Watson Murder Case - Discussion

[ItsBruce]

How about taking a case on contingency against the Thompsons?

Not a chance.

First, given the media misinformation and Watson's seemingly odd behavior, given what information I've got, which is not much, I could not say that the Thompsons were completely off base in believing Watson had committed murder.

Second, with the loss of Tina, the Thompsons have been through enough. While that is not a defense, I'll let someone else take it; its not for me.

Third, I'm not licensed to practice in Alabama.

 

[VeryRusty]

It's nice to think that Gabe will take the high road and return Tina's body and her belongings to the Thomas family.

What makes you think Gabe will do that? After all these years what would compel him to do that now? As for Tina's belongings, I doubt Gabe still has them. I was told he had a garage sale, but I don't know that he sold Tina's belongings. Surely, he doesn't still have them in Tina's house with his new wife.

 

[bluesy]

VeryRusty -
I don't think Gabe will simply return Tina's belongings.
I just think it would be a nice gesture even if he blames the Thomases for persecuting him all these years.
At least Gabe could let Tina's family have her body back.
Otherwise all those nice things his dad and lawyer said are nothing more than empty words.
Maybe they are negotiating a peace treaty to stop any future legal action and allow everyone to move on with their lives.
I just like happy endings or a close approximation. And, it's none of my business...

 

[DandyDon]

I have a hunch that both sides may stay bitter over this for some time. Some geographic locations among the families would help so they and their children don't have to run into each other. The Hatfields and McCoys lived on the same creek.

It would certainly help if either side decided to take the high road and live by principles established in the New Testament but one can only hope.

 

[Foxfish]

It's an interesting case and shows the huge influence the media can have.

Have to say I agree with much of what you've said, and if you've read much of this thread then you will find there are a number of others who have scratched below the media facade and come up with similar conclusions.

Like you, I found there were aspects of Gabe's testimony that seemed odd and even contradictory. However, with a bit of thought it is not hard in most cases to come up with sensible explanations. I also found aspects of Stutz' testimony contradictory and conflicting with established facts of the case.

I've read the testimony Gabe gave to the police back in 2003 soon after Tina's death. You can find it online. It fills in a number of the gaps in the media reporting on the topic. The transcript is not an easy read. I can easily put that down to the trauma he'd been through and the problems with transcribing conversation.

As you rightly point out, when people are put under a lot of stress or panic their behaviour often becomes irrational. They can quickly forget the things they have learned and do things that in hind sight are far from sensible. That helps to explain the things that went wrong for both Gabe and Tina.

We can speculate and theorise about what happened, but in the end we'd have to say like the judge that there just isn't the evidence to be sure.

 

[Foxfish]

I have a hunch that both sides may stay bitter over this for some time. Some geographic locations among the families would help so they and their children don't have to run into each other. The Hatfields and McCoys lived on the same creek.

It would certainly help if either side decided to take the high road and live by principles established in the New Testament but one can only hope.

Got to say that apart from the odd moronic comment from Gabe I thought the Watson family were impressively composed and measured in the circumstances.

 

[boulderjohn]

I realize this doesn't matter, but I am curious about the agency under which Gabe was certified as a Rescue Diver. I think we established earlier based on the testimony of the instructor that it could not have been PADI. Do any of those of you who have been following the case so closely have any idea? (Yes, I searched but was not able to find it in the overload of news articles and commentary--too much information is about the same as too little information.)

 

[The Chairman]

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[alohagal]

Oh great...censorship again. Sorry Net Doc...but sometimes things need to just be...

This usually portends the death knell of the thread.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I must say I would buy the book. I would certainly love to hear the other side to this story instead of relying on conjecture and snippets trying to sort through them to find the kernels of truth. I believe there are many as many truths in this story as there are misunderstandings. I guess I try to see the positive in everyone.

I believe that what the Thomases have said are their truths... or they certainly believe them to be. I think the same applies to most of the other players (except the media). Most people try to tell the truth as they perceive it. Perceptions become the problem.