**TW: Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Abuse/Weapons**

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Keith Robert Watson is currently filing to expunge/set-aside his criminal records of Felony Imprisonment and Domestic Violence from an incident in 2014. 

 

I, the creator of this petition, am the victim of these crimes. 

All throughout our relationship (2008-2014), I was physically and psychologically abused by Keith Robert Watson in Traverse City, Michigan from the ages of 15 to almost 21 years old. I was a vulnerable teen at the time and Keith took advantage of my circumstances at every turn. He was only verbally and psychologically abusive to me in front of others, but the worst events happened in the private moments, as they do in most cases. 

Some of the things Keith put me through in our relationship:

1) Keith would drive me somewhere guised as him being nice and then kick me out of the car without a cell phone and force me to find my way back alone. Yes, in the Northern Michigan winters as well.

2) Keith forced me to kiss him and have sex with him by making it clear to me that he wouldn’t take me home until I consented. He said he was “going to have sex” and not be a 16 year old virgin. That is not consent - that is rape. 

3) Keith would regularly rip apart and break my belongings (clothing, accessories, electronics, tools, etc.), only to upgrade and repurchases said items later. One example, he threw my hot CHI flat iron at me ($100+ hair tool) which burned my hand. He then proceeded to pick it up and beat me in the head with it before cracking it in two pieces. He later purchased me a better model and promised he would “never do it again” and that I had just upset him “so much” that he felt out of control of his actions (I had simply said that a Star Wars movie actor looked cool- which meant I was thinking “sexual thoughts” about someone other than Keith).

4) Keith would constantly cycle between tearing me down and then “love-bombing” me later and eventually just controlled me with fear. 

5) Keith molded a severe eating disorder in me… constantly comparing my 130-145lb (at 15) self to other classmates, then calling me a slut/whore when I dropped 20+ pounds as he told me too. He then decided that my breasts were too small, and switched to now comparing how small my cup size was to other girls. He told me I’d never get hired without makeup and then called me a “TC High Slut” when I was wearing merely eyeliner/mascara. He was always telling me to do things to myself and then would use the change/outcome to treat me worse than trash. 

6) Keith would constantly accuse me of cheating on him with anyone and everyone under the sun. Constantly. His friends, random strangers, classmates I had no connections to, adult men and a variety of people spread across Northern Michigan in towns I’ve never even been to. 

7) He was obsessed with controlling every aspect of my life and would fabricate stories about my friends. He would take over my social media accounts and change the passwords on my accounts. He would pretend to be me and talk to my friends, ruining various friendships this way. If I chose to sit with my friends at their table versus alone with him… it was hell for me later. The rest of the day he would pass me in the hall and threaten me, call me names… and he would always find him way to me or my things later. 

8) Keith would get my friends phone numbers from my cell phone and call them to tell them how much I hated them. My best friend, he would call and cuss out her and her wonderful mother… all because they refused to let him push them out of my life. They took so much abuse on my behalf… and I’m so thankful they are still in my life.

9) One time I went to a movie with two of my friends, Keith got into my apartment (talked to my roommate) and tore up almost all of my belongings and spread them across my room - what he couldn’t destroy, he threw in the public apartment dumpster. I came home to him sitting on my bed in complete darkness. He stood up and left me standing there in my room just looking at everything he had destroyed while I was gone. Staying there for over an hour, just to watch me see what he had done to my belongings. 

10) I was living in downstate Michigan my Sophomore year (about 3-4hrs away from TC?) for a short time, not even a full school semester, with a family, and after a homecoming school dance (that I had gone to with a friend of mine) he got on my email around 9pm, saw I was on AIM and watched me discuss homework and the dance with a foreign exchange student from Mexico. My friend complimented me and I complimented him back.. Keith took this as me cheating and flew off the handle according to him. He changed my passwords, cut my name into his stomach and an X on his body and left me over 15 emails on my account while I was sleeping… despite him changing my password, I hadn’t seen any of these messages. He showed up the next day to the house I was staying at and pretended to be sweet and caring with flowers, saying he came down to see me because he missed me and wish he could have gone to the dance with me… only to abuse and rape me down there. Calling me a “Mexican fucking slut whore” and telling me that I deserved it and obviously needed to have some sex because of my compliment to my friend. He then forced me to read the emails out loud to him, look at the scars that I “forced him to give” himself and continuously accused me of sleeping with boys outside of the school after the dance with zero evidence… he did and said all of this despite coming home from the dance before it had even ended, because my curfew was 8:30pm in my guardian’s house. I was only 16 years old.

