CT man takes plea deal for murder of ex-girlfriend found dead in woods near recycling center where he worked

A Connecticut man faces 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2019 murder of his ex-girlfriend, a 31-year-old mother and nail salon owner from Meriden, officials said.

Jason Watson, 42, appeared in court in New Haven on Monday and pleaded guilty to murder in the death of Perrie Mason, whose charred and crushed body was found near a recycling center in Waterbury where Watson worked days after she went missing, according to the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.

Watson pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement and is expected to be sentenced to 30 years in prison at a hearing in the new year, the DCJ said.

Watson was long described as the prime suspect in Mason’s disappearance after she went missing in August 2019, but was initially only charged in connection to a domestic violence incident between the couple, according to court records.

Court records show that Watson initially called police on Aug. 17, 2019, to say that Mason was either missing or staying at a friend’s house because “she was mad at him,” but police did not open a missing persons investigation until Mason’s sister called the next day. She told police that Mason and Watson had recently broken up after a series of arguments, including one that turned physical and showed investigators photos of injuries to Mason’s face and text messages in which she said Watson had choked her to the point she lost consciousness, records showed.

Investigators found the remains of Mason’s charred body in the woods behind Bay State Textiles where Watson worked on Aug. 21, 2019, according to the DCJ.

Investigators searching the woods found four layers of overlapped plastic garbage bags hiding the charred remains, court records revealed.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that it appeared Mason was killed and then crushed before her remains were set ablaze, according to police.

Court records show that Watson was seen on security cameras driving Mason’s car to the recycling center where he worked and then at a Walmart buying lighter fluid, two rolls of plastic sheeting and a Minnie Mouse towel hours after she disappeared, according to court documents.

In June 2020, nearly 10 months after Mason’s body was found, Watson was arrested and charged with killing her, records show.

He is scheduled to be sentenced in New Haven Superior Court on Jan. 22, 2024, according to the DCJ.

New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. on Monday extended his condolences to Mason’s family and thanked investigators in Meriden, Waterbury and with Connecticut State Police for their efforts in the case, according to a statement from the DCJ.