Watson Murder Case - Discussion

[ACES50]

theduck

Did she increase the insurance and change the beneficiary? I understand the only one aledging that is her father.

 

[K_girl]

I believe the allegation is he was overly insistent that his wife increase the benefit and change the beneficiaries prior to the trip.

Personally, I think its a weak case.

Here are the issues with regard to insurance:

1) He attempted to collect on travel insurance, but dropped the claim stating did not want to incriminate himself; 2) Tina's father testified that Tina said Watson told her to increase her insurance at work and put him on the policy before they left on their honeymoon; 3) Watson joked around with friends that for $10, Tina's insurance could be increased to $1 million.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/3676615-post31.html

One other article states quotes Alabama prosecutor saying:

"We can demonstrate Watson started plotting here because he went to her job and tried to up the insurance, without her, right before they got married."

Source: Dive killer faces US jail

That is very interesting because this has not received much discussion or been reported very much in the news, but I think this is very, very important as it shows he made more than one attempt to increase Tina's insurance before they left on the honeymoon. I want to see them prove this at trial - who is the witness at Tina's workplace who told this to Alabama prosecutors? We don't know that yet.

 

[DandyDon]

Oh, I've got another thought/question:

As I understand it, the deceased was found on the bottom. There was air in her tank. The valve was open. The regulator was in her mouth. Her mask was in place.

My recollection is that when divers die as the result of OOA, the mechanism of death is something like spitting out the regulator and drowning or too fast an ascent. (Correct me if I am wrong here.) How often does the deceased [-]just suck the tank empty and then[/-] just peacefully expire?

So, if Watson turned the air off, waited until the deceased had expired and then turned it back on, is that consistent with the way she was found on the bottom?

I crossed out one phrase as she didn't suck it dry. Like you said, the tank had air. The autopsy showed "florid (fully developed : manifesting a complete and typical clinical syndrome <the florid stage of a disease>) evidence of air embolism" Now how the embolism happened with the rest of the story strikes me as odd, since she was not known to have ascended rapidly at any point nor is there a lack of off gassing on ascent. I'm confused about that?

Otherwise, witnesses and pics indicated that he bear hugged her underwater, then let her drop. "He also stated there was nothing in his training as a rescue diver 'about how to get somebody' in trouble to the surface" which is of course horse hockey.

"The incident came under investigation due to the implausible and conflicting statements that had been given by Tina's husband Gabe. He declined to return to Australia and did not testify during the inquest. During the inquest, prosecutors submitted evidence that Watson's story was implausible and contradicted the record of his actions stored by his dive computer. They suggested the possibility that Gabe turned off Tina's air regulator and held her until she was unconscious, then turned the air back on and let her sink before surfacing himself. As evidence they described painstaking multiple re-enactments of various scenarios which had been carried out by police divers." The latest news story I read on this quoted some authority as saying he had told 16 versions?

All in all, he sounds like a cold killer but poor liar. I just do not see a motive anywhere, and even I can think of easier, quicker ways to kill her with less suspicion. Hugging her for a minute or more as she struggled against his body had to be traumatic on both of them. Just odd. Amazing that he has remarried, to a lady said to be a Tina lookalike. :shocked2:

theduck

Did she increase the insurance and change the beneficiary? I understand the only one aledging that is her father.

"Tina's father claimed that Gabe had asked Tina to increase her life insurance and make him the sole beneficiary shortly before their wedding. The insurance company confirmed that Gabe had twice emailed questions about the company's dive insurance policies prior to the honeymoon and had asked about her insurance shortly after her death. Gabe also claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars from a travel insurance policy."

Yeah, I still don't see a motive at all, as well as why he did it the hard way he did. He seems crazy, which could be a defense.

This latest story dated tomorrow in Australia is interesting: Gabe Watson's lawyer, Brett Bloomston, faces off with Alabama Attorney-General Troy King over his client's charges | Courier Mail
&#8220;He pleaded guilty to being a bad dive buddy. He didn&#8217;t plead guilty to anything intentional.&#8217;&#8217;

 

[ItsBruce]

Don, I was not suggesting that the deceased sucked her tank dry. I understand there was still plenty of air left. My point is, if her air was off, it would have been the same as an OOA, and my question was is her condition consistent with an OOA, i.e. regulator in mouth, mask on, etc.?

