Alabama Judge Acquits Man Accused of Drowning His Wife on Honeymoon
- Posted on February 23, 2012 at 9:19pm by
Tiffany Gabbay
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (The Blaze/AP) — A man who spent 18 months in an Australian jail for the drowning death of his wife during a diving trip in that country was acquitted of murder in Alabama on Thursday. A judge ended the trial with his acquittal ruling before the defense had even presented its case, saying prosecutors lacked evidence to prove Gabe Watson intentionally killed his wife.
Below is a picture of Watson as his wife floats in the background deceased:
Prosecutor Don Valeska, head of the violent crimes division for the state attorney general’s office, said he never before had a trial end in a judge’s acquittal in 41 years of trying cases, though that does sometimes happen, legal experts say.
Watson, 34, had faced life in prison without parole if convicted of murdering his wife of 11 days, 26-year-old Tina Thomas Watson, in 2003. The couple was diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Watson pleaded guilty in Australia to a manslaughter charge involving negligence.
Circuit Judge Tommy Nail agreed with defense arguments that prosecutors failed to show Watson drowned her for insurance money. The only eyewitness testified he thought Watson was trying to save the woman.
The state’s evidence was “sorely lacking” and did not prove Watson had any financial motive. Jurors never got to deliberate.
Watson with his late wife:
“I don’t think anyone knows for sure what happened in the water down there,” said Nail, who repeatedly clashed with prosecutors during both the trial and earlier hearings.
Defense attorneys had argued that Watson didn‘t stand to gain anything monetarily because Tina Watson’s father was the beneficiary of her life insurance policy. They contended her death was an accident.
Gabe Watson’s father, David, hugged his son in the courtroom after the judge made his ruling. He said every court that had looked at the case determined Gabe did not intentionally kill his wife.
“I’m just so relieved. Hopefully he can put his life back together,” David Watson said.
“I hope everyone can begin to heal. The rest of his life will determine his legacy. Gabe is a good kid.”
Gabe Watson left the courtroom hand-in-hand with his second wife without commenting to reporters.
Watson with his new wife:
Tina Watson’s father, Tommy Thomas, had testified earlier in the day. He described how his family‘s grief and shock over Tina Watson’s death turned to suspicion of Gabe Watson.
Valeska, the prosecutor, walked with his arm around Tommy Thomas, who appeared to be in shock and stunned by the judge’s decision.
“It should have gone to the jury for them to decide,” Thomas said of the judge’s decision.
Thomas had testified earlier that shortly after the death, his wife, Cindy, was worried about Gabe Watson’s condition. However, evidence showed relations between Watson and his wife‘s family frayed quickly as the Thomases began having doubts about what happened and Gabe Watson began asking for Tina Watson’s belongings.
Gabe Watson‘s father called to tell them about the woman’s death more than 15 hours after she drowned, Thomas said, and Tina Watson’s family never heard from Gabe Watson until they attempted to contact him through the U.S. consulate in Australia.
Thomas said that in a phone call from Australia, Watson claimed his wife gave him a thumbs up underwater, indicating she wanted to go back to the surface. Watson said he was leading her back to a rope when she panicked, knocked off his mask and air hose, and began sinking, according to Thomas.
But during a later talk at a lawyer’s office, Thomas said, Watson changed his story and said the woman indicated she wanted to go back to the rope leading to the top rather than go directly to the surface. Staring directly at Watson from the witness stand, Thomas said he asked his former son-in-law at that time: “When Tina gave him the thumbs up sign to go to the surface, why didn’t he just take her to the surface?”
The judge blocked Thomas from testifying about Watson‘s alleged desire to increase the woman’s life insurance policy, a blow for prosecutors who earlier had been barred from presenting other evidence about Watson’s actions after the death.
Montre Carodine, a law professor at the University of Alabama, said the judge’s decision to end the trial without the defense even presenting evidence was a “serious indictment” of the prosecution’s case, particularly considering it was a capital trial.
“It means the evidence was weak,” she said.
