boyfriend.

She returned home on Thursday, early for the holiday break and was missing on Friday.

Her parents were at work.

I think her cell phone records would be huge at this time.

Report: Body Found During Search For Missing N.Y. College Student
Published November 27, 2010
| FoxNews.com

Jenni-Lyn Watson, of Liverpool, N.Y., was reported missing Nov. 19
DEVELOPING: A body has been found near Clay Central Park where rescue teams have been searching for Jenni-Lyn Watson, The Post Standard reported.
This is a developing story.
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Report: Body Believed to be Missing N.Y. College Student
By Edmund DeMarche & Cristina Corbin
Published November 27, 2010
| FoxNews.com
Jenni-Lyn Watson, of Liverpool, N.Y., was reported missing Nov. 19
DEVELOPING: Searchers believe they discovered the body of Jenni-Lyn Watson behind a storage shed in Clay Central Park, The Post Standard reported. The body was found at 11 a.m. in the park, where the search has focused since Watson, 20, disappeared on Nov. 19, the paper said.
This is a developing story.
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So sad...Such a beautiful, talented girl...

Police Arrest Ex-Boyfriend as Body Confirmed to be Jenni-Lyn Watson
By Edmund DeMarche & Cristina Corbin
Published November 27, 2010
| FoxNews.com
Jenni-Lyn Watson, of Liverpool, N.Y., was reported missing Nov. 19
Police say they have arrested the ex-boyfriend of Jenni-Lyn Watson, whose body was found in a storage shed near Clay Central Park, N.Y. Saturday afternoon.
Steven Pieper faces arraignment on murder charges, police said at a press conference Saturday.
Watson and Pieper had an on-and-off relationship over an 18-month period, according to district attorney William Fitzpatrick, WSYR-TV reports.
Watson's body was found at 10:30 a.m. in the park, where the search has focused since she disappeared on Nov. 19.
Watson's family has been notified and will identify the remains. An autopsy is planned for Sunday morning, WSYR-TV reports.
A friend of Watson's, who spoke to FoxNews.com on condition of anonymity, said the young woman had recently broken off an engagement.
"The break-up didn't go as cordially as it should have," the friend said.
Watson, 20, disappeared a day after returning home to Clay for Thanksgiving break. Undersheriff Warren Darby said Friday that more than 100 people were searching for her.
He said the search expanded from 600 acres to 1,200 acres. Watson -- 5-feet-2 and 100 lbs. with dirty blond hair and brown eyes -- was an accomplished ballerina and dance major at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa.
Friends describe Watson as a "sweetheart" who excelled in ballet for 16 years, performing with the prestigious Moscow Ballet.
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I am so sad. I feel so bad for her family.

Pieper does have a minor, but not serious, police record.

Watson, 20, and Steven Pieper, 21, had dated on and off for 18 months, said District Attorney William Fitzpatrick at a Saturday press conference.

"Our indication is Ms. Watson desired this relationship to end in early October ... Apparently that message didn't get through to Mr. Pieper," Fitzpatrick said.

Authorities believe Watson was killed in her residence in Liverpool, New York on the morning of November 19 and that her body was taken to a heavily wooded area a couple miles away.



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News is Breaking: UPDATE: Steven Pieper pleads not guilty to murder of Jenni-Lyn Watson

21-year-old Steven Pieper has pleaded not guilty in Clay Town Court to charges of second degree murder, in connection with the death of 20-year-old Jenni-Lyn Watson.

The Liverpool man, and ex-boyfriend of Watson, was arraigned just after 7:30 Saturday evening in front of Clay Town Justice Brian Lauri. Pieper did not have anything to say, but did answer routine questions from the judge.

Judge Lauri also read the court document to Pieper, which says that he intentionally caused the death of Jenni-Lyn Watson by a manner that has yet to be determined. It goes on to say that Pieper removed Watson's body from the family's home along Donegal Way in Clay and then transported and dumped her remains in the Clay Central Park.

Pieper, dressed in a track suit, showed no remorse during the court proceedings.

Investigators say the body of Jenni-Lyn was found around 10:30 Saturday morning in a heavily wooded area near the park, just 350 yards from Wetzel Road. They say her body was covered by grass and other vegetation and would not have been visible to passers-by. The remains have been transported to the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's office and an autopsy will be performed Sunday to determine the cause of death.

Pieper is being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center without bail because of the charge, which is a Class A1 felony. He is expected back in Clay Town Court this Friday, December 3rd.

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The images of beautiful Jenni-Lyn Watson are difficult to look at too closely in light of recent discoveries

The 20-year-old ballerina took off from college and headed to her parents' home in Liverpool, New York, for the Thanksgiving holiday last week. But instead of enjoying time with friends and family and feasting on turkey, she was reported missing shortly after she arrived home.