To further show the way he zig zagged emotionally with me, I have copied the messages he sent to me on AOL Instant Messenger in 2010, while I was sleeping at night after my 10th grade homecoming dance and he had taken over my account. He stayed awake all night leaving these on my account:

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“Hey, its Keith… I saw your Facebook, your chats with ****? and the wall to walls with him and stuff… wish you woulda told me… it hurts really bad to find out by snooping… and I saw your favorite singers list in your email.. it just shows how much I know about you, nothing at all. 

I'm sorry about this relationship start to finish… right now I have your Facebook password changed.. I'll change it back on friday (I look at it to remind me of stuff) but… I knew something was up at that dance… and I wish you woulda told me.. I got so upset I bawled my eyes out and cut your name in my stomach… and made an X on my leg. I is weird.

Anyway, **** I really wish you would have told me everything you have kept hidden from me… you don't know how bad it sucks to find out the girl you put your soul into, lies to you, and then when you get upset… she still denies everything.. I saw everything on Facebook after our chat…. and I was correct. and I hate you for lying to me… you should have just told me you wanted to see other people after your dance…

well I really miss the old you.. before the dance. 

Have fun with him and his friends, he's a nice looking guy, and it looks like ya really click with him…

I won't call or bother you or anything… I just hope out of this message, you at least tell the other men you date, that you are interested in other people…

what you did was really shallow, and hurt a real lot…

I love you and just want whats best for you… and I'm sorry to you that wasn't me, yet I put you through so much, and I'm sorry to me that I wasn't able to treat you right…

I hope everything turns out good for you… and if anyone ever hurts you tell me… please? xo…

couldn't remember what it was before, so changed it to ********… guess it don't matter though cus if ya can't see this email you won't know the password… lol

again… really sorry for everything… but don't worry… my stupid ass is paying for it mentally lol

I'll list why

1. no friends

2. no best friend

3. no girlfriend

4. no one to talk to 

5. no one to keep me sane

6. nothing to motivate me

7. suicide is now an option lol

life is so pointless lawl, I know I didn't treat you like it, but you make life worth living.

be happy in everything that you do ****… thats a hard thing to have… i really wish i had it… cus then I'd still have a beautiful girl, but life goes on

I still really love ya >.< bawling my eyes out and its 2:30 in the morning. 

sorry for getting really angry at ya lots in our relationship,  but in the end I guess it all kinda is hitting me at the same time lol, I feel like shit… guess I know how I make you feel

may a beautiful girl have a beautiful life

I love you ****

sorry its 3:30 am and I can't sleep

I don't know if this is invasive or not, but ill ask anyway, cuz its killin me

why did you say **** was sexy? why did you say the homework was long and hard? was that sexual? why do you want to go the the soccer game next weekend?

why do you sit with him at lunch?

and most of all…

do you have feelings for him?

if you could answer it, I could sort out my feelings better, all I am doing is crying, and thinking about suicide/cutting myself. thinking maybe I should go see a counselor. man I'm fucked up as you know. I'm sorry if I'm misunderstanding the situation btw… its just really scary for me… its like I've been dumped but had no idea,  and was never told. oh and when you were talking to ****, I was on. 

**** I know I treated you badly… but can you at least help me get by this? i think I'm losing you… and i don't know what to do.

please help me… as a fellow human being… i don't wanna end up killing myself because I was an asshole to you for so long.

i just wanna die… as emo as that sounds, without someone to care for you, is there really a point to life? not for me

I miss you… and if you wanna have anything to do with me… please talk to me, okay? I'm really sad… the saddest I've ever been in my life.

please help me… i don't wanna die… and yes i will attempt to lol. if you don't help me out… my method atm will be 6-8 days no sleep and then likely poison. hell i deserve it lol. based on how i treated everyone but especially how I treat you.

but please talk to me, i love you and i know I've been fucking up really really bad and I know you might have moved on to someone else but just gimmie some closure. 

xoxo your emotionally dead hehe (i keep the name hehe right? or does that get passed on to the next guy? jk)

sorry… i just really miss you…

i feel like i did before i met you… and i hate it.. I'm tired of having to fight my feelings, and I just wanna let go.. I'm not going back to how i lived before you.

i don't know why I'm even saying all this… can all be summed up as a ton of emo shit from a kid that deserves to be dead , and sure has never in his life deserved a girl such as you…

thing that sucks is I want a second chance, but then I think of how you feel about **** and then I also know its likely I won't get a second chance anyways. 

but… how could you do that to me? 

