Diving Murderer Pleads to Manslaughter

[DawnCt1]

This clearly sounds like a case of premeditated murder if you have been following this case on the news and have seen the video. Apparently the court doesn't feel that they have enough evidence to win a murder conviction. I just heard that he will only serve one year in prison. I hope that the wife's family finds a way to get justice in an American court; even if it is only a civil law suit.


American pleads guilty in Australian court to wife’s manslaughter during honeymoon dive
http://blog.taragana.com/n/american...fes-manslaughter-during-honeymoon-dive-72646/
Bureau News June 5th, 2009


American pleads guilty in Australia vacation death

BRISBANE, Australia — An American man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of his wife who drowned during a honeymoon scuba diving trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 2003.


David Gabriel Watson, of Birmingham, Alabama, arrived in the northeastern city of Brisbane of his own volition last month to answer a murder charge.

The 32-year-old’s guilty plea Friday in the Queensland state Supreme Court to the lesser charge of manslaughter means that he will not be tried on the charge of murder, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Christina Mae Watson drowned in October 2003 as the couple dived off the tropical coast of Queensland 11 days after their wedding.

It is not immediately clear what prison term Watson faces.

 

[swanmom]

Dawn,
I don't remember the details of this one. How did they come to the conclusion that it was murder and not an accident?

 

[Angelhalo]

Oh that makes me so mad and so sad for the woman's family

 

[DizBelle]

Dawn,
I don't remember the details of this one. How did they come to the conclusion that it was murder and not an accident?

If I recall correctly, there was another diver in the area that caught it all on video.

 

[clarabelle]

I saw a "dateline" type show on this
He said that her diving equipment failed -she panicked and just floated downwards away from her and he couldn't save her.

The equipment did not back up his story and also many parts of it just didn't make sense.

Also he had Pushed really hard for her to get certified -even though he knew she was a nervous diver and he had suggested numerous times that she get her life insurance switched where he was the beneficiary.
She didn't -but she did not tell him that -she let him assume she had.

 

[rcraw45425]

I saw a "dateline" type show on this
He said that her diving equipment failed -she panicked and just floated downwards away from her and he couldn't save her.

The equipment did not back up his story and also many parts of it just didn't make sense.

Also he had Pushed really hard for her to get certified -even though he knew she was a nervous diver and he had suggested numerous times that she get her life insurance switched where he was the beneficiary.
She didn't -but she did not tell him that -she let him assume she had.

I've followed this a bit as we used to live in B'ham, I think he was the one pushing her to dive, she was scared to death of it. I hateto say it but I think he probably did it, especially since insurance was involved. It's a shame that the sentence is so laughable though.

 

[clarabelle]

Here this tells it better than I did:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31118903/

 

[olena]

I saw a "dateline" type show on this
He said that her diving equipment failed -she panicked and just floated downwards away from her and he couldn't save her.

The equipment did not back up his story and also many parts of it just didn't make sense.

Also he had Pushed really hard for her to get certified -even though he knew she was a nervous diver and he had suggested numerous times that she get her life insurance switched where he was the beneficiary.
She didn't -but she did not tell him that -she let him assume she had.

 

[rcraw45425]

OMG, he's already remarried!

 

[olena]

OMG, he's already remarried!

Apparently there's no shortage of stupid women in the world. I wonder how her life insurance is set up? There's nothing stopping him from trying to take out a policy on her though, unless agents do a check on him.

 

[happygirl]

The pic of her laying dead on the sea floor creeps me out. There were a few people in the pic why didn't anyone try to help her??

 

[SereneOne]

She had the last laugh if you want to call it that. She never changed the policy to make him beneficiary.

Poor girl, chilling pics.

 

[DawnCt1]

The pic of her laying dead on the sea floor creeps me out. There were a few people in the pic why didn't anyone try to help her??

The fins in the picture you see are those of the dive instructor going to help her. It was too late. The scenario that was reported this morning on Fox is that he gave her a bear hug while turning off her oxygen. When she went unconscious, he turned the air back on and let her fall to the bottom. I think that the photographer didn't realize what he was recording at the time, just taking pictures.

 

[rcraw45425]

CNN is reporting the 4.5 year sentence, which, IMO, is still way too lenient.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/05/australia.bride/index.html

 

[suzannen]

I cannot believe he will only serve one year for this crime. I can't imagine how that poor girl's family must feel with this outcome.

 

[Robinrs]

Nice message they're sending to the wonderful men who want to make a few quick bucks... This happens WAY too often and this idiot should've been made an example, not given a free pass.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Apparently there's no shortage of stupid women in the world. I wonder how her life insurance is set up? There's nothing stopping him from trying to take out a policy on her though, unless agents do a check on him.

Sadly, that is so true!

 

[CathrynRose]

Dawn,
I don't remember the details of this one. How did they come to the conclusion that it was murder and not an accident?

I believe he was a certified dive instructor. He, himself, would be someone who could have / would have been able to help someone in distress.

I heard the year sentence this morning on the news. I was floored. Just flipping floored.

 

[Robinrs]

Apparently there's no shortage of stupid women in the world. I wonder how her life insurance is set up? There's nothing stopping him from trying to take out a policy on her though, unless agents do a check on him.

Nor a shortage of EVIL men.

 

[olena]

Nor a shortage of EVIL men.

True, but the ones that really are galling are the women who KNOW what these men have done and swoop in anyway. Remember the women flocking to the trials of Ted Bundy and Richard Ramirez (Night Stalker) offering themselves in marriage? Bundy married one on the stand and Ramirez married one later on. Maybe the women knew it was safe because those guys were dangerous but were never getting out and could never harm them, but when I think of the ones hooking up with the likes of this guy and Drew Peterson, I'm just baffled.