Today police found what they believe is her body, dumped "like garbage" in the woods.

Steven Pieper, 21, who had reportedly been dating Watson off and on for 18 months has been arrested and charged with second degree murder. According to reports, Watson had tried to end things with Piper last month.

Watson's MySpace page offers a glimpse into her seemingly happy life. It contains numerous of pictures of her and a guy who appears to be Pieper together, looking like any young couple in love. Her status still remains: "loved."

Her "about me" is haunting in its lack originality, in the way it reads just like that of any other typical college girl:

“im jenni-lyn, everyone calls me Jenn-ay (like in forest gump). I’m going to be a sophomore at Mercyhurst college, im majoring in dance!! i love all my friends they are the best!! I’m a pretty simple person and usually pretty happy, especially at college!! i love black and white photography, watching the clouds, chillen at my camp, happy endings and disney movies, drinking hot coco after being out in the snow, and just the simple things in life. i’ve had some experiences that opened my eyes and made me who i am now but with that comes my huge trust issue... i dont trust people easily so don’t take it personally. I love my boyfriend he is thte best thing thats ever happened to me”

Whether Pieper is the boyfriend she's referring to, or the source of her trust issues, or both, isn't clear. What is clear is that she was a talented, vibrant young woman whose life ended much too soon.

I can't stop looking at all the photos of Watson and her friends, of Watson dancing, of Watson looking like the happy, well-rounded daughter any parent would be proud to call their own.

Then I think of Pieper. Did Watson's parents welcome him into their own home? Did they imagine him as their future son-in-law (some reports say they were engaged at one point)?

Or did her mother have a bad feeling about him from the beginning? Had she tried to warn her daughter?

And what of Pieper's parents -- how can you cope with the fact that their own child may have taken someone's life?

There are many known dangers we can prepare our children for and protect them from as they grow, but when it comes to relationships there's often a pull over which we have no control.

It's terrifying enough as a parent to think of your child's fragile, trusting heart being broken by love, but to imagine her life being taken in the name of it, is unfathomable.

R.I.P. Jenni-Lyn Watson. I hope you're dancing with the angels.

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♥ Jenni-Lyn Marie ♥'s Photos
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This is so sad. I was waiting for a happy ending but I guess that is not to be.

I wonder if he killed her in her home and evidence was left there. I know the family was upset with remarks people were posting on Facebook about the boyfriend.

Perhaps they just wanted to find her.

So very sad for this beautiful young woman.

Thank you, BJ, for the pics. It's heartbreaking to think of another life snuffed out for no reason!

I don't understand these young men who think they own these girls.

Yes BJ thanks for the pictures. She was beautiful.

The DA says investigators believe Jenni-Lyn was killed at her home and then taken in that Jetta to the wooded area near the Clay Town Park, where her body was discovered Saturday morning. Fitzpatrick says there were no visible signs of struggle from Jenni-Lyn.

Investigators say Verizon phone records from Jenni-Lyn's phone show a call had been made on Friday, the 19th, in the area where Jenni-Lyn's body was found. They say those phone records were part of the reason why search teams had not strayed very far from the 1,200 acres they've been combing over the last several days. Investigators believe they know what happened to Jenni-Lyn's phone, but have not retrieved it.

Steven Pieper has been interviewed by investigators twice and has an attorney. We're told he is denying any involvement in Jenni-Lyn's death. Pieper does not have a lengthy criminal record.

Jenni-Lyn's body has been transported to the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's office and an autopsy will be performed tomorrow morning to determine the cause of death.

The investigation is ongoing. If you did see a Volkswagon Jetta (photo attached of similar vehicle) in the area of the Clay Central Park between 11am and 12pm on Friday, November 19th, you are asked to call Sheriff's investigators at 435-3081.

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Steven Pieper, 21, appeared in court late Saturday night and pleaded not guilty to killing Jenni-Lynn Watson, 20.

Officials say, Piper visited the Watson home the day Jenni-Lynn went missing that he may have been the last person to see her alive.

He is being held without bail.

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Steven M. Pieper is a 21-year-old male employed with the Pep Boys in Clay, New York and lived at 8237 Coconut Tree Drive, according to Syracuse.com, who has been charged with murder in the 2nd degree.

Pieper was born in October 17, 1989, per law enforcement records, and he was the on-again, off-again boyfriend to murder victim Jenni-Lyn Watson for approximately 18 months, when she chose to end their relationship this past October.

The suspect in the murder of Mercyhurst dance student Jenni-Lyn Watson is currently sitting in cell 5C015 in the Onondaga County Justice Center, where he is not going to get bail before Friday--and maybe not even then.

