Charges against Gabe Watson were dismissed by Judge Tommy Nail on Thursday in the case of the honeymoon killer trial. Watson, 34, was charged with murdering his newlywed wife, Tina Watson, during an Australian honeymoon in 2003. They were only married for 11 days. Prosecutors in the case accused Watson of shutting off his wife’s air supply while scuba diving off of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, then turned the air back on after she died. Prosecutors claimed that his motive was to collect on her life insurance and her possessions. Watson was also a trained scuba diver, and trained divers reportedly know that when a person is having trouble in the water, the protocol is to immediately bring them to the surface. Watson pled guilty to negligent manslaughter and served 18 months in an Australian prison.
After two weeks of testimony, the prosecution rested its case as Defense lawyer Brett Bloomstom made an immediate motion for the judge to dismiss the case for lack of evidence. Judge Nail agreed that the prosecution failed to prove Watson killed his wife and tossed the case. Prosecutor Don Valeska said, “Judge Nail did what he thinks is right. I strongly disagree with him. I’m extremely stunned and at a loss for words.” Watson would have served life in prison if he had been convicted.
