Death by Fame on ID: Where is Tara Correa-McMullen's killer Damien Watts now?

A member of the Rollin’ 60s gang of Los Angeles, Damien Watts, went about the town carrying out three shootings over two days in October 2005 which led to the death of the 16-year-old Judging Amy actor, Tara Correa-McMullen.

Tara was dating another gang member who was ten years older than her when Watts rolled up in a grey truck and showered bullets on her circle. Tara and her friends were hanging out at an East Plymouth Street apartment building where the incident took place. Damien Watts was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder of McCullen and Sanders, among other charges, and has been sentenced to life.

The upcoming Death by Fame episode, 'A Rising Star Shot Down', airs on January 22, 2024, at 9 p.m. EST on Investigation Discovery and offers the following synopsis:

"Tara Correa-McMullen is only 15 when she rises from the tough streets of LA to star alongside some of Hollywood’s biggest stars; a romance with the wrong person takes her out of the spotlight forever."

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Why was Damien Watts arrested? Details explored

Damien Watts went on a two-day shooting spree in October 2005 when he ended up shooting two victims to death on two consecutive days. The first shooting took place at John Turner’s residence on 1223 West 84th Street in Los Angeles, where Watts, along with other men, shot at Lester and Andre Turner and their companion working in the yard.

The Turner brothers were part of the 8 Tray Gangster Crips gang and they identified Watts to be known as “Chopper” from the Rollin’ 60s gang. However, nobody was injured in this incident.

Ten minutes later on the same day, Damien Watts rolled up in a silver truck at 7221 South Halldale Avenue, where he opened fire at Paul Fry and Thomas Sanders - members of the Bounty Hunters gang. Sanders was killed at the spot while Fry was heavily injured.

The third shooting on the following day, October 21, 2005, took place in front of 205 East Plymouth Street - an area controlled by the Centinela Park Family Bloods. Watts pulled up in a grey truck without a license and fired at four people on the spot with his AK-47 rifle. One man returned fire, with two being shot and 16-year-old Tara Correa-McMullen was declared dead three hours later.

According to Casetext, the Inglewood Police Department collected spent .35 caliber shell casings from the crime scenes and used them to identify the suspect, using the scent and a bloodhound.

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Where is Damien Watts now?

Damien Watts was already in custody when he was charged with the murder of Tara Correa-McMullen in March 2006. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder of McCullen and Sanders, six counts of attempted murder, one count of shooting at an inhabited dwelling and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

Additionally, the jury found Damien Watts guilty of multiple gang allegations, multiple firearm allegations and the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.

Despite all that, Watts pled not guilty, which led to a trial by jury where he was convicted of the crimes at the Los Angeles Superior Court in January 2009. Watts was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole and he currently remains incarcerated at the Calipatria State Prison, California.