If I ever date again......... which I won't......... it will be a fat girl. At least I know she won't do this to me.

e**** I wanna die, you don't know how this feels, not even if you add up all the mean things I've done and said to you…

i have not once glorified someone else calling them sexy, etc. because I am devoted to you :/ and if i can't trust you, i can't trust anyone. 

i want to die, i hate myself as do you and as does everyone else. 

i will die. i won't go on this way.. .course it will take time, so yeah lol already doing part 1 of no sleep.

ya know its so funny, ya felling like you are losing everything and then ya just yourself as living flesh.. not an emotional being.. life meaning nothing. least without you.

PLEASE CALL ME … OKAY? ASAP AFTER SCHOOL… I DONT WANNA CUT MYSELF AND STUFF LIKE I USED TO … IT REALLY HURTS A LOT.. 

physically and emotionally… and I will die before I take up that habit again. 

please ****, even if things have changed, i still love you and need you to help me out, least this last time… i don't know what to do anymore.

look ****, i don't know whether or not you like or have feelings for this new guy, but I don't care. 

do you want to work things out with me? I want to work things out with you.

i know this may sound selfish but it feels like you are cheating on me, with what ya said to that one guy, calling him sexy.but i don't care i really want to work things out with you.. i love you.

and btw, see, my feelings about the dance and tonight were right… you acted like i was being mean but i was right and it hurts you didn't tell me about this guy.

gaaah i sound like a jealous freak, but what am I to make of the "you are sexy" comment lol… oh yeah…

respond to all these emails, and call me asap after school…

we can make things work…

unless you are looking for a hotter guy, in that case, i can not just automatically become hotter or sexier or whatever, but if that isn't the reason you are talking to this new guy I'm sure we can work things out, right? 

i love you! and I will cut that into me too.

i know i messed up by putting your name into me.. but i had to… cus no matter what happens… i don't want to ever forget/lose the emotions i have over you…

talk to me girl, we've been through A LOT together. You can't just go behind my back and call some mexican sexy thats so terrible to the guy thats helped you out… and you know i've done a lot for you!

i deserve a second chance… a final chance. i also deserve the real truth as to why you are flirting with this guy.. i hate lies and it sucks that you lied to me, it angers me, as it would if i called some chick sexy. 

i deserve an explanation! just cause all the time we spent together, and all the good things I did for you.

even if you want to leave me in the dust. you still owe me and explanation! and what the hell does this mexican kid have over me? i know you like his hair more, he's probably taller and looks more like a man and etc… but if thats what you have seemed so distant about this last week and haven't been telling me ANYTHING about this guy… I FUCKING FOUND OUT BY GOING THROUGH YOUR SHIT… look I'm a fucking human being, treat me like one, if you don't like me anymore, MAN UP TO IT and TELL ME. if you do still like me, then explain WHY THE FUCK YOU called him sexy and are asking about learning his LANGUAGE. WHY DO YOU NEED SPAINSH>>

god i feel like a fool. **** you owe me. or we can just call everything even. 

or if you want you don't have to respond to me at all and can just move on.. i know theres good guys out there, that are hotter and nicer than me. 

but we at least need to talk about whats going on in our relationship, and if we should keep it or not, i think we should. 

but we really gotta straighten things out… my anger issues, and what I said last night, and you flirting with a guy and not telling me about it. 

we can work this out ****, or at least make us both better off, cus we will have closure.

i really love ya.. and you won't find a better guy than me to take care of you… (i vow to work out my anger issues)

gotta remember ****, we are in a relationship, if you must hold feelings of affection for someone else from me, then we need to talk, about why you don't tell me, and about why I get so angry.