Not first arrest

Pieper has been arrested in the murder of Jenni-Lyn Watson, but it isn't his first brush with law enforcement, which took place in August of this year. Jenni-Lyn Watson's boyfriend was arrested at that time due to a petit larceny that occurred at Walmart in Cicero, according to the Post-Standard. He was charged with a misdemeanor then but is facing a felony Murder 2 charge now.

Jenni-Lyn Watson's estranged boyfriend drove a Black Volkswagen Jetta but police are still interested in the dark truck they were seeking information about during the course of their investigation.

That possibly means it was used in the transport of Jenni-Lyn's body after-the-fact and may or may not indicate an accomplice after-the-fact. However, DA Fitzpatrick told the Syracuse press that Pieper used his vehicle to transport Jenni-Lyn's body.

Black truck: witness, accomplice or fabrication?

The truck is potentially an eyewitness to the transport of Jenni's body--or of Pieper's presence at the home--or a red herring from Pieper that allegedly supports his statement of someone else coming to the home after he left.

Either way, police are still seeking information to that end. Finding the vehicle and the driver--if they exist--would lay to rest additional questions they obviously have or would allow them to nullify his statement alleging another presence.

No remorse, pleads "not guilty"

Steven Pieper is not expressing any remorse in the murder of Jenni-Lyn Watson, declaring his innocence and "lawyering up" at both interviews conducted by the police prior to the body remains being found or his eventual arrest on Saturday, Nov. 27th.

In addition, he pled not guilty before Justice Lauri shortly after his 7:49 p.m. court appearance on Saturday evening, hours after his alleged beloved was found in the marshy part of Clay Central Park, behind a storage shed.

Jenni-Lyn's body had been covered with debris, an attempt to hide her whereabouts. Law enforcement await the conclusion of an autopsy scheduled for Sunday in order to determine exact cause of death. However, with no presence of blood at the scene--and no evidence of violence in the home--it is highly likely the death was due to strangulation, also known as asphixyation, but that has not been determined at this point.

Next court date for Steven Pieper

Justice Lauri has scheduled the next court appearance for the defendant to be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3rd. Pieper's attorney was not present at his appearance Saturday night, but was with him when he was interviewed previously by police during the investigation, per Syracuse.com.

Steven Pieper spoke little, refusing to comment to waiting press as he entered the court building, and few that know Jenni-Lyn Watson are speaking out with any real knowledge of the young man now accused of killing the girl who said, "I love my boyfriend he is [the] best thing thats ever happened to me."

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From Above article;

"Steven M. Pieper is a 21-year-old male employed with the Pep Boys in Clay, New York and lived at 8237 Coconut Tree Drive, according to Syracuse.com, who has been charged with murder in the 2nd degree"

Couple of questions. What are the "Pep Boys"?

Also what is murder 2 mean?

Pep Boys sells tires, does brake work, oil changes, etc.

Murder 2 = Second-degree murder is ordinarily defined as 1) an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned, nor committed in a reasonable "heat of passion" or 2) a killing caused by dangerous conduct and the offender's obvious lack of concern for human life. Second-degree murder may best be viewed as the middle ground between first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter.
For example, Dan comes home to find his wife in bed with Victor. At a stoplight the next day, Dan sees Victor riding in the passenger seat of a nearby car. Dan pulls out a gun and fires three shots into the car, missing Victor but killing the driver of the car.

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Thank you BJ. Of course every answer inspires another question.

Mine would be how did they know he didn't plan this. How could they charge second degree so fast?

Can the change it to first degree if they get more information?

Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne :lol!:

Let's hope the charge can be changed to first degree. I don't care if he planned it before or not. If he killed her he needs to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Ever heard of someone being "a little bit" pregnant? Either you are or you aren't. Either he did it or he didn't. I don't like degrees.

Nor do I but that's the system for you.

Not sure how they would know this was not pre-meditated. I think LE is not letting all the cats out of their bags. They are thinking he killed her in a fit of rage; therefore..not pre-meditated.

And yes, it could be upped to 1st degree if they find out later he planned it.

