Jury Selection to Begin in Watkin’s Murder Trial

COURT HOUSE — Jury selection is set to begin Wednesday, Jan. 21 in the murder trial of Jesse Watkins, who is accused with killing Craig White in 1990.
White, 18, was last seen Feb. 23, 1990, in Whitesboro, leaving his home in the 400 block of Washington Avenue in a pickup truck driven by Watkins. His body was never found.
Watkins has been held at the Cape May County Jail since April 2007. He turned himself in to authorities the day after a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder.
Watkins and White were cousins, and good friends, according to witness’ testimony, but things between the two turned sour in late 1989, when Watkins reportedly learned of White’s summer affair with Watkins’ long-time girlfriend at the time, Dawn Garrison, now Dawn Perdomo.
Watkins’ ex-wife, Karen Fox, testified in a pre-trial hearing that Watkins had confessed to her about the killing of White.
Fox said that her ex-husband had told her about the murder during an “emotional moment” in their home in 1996.
She said that Watkins had found out about his girlfriend also being involved with White while he was out of town. Fox testified that Watkins took White out to a field, had him dig a hole and then shot him with a shotgun.
She said that Watkins told her that he called “old man Harkins” for help in disposing of the body. Harkins, she said, told Watkins to bring the body to his place, where there was roadwork going on at the time. She said that Watkins used the heavy equipment there to bury the body.
Before burying White’s body, Fox testified, that Watkins noticed the gold chain and locket that his cousin wore. Inside the locket, she said, was a picture of White’s son, Craig White Jr.
“He started to take it off, but then he thought about how much Craig loved his son and he left it on,” Fox said.
Fox said that soon after Watkins initially confessed, his story changed.
“He told me that Craig had the gun on him and when they were going through a fence, Craig shot himself and went into convulsions. Jesse said he shot him to put him out of his misery.”
Another witnesses had testified in pre-trial hearing that Watkins once talked about the best way to dispose of a body, which included weighing it down with a cement block and throwing it in a river.
Other witnesses testified that Watkins told various versions of where he last saw White, including dropping him off in Buena or at a shopping center in Court House.
Watkins has maintained his innocence of the murder charge. His attorney, Christopher Robertson, said there were police reports in which there were two individuals and more who had seen White after the date he was accused of having disappeared.
White had good reason to disappear on his own, according to Robertson. He was facing criminal charges that Robertson said if convicted of would have put him in jail for a long time.
However, many of White’s family members believe that White never would have left his son, who was one-year-old at the time, behind willingly.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com