The body of Tina Watson (circled) lies on the sea bed after her husband had swum to the surface Posted on 11/28/2008 4:08:08 PM PST by BGHater
An American scuba diver has been charged with murdering his wife by drowning her during their honeymoon at the Great Barrier Reef.
The move allows authorities to begin the process of extraditing David Gabriel Watson, of Birmingham, Alabama, to face the charges in Australia.
Watson's wife, Christina Watson, drowned on October 22, 2003, while the couple was diving at a shipwreck off Queensland's coast, eleven days after their wedding.
The body of Tina Watson (circled) lies on the sea bed after her husband had swum to the surface
The alleged murder only came to light after a photograph showing Mrs Watson drowning emerged.
The picture was taken by another diver who was photographing a friend in an underwater pose, unaware that a third man was desperately swimming towards the prone figure to try to save her.
By then it was too late to help 26-year-old Tina Watson, whose husband had returned to the surface.
The husband was an experienced diver and had been acting as a so-called dive buddy for his less-experienced spouse on the day she died.
He told police she panicked underwater and then sank away from him.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
At least if I am remembering right.
At least two things are certain: He knew she was drowning, and he took his good ol' time getting to the surface for help.
Glad to know I have four more years before I have to worry about my wife drowning me while scuba diving.
“Are there any details on what he did to “murder” her? How did he actively take her life?”
“Mr Glasgow found it was likely Mr. Watson had turned off his wife’s air supply, restrained her in a bear hug and then turned the oxygen supply off after she had fallen unconscious before leaving her to fall to the ocean floor.”
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24719907-5006786,00.html
Agreed. I always tell people who comment on my 28 year marriage that part of it is luck that life never threw us an obstacle that we didn’t somehow handle together— and it just so happened we never gave up on the same day.
What a sorry piece of you know what!
An “experienced” diver would have stayed with the victum and signalled for help. Banging a metal object (like his diver’s knife) can be heard from great distances. I notice that he was wearing an octopus regulator. This means he had a spare mouthpiece to share with her if she had run out of air. Also, he had to know she would be fully drowned in the time it would take him to surface and get “help.”
The motive seems a little weak though. They may have been “married” only 11 days, but did they cohabit for a long time before. Was there conflict....another woman....? Questions that would require a stateside investigation. I suspect the man is guilty of murder or just neglient homocide (allowed her to drown when the opportunity arose).
However, I don’t think he should be extradited until Federal and State police do some investigating. If they can come up with a tainted history on the couple, the case against the accused would be better prosecuted in Austriala.
“How could he possibly know she was drowning?”
Its actually quite obvious if you’re paying attention to your dive buddy. Also, a diver does not normally sink to the bottom as he describes.
“If you are not physically looking, a war could be going on around and you wouldn’t know it.”
Having had a 7 foot Goliath grouper sneak up on me I can attest to your statement. However, if you are diving with someone you love you would pay attention to them. Plus he admits she came to him in a panic and he didn’t help.
“Based only on information given it is highly plausible and the women did in fact panic and sink while the husband didn’t have enough air to give chase.”
In other stories the facts are a bit more illuminating. For one the other very experienced divers on board did not buy his story.
You don’t sink because of panic. There are only two ways to sink at that depth. First is you are overweighted, second you release the air out of your BC.
Women that panic generally shoot for the surface. Unless of course they can’t.
In a pretend hug, he disconnected something on her breathing apparatus and allowed her to sink to the bottom. Did nothing to help her despite his expertise as a diving expert.
“Are there any details on what he did to “murder” her? How did he actively take her life? “
Evidence is sketchy but they think he turned her air off and then turned it back on at the surface. She had air in her tank at the surface and her gear was working properly.
“In a pretend hug, he disconnected something on her breathing apparatus and allowed her to sink to the bottom. Did nothing to help her despite his expertise as a diving expert.”
Its actually quite easy to turn someones air off without them knowing. When I went through the training my instructor did it several times to practice out of air situations. She should have went for the surface but he probably had her over weighted.
Too bad there isn’t a way to try him here in the states especially in Alabama with its death penalty. I know there is no death penalty in Australia.
I just read the accounts.
Shoot him!
“I can’t imagine anyone killing for a modest insurance, but I guess there are people who kill for even less.”
These are the Findings of Inquest into her death.
Read #52 regarding her life insurance.
http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/06/23/findings.pdf
“...air out of your BC”?
Not being a diver, I don’t know what a BC is, and I assume you don’t mean “Birth Control”. ;-P
Please elucidate...
“You don’t sink because of panic.”
True, but in a panic rational thinking is thrown out the window.
Well, we just hit 22 years. Time to start looking at travel brouchures. :-)
BC = Buoyancy Control
Its the air bladder divers wear. You can pump air in to give yourself more buoyancy or let air out to have less.
Works kinda like an elevator. Properly used you can remain at the same depth without any work. Being a novice diver she most likely did not have good control.
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