Authorities investigating the disappearance of Jenni-Lyn Watson quickly focused on former boyfriend Steven Pieper because he left his own cell phone in the victim's home, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said today.
Fitzpatrick also revealed authorities believe Pieper then used Watson's cell phone in an attempt to create an alibi for himself and to focus police attention on someone else.
Watson's body was found by authorities Saturday in a swampy, wooded area - covered with vegetation in an attempt to conceal the remains - in Clay Park Central.
The park is a short distance from her home. It was within the area authorities had focused their search after Watson was reported missing Nov. 19.
Fitzpatrick today said the medical examiner has completed his autopsy examination of the victim's body but is still working on tissue samples before formally determining a cause of death. But the medical examiner has determined the case to be a homicide, the DA said.
Fitzpatrick said he would have no public comment on a cause of death until a grand jury hears the case against Pieper, The DA said he will be handling the case personally and he expects to present the case to the grand jury before the end of the year.
Defense lawyer Scott Brenneck waived Pieper's right to a preliminary hearing in order to avoid having the prosecution rush the case into the grand jury, Fitzpatrick said
While authorities have concluded Watson was killed in her own home, Fitzpatrick today continued to decline to reveal what led officials to that conclusion.
But he said he believes Pieper got Watson's body out of the house by backing his car into the residence's garage and then tossing the remains in the trunk of the vehicle where he could not be seen from outside.
According to Fitzpatrick, Pieper admitted being with Watson in her home that morning. But he claims Watson was alive and well when he left the house about 11:20 to 11:30 a.m. that day, the DA said.
Watson was discovered missing when her sister returned home about 2:30 p.m. It was that sister who discovered Pieper's cell phone in the residence, Fitzpatrick said.
The DA also said he was "fairly certain" Pieper had the location in Clay Park Central in mind as a place to dispose of the body when he left the Watson home with the victim's body in the trunk of his vehicle.
But Fitzpatrick said he did not know if Pieper actually had planned to kill Watson when he went to the house that morning. He also said authorities suspect he may have had some other locations in mind for disposing of the body if there had been people around in the park area where the remains were found.
Fitzpatrick today remained cryptic about Watson's cell phone. Authorities have said its use is what led authorities search the wooded area where her body was eventually found.
Watson's phone had been used in "an attempt, in my opinion, to create an alibi for him," Fitzpatrick said of Pieper.
"Ironically, if he had not used the phone, we wouldn't have caught him as quickly as we did," the prosecutor said.
Fitzpatrick declined to say exactly how Pieper used the phone to try and create an alibi. But he said it was done in an attempt to focus law enforcement attention on someone as a suspect.
Fitzpatrick declined to say who that other person was. He also said authorities do not believe anyone else was involved in Watson's death.
He also said authorities do not have Watson's cell phone but are not conducting a search for it. He would not elaborate.
Authorities seized Pieper's vehicle with a search warrant about the same time he was being arrested Saturday on a second-degree murder charge, Fitzpatrick said. He said he did not know if authorities had found any conclusive evidence in the trunk to show that Watson's body had been there as the examination of the vehicle is still taking place.
He also declined to elaborate further on his Saturday comment that Pieper could face more serious charges once a grand jury reviews the case. The only more serious charge would be first-degree murder under a finding Watson was intentionally killed during the commission of a felony.

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Friends say ballerina's ex, wanted for murder, was controlling, mentally abusive

NEW YORK -- Steven Pieper, the 21-year-old upstate New York resident accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, Jenni-Lyn Watson, was, according to Jenni-Lyn's friends, a controlling and abusive boyfriend.

Two days after Jenni-Lyn disappeared her closest girlfriend from Liverpool High School, Mallory Otis, called Pieper and said, "The sound of his voice just shocked me. I was hoping I was wrong. That he would sound upset, and be crying when I called. He acted like nothing in the world happened."

"He said, 'Yeah, I'm totally devastated,' in the calmest voice I ever heard," Otis said.

Otis said she suspected then that Steven Pieper, 21, was responsible for Watson’s disappearance.

The Syracuse Post-Standard reported:

"It wasn't a physically abusive relationship," said Karista Lewis, a State University College at Geneseo junior who was a classmate and friends with Watson and Pieper at Liverpool High. "It was mentally abusive."

"After they started dating, he kind of consumed her. I don't know how else to put it. He wasn't very willing to let her talk to friends. He was kind of controlling in that he wanted her all to himself," Lewis said.

According to friends Pieper was known to call and text Jenni-Lyn non-stop when they were not together.

However, friends never thought the broken engagement would end in violence or in the death of their college friend.

The two had, according to reports, been engaged and Jenni-Lyn broke off the engagement last month.

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Friends of Jenni-Lyn Watson told the Syracuse Post-Dispatch that shortly after the 20-year-old college junior went missing, they had a feeling her ex-boyfriend Steven Pieper was responsible.

Pieper, 21, was charged with second degree murder shortly after a body believed to be Watson’s was found on Saturday.

The two had dating since 2009, but Watson’s friends described Pieper as possessive, and even obsessed with the aspiring ballerina who was a junior at Mercyhurst College.

They told the newspaper that Pieper, who worked as a clerk at Pep Boys, often tried to stop Watson from hanging out with her friends and obsessively texted and called her.

"It wasn't a physically abusive relationship," Karista Lewis, who was friends with Watson and Pieper at Liverpool High, told the Post-Dispatch. "It was mentally abusive."

Friends told the newspaper that Pieper was crazy about Watson the moment they met – constantly telling her how pretty she was.

