Sunday, June 23, 2002
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Sunday, June 23, 2002 |
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Attorneys appeal Watson verdict By JOHN
MUNFORD
As he was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday evening, James Lamar Watson Jr. winced briefly before his face returned to the emotionless look he displayed for most of the 12-day trial that featured witnesses accusing him of murdering his wife, Beverley. The jury returned a guilty verdict after considering the case for just over five hours. Attorneys for Watson have already filed a motion asking for a new trial for their client. Ricky Morris Jr. confirmed that the motion was mailed Wednesday and will be amended with specifics at a later date. The motion helps speed up the process during which the appeal can be heard by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jackson T. Bedford, who oversaw the original trial. Morris said he didn't anticipate the judge to order a new trial since he has already ruled on most of the issues defense attorneys plan to raise in future amendments to the motion. Morris estimated that a hearing on the motion could be set for late this summer, especially considering Judge Bedford's propensity to keep his calendar moving. Lead prosecutor Sheila Ross secured the conviction with scant physical evidence except for the scratches on Jim Watson's face, which were covered by makeup when police searched the couple's southeast Fayette home after he reported her missing two days after she allegedly disappeared. Watson had testified that he wore the makeup to conceal the scratches from customers and employees of his Fayette locksmith business. But he admitted that he did not try to conceal the scratches from his children. In her closing argument, Ross told the jury those scratches were used by Beverley Watson "to mark her killer." Ross also paraded evidence from an August 1994 911 call showing that Beverley Watson complained her husband was trying to pull her out of her car and that he had a gun at the time A Fayette sheriff's deputy responded to the scene but declined to arrest Jim Watson, who was not present when the deputy arrived. Since no report was generated by the sheriff's department, the 911 document was the only information originally created at the time of the call. The sentence of life in prison from Fulton County Superior Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford means Watson will first be eligible for parole in 14 years. As the sentence was read, friends and family of Jim Watson sobbed as Judge Bedford's sentence sank in. Meanwhile, tears of joy from Beverley Watson's family and friends erupted into jubilation over an hour after the verdict was handed down. Scott Bennett and several others pumped their fists in the air to celebrate the news that his sister's name was vindicated with the verdict. "Watson, you're gone," Bennett boasted as TV news cameras encircled Beverley Watson's family and friends. Both Bennett and Debbie White, a close friend of Beverley Watson, urged the public to call police if they know someone who is being abused by their spouse. "Don't be silent," White said, urging victims to document injuries with photographs and ask police officers to file written reports on abuse claims. Jim Watson, a former Riverdale reserve police officer who began working narcotics by buying drugs from dealers, was led away by courthouse deputies from the Fulton County Sheriff's Department. He also operates a locksmith business, Anchor Security, that is technically owned by his two children, Ashley and Todd, as part of a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit that Beverley Watson's parents filed against him after her remains were discovered in a heavily wooded area in Fulton County. Bennett said Beverley Watson's relatives "still love" Ashley and Todd. The trial, however, "was definitely an end to a turmoil we've all gone through," White said. "I feel very bad for Ashley and Todd. ... I wish they wouldn't have to go through this." In a press briefing in front of the Fulton County Courthouse, District Attorney Paul Howard said Jim Watson's main mistake was "dumping" his wife's dead body in Fulton County. When Beverley Watson's remains were found in March 1999, that allowed Fulton County police to take over the case from the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, which had until then only been working a missing persons case.
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