 

[ItsBruce]

Don noted: "The incident came under investigation due to the implausible and conflicting statements that had been given by Tina's husband Gabe."

I want everyone to read this ten (10) times. Then another ten (10) times. It is critical. It is why you should never talk to law enforcement (or anyone else) after an incident. Just the stress could result in implausible and conflicting statements. And, you see where that got Watson.

 

[K_girl]

I crossed out one phrase as she didn't suck it dry. Like you said, the tank had air. The autopsy showed "florid (fully developed : manifesting a complete and typical clinical syndrome <the florid stage of a disease>) evidence of air embolism" Now how the embolism happened with the rest of the story strikes me as odd, since she was not known to have ascended rapidly at any point nor is there a lack of off gassing on ascent. I'm confused about that?

During the Coroner's Inquest, the medical examiner claimed the embolism was due to the rapid ascent during Tina's recovery.

 

[K_girl]

Don noted: "The incident came under investigation due to the implausible and conflicting statements that had been given by Tina's husband Gabe."

I want everyone to read this ten (10) times. Then another ten (10) times. It is critical. It is why you should never talk to law enforcement (or anyone else) after an incident. Just the stress could result in implausible and conflicting statements. And, you see where that got Watson.

The incident came under investigation when Tina died scuba diving - accident or no accident, that is standard procedure. They also interviewed Dr. Stutz, whose statement generated cause for concern. He saw someone who had Tina in a bear hug, stated there was terror in her face, then that someone let Tina go to drift to the bottom. Then there were statements that Watson made to other divers on the scene, as well as his actions that caused suspicion as well. Pretty difficult to come to the surface without your wife, she dies and not say a word to anyone.

 

[DandyDon]

Don, I was not suggesting that the deceased sucked her tank dry. I understand there was still plenty of air left. My point is, if her air was off, it would have been the same as an OOA, and my question was is her condition consistent with an OOA, i.e. regulator in mouth, mask on, etc.?

I misread I guess.

I've never panicked OOA but I have screwed up and incurred a couple. From my own klutz experiences, even tho my OW Inst taught me to blow bubbles on a Cesa, I kept my reg in my mouth. I was blowing but did not want to risk sucking water if I ran out of air to blow, coughed, foundered on the surface, etc. As my Cesa last year played out, I ascended slow enough that I did run out, but stopped to see if I could suck a breath from the tank at shallower depth - and did, then resumed ascending on reg blow. I got to the top with enough tank air to inflate and blow a powered whistle - embarrassed, but safe with my reg in my mouth as I like it there until I am on the boat. So could an OOA person asphyxiate with a reg in her mouth? I'm an odd duck but I can see it happening to me.

Don noted: "The incident came under investigation due to the implausible and conflicting statements that had been given by Tina's husband Gabe."

I want everyone to read this ten (10) times. Then another ten (10) times. It is critical. It is why you should never talk to law enforcement (or anyone else) after an incident. Just the stress could result in implausible and conflicting statements. And, you see where that got Watson.

I remember the Youtube vids you presented.

During the Coroner's Inquest, the medical examiner claimed the embolism was due to the rapid ascent during Tina's recovery.

Ah, I had missed that. Ok, if I had been the subsequent rescuer after her hubby abandoned her, found her lifeless on the bottom, I would have brought her up rapidly yeah. Got it.

Alabama is going to have to show premeditated intent to even try him in their state, right? Or some motive with subsequent actions in Alabama? I haven't seen a motive yet? Rumors of attempts to upgrade her life insurance, attempts to get expenses back on trip insurance, and some story about a fling she had before the wedding, but not real motive.

 

[theduckguru]

theduck

Did she increase the insurance and change the beneficiary? I understand the only one aledging that is her father.

The allegation is she did not increase or change and lied to Watson about doing so.

 

[DandyDon]

You know, if my finance was urging me to increase my life insurance and change beneficiary to him/her before the wedding, I'd be a little nervous. But if the bride & family had already booked everything, sent out the invitations, etc. it'd be hard to postpone.

If that was the motive, that she told him she did and he thot so, I bet he was pissed when he learned the truth.