"She was very flattered by that," Mallory Otis, her closest friend, told the Post-Dispatch.

Only months after they started dating, Pieper reportedly bought her an engagement ring, which he told Otis cost $500 (he later amended that amount to $600 and $800).

He said he had bought it off of the Home Shopping Network, but Otis said she told Pieper she found the same ring at the Piercing Pagoda for $29, according to the newspaper.

"If it cost 10 cents out of a machine, it wouldn't have bothered her," Otis said. "But the fact that he lied about it did."

The two stayed together and Watson happily flaunted the ring to friends after that anyway. But after months of fighting, friends said Pieper broke off the engagement in October.

"I instant-messaged her immediately. I said, 'Keep your chin up you're going to be fine.'", Otis said. "She wrote, 'I know I'll be OK.'"

But Otis said she never thought the relationship would end violently, until she phoned Pieper to talk about Watson’s disappearance.

"The sound of his voice just shocked me. I was hoping I was wrong. [I thought] that he would sound upset, and be crying when I called. He acted like nothing in the world had happened,” she told the newspaper. "He said, 'Yeah, I'm totally devastated.' In the calmest voice I ever heard."

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Steven M. Pieper was arrested and placed in the custody of the Onondaga County Justice Center facility the evening Jenni-Lyn Watson's body was found and recovered. He was originally in jail cell 5C015 when first incarcerated; however, that has since changed.

Jenni-Lyn Watson's alleged killer is still in the Onondaga County facility, but he has been moved into another jail cell, according to Onondaga County Sheriff's Office's online website.

Inmates in a jail facility are typically only moved for a number of reasons: they request it, they attempt to take their own life, they have an altercation with someone else in the jail cell or the facility has some need to make the move for jail purposes.

Onondaga County Sheriff's Office hasn't released any news of a suicide attempt--and that would generally entail the inmate being placed into solitary confinement instead of a move to another jail cell.

The jail cell number showing online (and I'm purposefully excluding that here, knowing the average reader won't know how to access the info via the jail's website), indicates something beside a suicide watch is the likely the reason for the move.

Jail facilities can have what is known as a tower, pods, blocks and sections. Some of these are interchangeable terms, meaning the same thing. But to give the reader an idea about Pieper's move, imagine there are four jail "sections" (some call them blocks or pods) and each section can have multiple sections within them.

Steven Pieper was in Section C, cell 015. Section C could have a number of cells but for the purposes of this example, imagine it has 25. Sections A, B and D in a four-pod or four-section facility would have one section per each corner of the building, located in those geographical areas.

Jenni-Lyn Watson's alleged killer was moved from one cell (cell 015) in Section C to another cell in the same section. He wasn't placed anywhere else in the facility--if the facility has more than a "C" section, and it most likely does or it would have been named an earlier letter of the alphabet, such as an "A" or "B" section.

Pieper's move, then, may have been due to population problems within the cell, which could range from conflicts to overcrowding--or a desire to separate him from general population.

Jenni-Lyn Watson's alleged killer Steven Pieper has no bail or bond and will remain in police custody for the foreseeable future.

