Gabe Watson pleads guilty to diving wife death

[almitywife]

just hit the wire here......

David Watson pleads guilty to manslaughter | The Daily Telegraph

A MAN charged over the death of his new wife on a Barrier Reef diving holiday won't face a murder charge after the Brisbane Supreme Court accepted his plea of manslaughter.

The Courier-Mail reports that US national David Gabe Watson, 32, appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court this morning charged of murdering his bride, Tina, 26, while diving on the Great Barrier Reef near Townsville in October 23, 2003.

Three weeks ago Mr Watson voluntarily travelled from the US and arrived at Brisbane's International Airport and immediately surrendered himself into police custody.

He appeared in court on the same day and was ordered to be held in custody.

Mr Watson's wife of 11 days died on their first dive of a 10-day scuba-diving expedition on the Great Barrier Reef, off Townsville, in October 2003.

Tina's death and the six-year fight for justice by her parents attracted worldwide media coverage for what was allegedly a brutal crime of passion, or a crime motivated by a modest life-insurance payout.

Mr Watson, a bubble-wrap salesman, has since remarried a woman who bears a striking similarity to his late wife Tina.

In mid-2008, coroner David Glasgow found that it was likely Mr Watson killed his 26-year-old wife by holding her under water and turning off her air supply.

Prosecutors late last year filed an indictment in the Townsville Supreme Court against Mr Watson over the death of his wife.

When Mr Watson returned to Brisbane, his US solicitor said he had returned so he could enter a formal not guilty plea.

Today he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and will not face trial for murder.

He will be sentenced immediately.

[vladimir]

This makes me think he did it, even more so than the incident with the flowers at the grave.

[almitywife]

well up until now i will still giving this guy the benefit of a doubt over the death... i wrote him off as a a-hole a while back but i still wasnt 100% of the death though

im surprised... i really thought this was going to fizzle out to a hung jury

[carriemak]

Hopefully Tina's family can rest a little easier.

[vladimir]

Originally Posted by almitywife

well up until now i will still giving this guy the benefit of a doubt over the death... i wrote him off as a a-hole a while back but i still wasnt 100% of the death though

im surprised... i really thought this was going to fizzle out to a hung jury

I was surprised anybody thought he was innocent. That long thread we had gave me new insight into the OJ verdict.

[almitywife]

i didnt think he was 100% innocent but i was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. alot of people convicted him just on the bases of how he should have reacted underwater and i wasnt prepared to do that

[mts0628]

The bastard got off easy no matter how you cut it: Manslaughter instead of murder? Come on!?

[deco_martini]

With the few details I saw, this guy looked like Jacques Cousteau meets OJ Simpson. No big surprise.


Drowning is such a terrible way to die though, manslaughter? Sheesh.

[msg]

At least there will be some justice. Unfortunately, his first wife's parents have lost their daughter forever and he will be alive and well. Even though he will be in prison for awhile. Maybe someone in the prison can give him swirly so he can see what his wife went through.

[almitywife]

Originally Posted by msg

At least there will be some justice. .....

some but not much...

Watson pleads guilty to honeymoon killing - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Prosecutor Brendan Campbell accepted the plea.

Watson is being sentenced immediately, with Justice Peter Lyons now hearing sentencing submissions.

Mr Campbell has asked for a five-year jail term for Watson, with the possibility of parole after 18 months.