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BurntHills
Posted on February 26, 2012 at 10:48pmthe title should have been DEMOCRAT JUDGE dismisses trial and lets the cold-blooded murderer go free.
Report Post »GRusling
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 12:15pmThe headline is misleading, as is the rest of this story, and the reporter should be ashamed for misstating everything that occurred and violating every Journalistic principle in the book! Next, the Editor of The Blaze needs to take a long hard look at his own principles because this is PURE SENSATIONALISM and nothing more.
The Judge DISMISSED the case for lack of evidence! That is definitely NOT an acquittal and everyone involved HAS TO KNOW THAT!
I have come to expect this sort of “journalism” from the MSM, but it’s NOT acceptable from The Blaze, which is supposedly grounded in TRUTH!!!
Report Post »Glenn in Virginia
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:03pmSorry to burst your bubble, GRUSLING, but it’s an acquittal.
How do I know? Well, besides having spent 35 years practicing law, well, one could just apply common sense.
I expected this and it does not surprise me at all. Seeing the video, I had no way of knowing what was in the Defendant’s mind and obviously the Judge concluded, as a matter of law, that no reasonable person COULD. Therefore, he put a merciful end to the trial; because he‘d have just had to strike the evidence at the end OR rule the jury’s verdict insufficient as a matter of law.
Now, the fact that a lot of people seem to have gone ape over this judge’s inevitable ruling probably says altogether too much about THEIR reasoning ability.
Report Post »Glenn in Virginia
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 7:03pmIf it’s any comfort, I wouldn’t want MY daughter, if I had one, to marry him.
Report Post »Jenny Lind
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:07pmI’ve read a bit more about this over a period of time.Insurance was NEVER in his name, he paid for wedding and honeymoon. I can see where the blog will go, but honestly, no one can say he is guilty, and stuff does happen. Accidents happen, things go wrong unintentionally. So which one of you wants to go on trial for something going wrong in your life? There was NO evidence proving he killed her, and no financial reason to. But that doesn’t stop trial by news, internet, facebook, etc. Every one has an “opinion”, if you have real facts, not hearsay, bring it on. I get the impression everything that happens gets published, video’d so that some fool can write a book and make a made for TV movie. He was found guilty in Australia for failing to rescue her. How many of you want to go there? God help us all that we “fail” to rescue someone. A grieving family wants to blame someone, and like the judge said, he bought the engagenment ring, paid for the wedding and honeymoon,had a right to his ring back. Oh yeah, her estate was worth $3,000, her personal debt was $24,000. How did he profit from her death? That is why he ruled the way he did, I think he was right.
Report Post »Juergensen
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:46amNew wife same as the old wife.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:21amI would advise his new wife to stay away from the water.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 10:49am…and don’t take up skydiving or rock climbing either.
Report Post »The_Jerk
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 7:24amJudges have become the enemy of justice and fairness. Something must be done to reign in these black robed thugs. This is one issue that Newt Gingrich has correct.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 3:10amI’m not really that interested in this story. I just read the headline, “Alabama Judge Acquits Man Accused of Drowning His on Honeymoon,” and clicked to find out his what.
Report Post »Razorhunters
Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:55pmthis pos is guilty as sin…
there is no justice in the courts.
there is justice in the streets…and it will be carried out.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:53amAnother… OJ/Anthony Case!
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on February 23, 2012 at 11:45pmI don’t agree with the ruling for a case like this , let the jury see all the evidence & let them decide .
Report Post »Now nobody will ever know what really happened .
Razorhunters
Posted on February 24, 2012 at 12:01amwhat really happened is , he turned off her air supply and held her until her air ran out…
this pic is a few seconds later .
have seen the evidence , have heard the testimonies .
Report Post »singingcowboy674
Posted on February 25, 2012 at 10:53pmRob, in the video it says “the judge dismissed the trial before the defense could even present their evidence” give or take a word. So, that means the jury did get the chance to see all the evidence against the defendant that the state had to offer. Prosecution always goes first.
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