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It had been two days since Steve Pieper or anyone else had seen his ex-girlfriend, Jenni-Lyn Watson.
He’d told two friends that he and Watson had talked on the morning of Friday, Nov. 19, and were getting back together. The friends, Alan Jones and Bryan Holleran, said Pieper appeared nonchalant for two days — even though Watson’s family was upset and questioning him, as were investigators.
They were already suspicious when Pieper told them about a mysterious black pickup truck parked outside Watson’s home in Clay when he’d left that Friday. A man was waiting for her inside the truck, Pieper told them. They thought: Really? Pieper just drove away with a guy waiting for her?
That Sunday, Nov. 21, they decided to grill Pieper.
He drove them to Wegmans for late-night snacks. Sitting in the car, Holleran asked him to retell what happened that morning. For the first time, Pieper introduced a new, ominous character. He claimed Watson — a dance major at Mercyhurst College — told him Friday she was worried about a stalker at Mercyhurst, a man named Jeff, Jones said.
“Why didn’t you find out who this Jeff kid was, what he was doing, anything at all?’” Jones remembers telling Pieper. Pieper stuttered and stammered, Jones said. His friends had been in a panic for two days, and investigators had questioned him, but Pieper forgot to mention she had a stalker?
As Pieper drove, Jones sent a text message from the back seat to Holleran in the front: “Don’t let Steve see this, but we got enough information. He’s lying.”
Steven Pieper was arraigned Nov. 27 in the death of Jenni-Lyn Watson.
Watson’s body was found six days later in Clay Park Central. Pieper was charged with murder.
Jones, Holleran and another friend, Jeff Mancuso, told The Post-Standard about their days with Pieper before and after Watson’s disappearance. Jones and Holleran said they spent the most time with him in the 10 days leading up to the recovery of Watson’s body on Nov. 27.
The friends saw firsthand Pieper’s erratic and suspicious activity, and what they now regard as Pieper’s clumsy attempts to divert attention to someone else. Days before he was hauled off to jail, they suspected Pieper. They privately set out to challenge his story and catch him in a lie. As they learned more, they fed the information to a detective.
The week started with conflict. Mancuso had sent Watson a message through Facebook that Pieper had cheated on her, and that she should avoid him, Mancuso said. The Monday before Watson disappeared, Pieper told his friends he would kill the next person who tried to keep Watson and him apart, Mancuso and Jones said.
The next day, Pieper ingested anabolic steroids, according to Jones, who watched Pieper take the pills out of a container. Pieper told him he’d bought the drugs over the Internet and received them in the mail that day, Jones said. It was the first day he’d used them, Pieper told Jones. Pieper said he wanted to bulk up for weightlifting.
Two nights later, Pieper said he planned to meet with Watson the next day and confess his cheating, clear the air and start fresh, Jones said. Watson would have none of it, Jones knew. She’d told her friends she’d broken up with Pieper for good a month earlier.
Pieper exploded, Jones said. “Well, I don’t want her to react like that!” Jones recalled him saying. Normally, Pieper was calmer, Jones said. Looking back, Jones wonders if he witnessed “’roid rage.”
Steroids can cause users to show violent anger toward the people closest to them, according to Dr. Ronald Dougherty, retired medical director of a drug rehabilitation center in Salina who teaches at area hospitals about the effects of drugs. Such rages most often follow months or years on steroids but could occur in the early abuse of the drug, he said.
Pieper told Holleran he was taking that Friday off from his job at Pep Boys. “Dude, I’m going to be with Jenni all day,” Holleran recalls Pieper saying. “We have a lot to talk about, so I’m going to have my phone off. I don’t want anyone to bother me.”
Pieper called Jones around 11 p.m. the day Watson disappeared, Jones said.
“Oh, it went great,” Jones remembers Pieper saying. “We’re back together. ... But there’s a problem. When I left, there was a dark, blackish truck outside her house.”
Pieper said he’d gone to work anyway after meeting with Watson, that he hadn’t heard from her and that her parents called him to say she was missing, Jones said.
Jones learned later from a female friend that she’d received a text message from Watson’s phone around noon that day, he said. The female friend had texted Watson to ask how the meeting with Pieper was going. Jones remembers the response from Watson’s phone as something like this: “Everything went great. I’m going to hang out with my friend Justin. He’s been waiting here for me. I’ll text you later.”
Pieper used Watson’s phone to point the finger at someone else, District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said last week.
The next day, Saturday, Nov. 20, Jones went to a friend’s home, and Pieper was there on the computer, in a Facebook conversation with Watson’s sister Lauren, Jones said. The sister asked him why he hadn’t returned to the Watsons’ home when he realized his phone was missing, said Jones, who read the conversation in progress.
On Sunday evening, Jones got a text message from Pieper: “If anyone’s available, come over to my house. We’re going to do some research and brainstorm where Jenni could be.” It was the only time Pieper showed any interest in finding her, his friends said. But when Jones and Holleran arrived, Pieper seemed indifferent, they said.
Pieper went upstairs to take a shower and was gone for about 20 minutes, Jones said.
Cell phone communication was central to this crime and its investigation. After she disappeared, Watson’s friends continuously called her number, hoping someone would answer — a kind of constant electronic search. For hundreds or thousands of calls, it went straight to voice mail, indicating Watson’s phone was turned off.
But while Pieper was in the bathroom, Jones tried again. This time, for the first time, it rang. He immediately called Onondaga County sheriff’s detectives to see whether they could trace the phone, he said.
Pieper came downstairs and the friends shouted the news to him, Jones and Holleran said.
“Oh,” was all Pieper said, according to Jones.
By Tuesday, Nov. 23, the search for Watson had become widespread, drawing national attention. Pieper was saying less to his friends, they said. Jones said he called Pieper and asked why he wasn’t interested, and why he wasn’t searching.
“My lawyer told me not to get involved, lay low, go about my daily routine, let the investigators find her,” Jones recalls Pieper saying. Jones was so angry he hung up. It was the last he talked with Pieper.
Jones and Holleran say they gave statements to sheriff’s detectives soon after Watson disappeared. They told investigators about the conversations they’d had with Pieper.
Watson, 20, and Pieper, 21, both graduated from Liverpool High School. They used to hang out with Jones, Mancuso, Holleran and about a dozen others in a tight-knit group.
Mancuso said he assumes Pieper is innocent until proven guilty. But Mancuso said he knew Pieper to be a habitual liar, and that Watson did, too. One night last summer, Mancuso drove her to Pieper’s house after a party, he said.
“She said she was sick of him lying,” Mancuso said. “She said she couldn’t take it anymore. She said she knows he’s not good for her, but she said, ‘I can’t help it, I love him.’”
The friends recalled the many times they caught Pieper lying before Watson disappeared. A recent example: He was charged in July after admitting that he stole $270 from the Walmart where he worked by slipping cash out of the register eight times. He said in a statement to police that he took the money to help pay for an organ transplant for a relative.
Pieper never mentioned to his friends any relative in need of a transplant.
His Facebook page seems to refer to Watson in the “About Me” section, his friends say. They found it haunting.
“Patience is a virtue, the one is there, she’s living her life,” the note reads. “All you can do is watch n wait for when the time is right.”

