Attorney general to seek murder charges against man jailed overseas
Published 4:32 pm Friday, September 18, 2009
Alabama Attorney General Troy King Friday announced he will seek capital murder indictments against Hoover resident Gabe Watson for the 2003 drowning death of Watson’s wife, Tina.
Gabe Watson earlier this year was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison after he admitted to allowing Tina Watson to drown while the couple were on their 2003 honeymoon in Australia.
However, the Australian Court reduced the sentence to 12 months before agreeing Thursday to add an additional six months, bringing Gabe Watson’s total prison time to 18 months.
“Tina Thomas and her family have been deprived by the Australian court system of the justice they deserved,” King wrote in a press release, noting he was “deeply disappointed” with the Australian Court’s decision to add only six months to the sentence.
After learning of the Australian Court’s Sept. 17 decision, King said he met with his staff and instructed them to “immediately begin gathering the facts and compiling the evidence for presentation to an Alabama grand jury seeking a capital murder indictment.”
If the grand jury issues an indictment, Gabe Watson would face the murder charges upon his return to Alabama.