Man wanted in multiple states on murder, drug and weapons charges apprehended in CT

A man wanted on murder and weapons charges in Connecticut and federal drugs charges out of West Virginia was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Waterbury on Tuesday, officials said.

Tyjha Ali Watson, 29, of Charleston, West Virginia, was apprehended at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at a residence on Ash Street in Waterbury, according to a release from the U.S. Marshals Service.

Watson is facing state charges in Connecticut for murder, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of a weapon, first-degree reckless endangerment, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, and illegal discharge of a weapon for a fatal shooting in Waterbury on June 15, 2023, officials said.

Watson allegedly shot into an apartment building, hitting a 49-year-old woman, later identified as Beck Switzer, in the head. According to officials, Switzer was transported to a local hospital where she died five days later.

In February 2023, the U.S. Marshals Southern District of West Virginia CUFFED Task Force asked for assistance in locating Watson, officials said. Watson was wanted on a federal indictment out of the Southern District of West Virginia in connection with a DEA investigation into a drug trafficking organization with ties to the Bloods and Gangster Disciples gangs.

According to officials, Watson had been on the run since February 2021. Twelve other defendants were charged in the investigation, officials said.

Watson will face the state charges in Connecticut before his federal charges in the Southern District of West Virginia, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.