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Steven Pieper, the alleged murder suspect in the Jenni-Lyn Watson case in Onondaga County had three friends who made it their mission to aid police in profiling the boyfriend who would eventually be arrested, according to an exclusive report from Syracuse.com and John O'Brien of The Post-Standard.

Jeff Mancuso, Alan Jones and Bryan Holleran had one advantage the police detectives in Onondaga County didn't have when it came to the Jenni-Lyn Watson murder case: access to the suspect on a regular--and more intimate--basis.

Onondaga County detective steps out of the LE box successfully

The Onondaga County detective who allowed the boys to feed him information about Steven Pieper in the days following Jenni-Lyn's disappearance is to be commended for his willingness to use what is sometimes considered a taboo procedure: non-mandated officers in an investigation.

Steven Pieper's friends don't say they were asked to keep their friend under watchful eye; they say that his behavior following her disappearance is what prompted their interest and suspicions. But they felt they should contact police and give them frequent updates once they did get suspicious. And the detective who interacted with them didn't attempt to tell them they shouldn't, thankfully.

Steven Pieper's friends suspicious

On the Sunday following Jenni-Lyn Watson's disappearance the Friday following the Thanksgiving holiday, the three friends felt they had heard enough to warrant putting Steven Pieper on the spot, Syracuse.com reported. Here's what followed:

Steven drove his three friends to Wegmans, a place they frequented which offered snacks through the later evening hours.

Bryan Hollerman took the lead, asking Pieper to retell the events on the day Jenni-Lyn Watson disappeared and what happened when Pieper met with her earlier that day, as he had already told investigators that he had.

"Why didn't you find out who this Jeff kid was, what he was doing, anything at all?" Hollerman said.

Steven Pieper had told his friends that upon going to or leaving Jenni's home he had seen a black truck with a man in it and the man was waiting to talk to Jenni, according to Syracuse.com.

Pieper wasn't known for being willing to suffer anyone else attempting to make a move on his girl and, in fact, had made it clear he would kill anyone who tried to interfere, Syracuse and the Post-Standard reported.

Syracuse reported that Jones and Mancuso told them Steven Pieper said he would "kill" the very next person who attempted to keep him and Jenni-Lyn separated.

So nonchalantly leaving his girlfriends home when an unknown man was lurking around in a black truck would have been the height of improbability for Steven M. Pieper. His friends knew it.

To top that off, Steven had told them that the day he met with Jenni-Lyn she was concerned about an alleged stalker named Jeff, who attended Mercyhurst.

Hollerman's question about why Pieper didn't deal with the alleged stalker parked near Jenni-Lyn's home was a result of that admission.

Jeff Mancuso lucky he wasn't the victim

Steven Pieper's friend Jeff Mancuso should count himself lucky he wasn't Steven's alleged victim instead, as he basically got the conflict rolling that would eventually see Steven allegedly murder Jenni-Lyn.

The news site Syracuse reported that Jeff Mancuso wrote Jenni-Lyn via Facebook, telling her Steven Pieper had cheated on her and she should stay away from him. That's when Pieper allegedly threatened to kill the next person who interfered in his relationship with Jenni-Lyn.

Syracuse reported that Steven told his friends he was going to take Friday following Thanksgiving off from work at Pep Boys and spend the day with Jenni-Lyn, and that he didn't want to be interrupted by anyone. He specifically told them "no calls."

But Steven and Jenni-Lyn has already talked about the "cheating" earlier in the week and Jenni-Lyn's response to friends--and Steven Pieper--made it clear she was through.

Jenni-Lyn began breaking it off a month earlier

Syracuse reported that Alan Jones knew Steven Pieper would get no where with Jenni-Lyn about his infidelity, since Jenni-Lyn has already told friends she had begun to end the relationship a month earlier.

Alan Jones was the Steven Pieper friend to introduce the alleged fact that Steven had begun taking anabolic steroids, too. Telling the Post-Standard, Syracuse reported, that he felt Pieper's explosion following talk about Jenni-Lyn might have been the result of "roid rage," a common occurrence with heavy steroid use.

