The Fayette Citizen-News Page

Wednesday, June 5, 2002

Murder victim summoned deputies to home but no official report ever filed

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

While she and her husband were separated in 1994, Beverley Watson once summoned deputies to the couple's south Fayette home alleging that a domestic dispute had occurred, it was revealed in court Friday.

Fayette County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Borders testified Friday that Beverley Watson said Jim Watson was threatening and scaring her. Jim Watson, who is now accused of murdering his wife, was never arrested in connection with the complaint, Borders said.

Borders interviewed Beverley Watson at the couple's home after the 911 call was logged at 1 a.m. on Aug. 3, 1994, according to documents read in court Friday. The judge assigned to the case, Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford, has not yet ruled whether this evidence will be admissable in the murder trial against Jim Watson.

While Mrs. Watson was interviewed about the allegation at the couple's home, Dep. Borders said he "didn't remember" Jim Watson being present.

"She appeared to be very sincere and honest," Borders said.

Borders claimed he couldn't remember many other details about the incident.

"She was truly afraid of her husband and what he could do to her," according to a report of the incident, which was read aloud in court by Fulton County Assistant District Attorney Sheila Ross, who is prosecuting the case.

Because Jim Watson wasn't arrested, a report on the case wasn't made at the time, Borders said.

It wasn't until more than two years later and about a month after Beverley Watson was reported missing that Dep. Borders filed a report for the Fayette County Sheriff's Department.

"If there was no evidence of family violence, we wouldn't do a report," Borders said. "We wouldn't really write a report because someone was afraid."

Calling the report "contrived," defense attorney Lee Sexton argued that it should not be admissable as evidence against Jim Watson.

"It doesn't have the element of trustworthiness to it," Sexton said.