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The motive? A "scam restaurant jig" that said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said was about to be up.
Blair Watts, of Royersford, is booked at the Montgomery County lockup on first-degree murder charges in the Limerick mom's death, Steele said.
Beginning in August 2022, Brown and Watts were planning on opening a restaurant in Phoenixville together in hopes of being in business by the end of January, as outlined in a 39-page criminal complaint.
Watts had hung a banner 440 Schuylkill Road announcing the restaurant's coming but had not actually signed a lease, made any payments to the landlords, or begun renovating the site for opening day, authorities said.
In December, the property owners told Watts there would be no lease, according to DA Steele. In response, Watts threatened to sue, police said.
On Jan. 3, police believe Brown was killed in her home by her erstwhile business partner. DA Steele said that after the murder, a total of $17,000 in online cash transfers were made from Brown's bank accounts to a business account managed by Watts.
The next day, Watts showed up to the Schuylkill Road property and told the owners he now had the money for the lease, authorities claimed.
DA Steele declined to name a specific motive for the alleged murder but said the "scam restaurant jig was going to be up," and that he believes it was a factor.
Forensic evidence shows that the 43-year-old mom was killed in her home, police said. A K9 unit with the Philadelphia Police Department indicated that human remains had been present at both Brown's Limerick home and in two of Watts' cars, authorities claimed.
As well, plastic pieces of a broken hair clip were found embedded in her carpet and also at the scene of her burial, the DA said.
Brown was reported missing on Jan. 3 after she never showed up to meet her son at the school bus stop.
Friends, loved ones, and law enforcement mounted a multi-week search effort that concluded when her remains were found wrapped in plastic and partially buried in a shallow grave at a Royersford industrial complex not far from her home on Jan. 18.
At that time, authorities identified the remains as Brown's but did not describe her manner of death.
Brown's official cause of death is "homicide by unspecified means," the DA continued. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office found no evidence of a gunshot or knife wound on the remains, but noted that three of her ribs appeared to have been broken while she was still alive.
"Compression asphyxia" was named as a possible "mechanism" that could explain the broken ribs, the DA pointed out.
After the alleged murder, police said Watts took Brown's remains to AMT Pump Company complex on 5th and Chestnut Streets and buried them there. Cell phone records show the victim's phone near that area just before it was shut off for the last time; Watts' cell records show he was there too, according to the DA.
A shallow grave covered in wooden pallets was discovered at the site by two employees at a later date.
After that, authorities said Watts reported Brown missing. He'd already had her child, an 8-year-old boy with special needs, in his custody when he'd contacted police, prosecutors claimed.
Watts said the boy was with him because he was going to spend the night with Watts' three kids to give Brown "a break," Steele said. But the boy had no change of clothes with him, and crucially, did not have the medicine that he needs to take twice daily, officials said.
Police spoke to a case worker who had worked with Brown and her son. That person told them the 43-year-old mother would never forget to send the child's medication, the DA said.
“For 37 days since this devoted mother was reported missing, detectives have been accumulating evidence, piece by piece, bringing into focus what happened to Jennifer and who murdered her,” Steele concluded.
“That picture shows Blair Watts murdered Jennifer Brown on Jan. 3rd, then moved her body and ultimately buried her in a shallow grave."
Presently, Watts sits in the county lockup where he will remain without bail, the DA added.
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