Steven Pieper's friends didn't set out to trap or betray their friend after Jenni-Lyn's disappearance, but they did feel the need to aid the investigation once it became apparent that their friend was being deceitful and acting suspiciously.

That had to be a hard thing for three guys to do, since male friendships can be as "bonding" as female ones. But it is to their credit that they felt the greater importance was helping Jenni-Lyn be found and her family to gain some measure of closure, later.

Steven Pieper's friends Alan Jones, Bryan Holleran and Jeff Mancuso basically went undercover on the Jenni-Lyn Watson case, helping Onondaga County Sheriff's Office eventually gain the information they needed in order to make an arrest in the case. And the boys aren't even mandated, go figure.

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Onondaga County's District Attorney William Fitzpatrick says Steven Pieper has one chance to avoid trial on murder charges in the death of his ex-girlfriend, Jeni-Lyn Watson.

There is no plea bargain in the works, Fitzpatrick said. Just a chance for Pieper to admit he killed Jeni-Lyn.

Fitzpatrick says he's given Pieper's attorney information on the evidence against his client. But if Pieper wants to go forward with a trial, so be it.

"We're going to make what we consider to be a fair and reasonable offer in this case. They accept it, so be it. If they don't, that's their right.

"Mr. Pieper hasn't made any admissions. He hasn't said he did it. He's denied it on multiple occasions.

"If he wants a trial, then there's nobody more ready, willing and able to give him a trial than me," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick expects the grand jury review in January.

About her case

A beautiful young ballerina who loved her friends, family, and life, who was going to college and had her life ahead of her, went missing Nov. 19. Click here for more.

Jeni-Lynn had just come home for Thanksgiving. Her parents and sister left in the morning to do some shopping, and when they returned, Jeni-Lynn was gone.

Sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, and even the U.S. Marshals were doing everything possible to try to find her alive. The public was urged to call in with any information they had that could help find her.

Jeni-Lynn’s cell phone was missing, but her purse and keys were still in the house. Friends and family pounded the pavement, distributing more than 1,000 missing person’s fliers daily.

A Facebook group created to help find Jeni-Lynn grew to over 18,000 members in a few days.

Sadly, the search ended on Nov. 28 when police found Jeni-Lynn’s body in an upstate New York park.

They arrested Jeni-Lynn’s boyfriend who they suspected killed her and dumped her body “like garbage.” He was charged in her murder, held without bail.

Later, friends came forward to say the ballerina’s ex-boyfriend, Steven Pieper, 21, was controlling and mentally abusive. It wasn’t a physically abusive relationship, they said, it was mentally abusive. Jeni-Lynn had broken up with him, a move that likely and tragically ended her life.

Pieper has pleaded not guilty in Town of Clay Court. He was set to appear in Clay Town Court, but the case was waived to a Grand Jury.

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Steven Pieper, who pleaded guilty last month to killing his ex-girlfriend Jenni-Lyn Watson, was formally sentenced in Onondaga County Court in upstate New York this morning to 23 years to life in prison.

After Judge Aloi issued the sentence, he said the 21-year-old Pieper deserved to spend his entire life in prison, reports WTVH

Watson was home on break from Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania when she went missing back in November.

Last month, Pieper pleaded guilty to strangling Watson in her Liverpool, N.Y. home.

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Given his chance to speak in the packed courtroom, Pieper called his conduct "cowardly and self-centered," said he was consumed by sorrow, remorse and grief, and prayed for forgiveness and for Watson and her family to be at peace.

Jenni-Lyn's father and teenage sister also addressed the courtroom. Both had to pause several times to regain their composure.

"This pain I will have for the rest of my life," David Watson said.

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick vowed to make certain Pieper is never paroled.

"Don't anyone here speak to the Watsons about closure," Fitzpatrick said. "There's no closure when there's an empty seat at the dinner table, when there's a missing face in a photo, when there's a missing present under the tree."

Pieper's family also was in court but declined to comment when they left.

At a news conference afterward, David Watson thanked the public and law enforcement officials for their help in the case. The family said it was satisfied with the plea agreement because it spared them a lengthy trial.

"There will never be closure. This will always be a raw, raw wound," David Watson said. "But if he's not able to get out and harm anyone else, that's what I'm hoping for.

"Jenni-Lyn will not be defined by her death," he added. "She will be defined how she lived, by her love for family and friends, her passion for dance, for her concern and empathy for children and animals, and her wonder and awe of life."

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Thanks, BJ, for the update on this case. I hope he never gets out, but who knows what will happen years from now?

Read more here:
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I hope he's never paroled. He snuffed the life out of Jenni-Lyn and he deserves no life himself.
RIP Jenni-Lyn.