Background:
Honeymoon Killer Sentenced
People magazine reported that on June 5, 2009 Watson was sentenced by an Australian judge to 4.5 years in prison for the manslaughter of his wife of 11 days, Tina Watson. The judge then suspended the sentence after 12 months, so Watson will only serve one year in prison.
The Story:
Expert scuba diver Watson of Birmingham, Alabama set off with his wife Tina for an Australia honeymoon in 2003. Eleven days into their trip, Tina drowned on the first day of their scuba-diving expedition on the Great Barrier Reef.
"The groom, an experienced diver who had completed a dive rescue course, was acting as a so-called dive buddy for his less-experienced wife. He told police he decided to go for help rather than following her to the sea floor and attempting a rescue," the Associated Press reported.
According to Australia's Courier-Mail, "In mid-2008, coroner David Glasgow found that it was likely Watson killed his 26-year-old wife by holding her under water and turning off her air supply." Further, it was determined that the bride had no pre-existing medical condition. Additionally, her scuba diving equipment was examined and found to be in proper working order.
The coroner concluded, according to The Times of London, "Gabe had held Tina under water, turned the valve off on her oxygen cylinder, bear-hugged her until she suffocated, switched the oxygen back on, and let her sink as he slowly surfaced to raise the alarm."
A certified rescue diver, Watson had fought extradition, then voluntarily returned to Queensland, Australia earlier this month to face the murder charge. He was arrested at Brisbane International Airport and was taken into custody, where he remains awaiting trial.
The lawyer of the alleged honeymoon killer claims there was no motive. However, Mrs. Watson's father told the coroner that before they married, Watson asked his fiancee to increase her life insurance and make him the sole beneficiary. He attempted to collect, then dropped the claim after being charged with the murder of his first wife. Watson has since remarried.
More Details About the Case
"Tina Watson: The Bride at the Bottom of the Sea" (Times of London)
"Gabe Watson Returns to Australia to Face Trial" (Times of London)
Transcript of Watson's Interview by the Police 10/27/08