we can't just leave it alone

I'm really scared…

you have to call me after school asap… its 4 o clock and I'm going crazy thinking about everything…

i goes it comes down to, I've been very terrible this past week (more terrible than ever) and you have been flirting/having feelings for another person and not telling me… btw i had a feeling something happened at the dance and I was really sad to see what you wrote this guy… it made me feel like when i was getting angry, you were lying to me telling me how you can handle yourself and nothing happened at the dance. so you gotta admit… if anyone got angry at their girl for going to a dance WITHOUT HIM and then found out she called another guy sexy that she SAW at the dance… and has READ her flirting with him (well what i think is flirting) then I think my anger is justified. 

but i know i have some anger issues among other things. but you need to buckle down, and talk to me. 

no more lies, no more having feelings for others and not telling the person you have SHARED EVERYTHING WITH!!!!!

we can work out our issues… we just have to open up to each other.

please talk to me, i really, really, miss you … even knowing you are upset at me, and that i'm upset at you

it feels like we are falling apart, its like our relationship is dying…

please tell me if we can work our issues out (my anger, and your not being honest)

can we work this out, because i want to.. and in my heart i know you do too.

**** I can't fucking lose you… please baby lets just forget everything we've done to each other and start other… PLEASE <3”

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So you see… I was terrified. Whole body terrified. He built it up slowly… but once he knew he had control of me, he didn’t let me forget it. What I mentioned is just the tip of the iceberg - those are just a small sample of the horrible things he would put me through. I was terrified of this boy… this man. I knew that he could physically hurt me and would try to hurt my friends. I knew that he was could at manipulating people and getting his way. I knew he was capable of causing me a great deal of pain. I knew I had a skeletal family & support system at the time… and didn’t stand a chance against him and his family with large ties to the community via church & their employment.  

Skipping to 2014 now (the big event that finally ended things):

After revealing my pregnancy to my long-time boyfriend, I was imprisoned in our home. During my imprisonment, I was beaten and held at gunpoint in my bedroom by Watson. Keith barricaded the doors and windows of our bedroom with furniture, and proceeded to abuse me sexually, physically and psychologically during this time. I was punched multiple times in the side of my head, thrown around the room, beat in my stomach and raped while he held his loaded pistol to my head… because as Keith told me, he “wouldn’t be getting any for a while” after the event was all over if he was caught or dead. Keith researched at-home abortions on his desktop computer, while I was instructed to stay on the bed. Keith made me try to sleep next to him with a loaded gun in his hand aimed at my head and made it clear if I disobeyed any of his many instructions, I would have a bullet in my head. 

A lot happened during this event, but the above paragraphs explain the quick recap version of the event. 

I am STILL suffering from severe PTSD from what this man put me through. This man is the reason I’ve lost my home, job, friends and any feeling of the safety I once knew. I live in constant fear of him and despite this, I feel it is my duty to inform others of what he has done and give my greatest effort in assuring he cannot unknowingly do it to someone else. 

As requested for their privacy and safety, I won’t disclose any identifiable details - but I’ve been contacted by others who say he hasn’t changed and they have experienced his “bursts of rage”. I’ve had stories shared with me of him seeking to isolate and control others after me… including their family members. I’ve heard he’s had the audacity to request family members of those he is dating to delete their friends who have even the slightest connection to me. I wonder why he would be so keen on that? 

I have not yet heard whether expungement will allow him his ability to own and possess weapons, but given the severity of his crimes against me and the active involvement of 4 firearms in my case (pistol, shotgun and 2 rifles)… it would be a mistake to allow this man anywhere near weapons now and in the future. 

Society deserves to know what this man did. It would be irresponsible and unconscionable for the courts to seal his violent records from the general public. 

I will never gain back the innocence that was taken from me back then. 

Sealing his record would not only be stripping me of the minimal justice I received in this case… and much worse, be leaving others to potentially meet similar fates as I did.

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Please join me in showing the courts of Michigan that the public wants to have access to the criminal records of people who violate, torture, imprison and assault others. Please sign this petition and help me make a difference in my case and hopefully others fighting similar battles. 

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Together, lets us inform Michigan that we want to see: 

!! NO EXPUNGEMENTS FOR CRIMES OF ABUSE & VIOLENCE !!

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Visit www.safeandjustmi.org to read more on "Clean Slate for Michigan" from 2021.