UPDATE: Jury Finds Watkins Guilty

Friday, February 6:
COURT HOUSE — Nineteen years after Craig White was last seen alive, a jury of his peers found Jesse Watkins guilty of murder on Feb. 6.
Watkins and White were cousins, and good friends, but things between the two turned sour in late 1989, when Watkins reportedly learned of White’s summer affair with Watkins’ long-time girlfriend.
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 neither was the murder weapon or exact location of the killing.
The already crowded courtroom was additionally manned with sheriff officers as Superior Court Judge Batten announced that the jury had a reached a verdict.
Watkins sat with his lawyer Christopher Robertson as the verdict was read. He did not dis-play any emotion as the jury foreperson answered that he was found guilty of murder.
On the other side of the courtroom, White’s immediate family immediate family, including his mother Lee White, were overcome with emotion as the guilty verdict was read. As the jury exited the courtroom, White’s brother stood and said “thank you.”
Lee White then rushed from the courtroom to tell Craig White’s aunt, Kay, who had not yet heard the verdict but had been present during the duration of the trial.
“It was all very emotional and a long time coming for closure,” Vincent Watkins, Craig White’s uncle, told the Herald after the family had left the courtroom.
“But there is a lot of mixed emotion. One the one hand there is the conclusion of my nephew’s disappearance that was in fact murder. And on the other hand, you have my un-cle that had to watch his son be convicted of murder,” Watkins said.
Robertson told the jury during closing arguments that the state hasn’t produced any evi-dence that Jesse Watkins murdered his cousin Craig White.
“The state wants a conviction,” he had told the jury. “But all they have is hearsay.”
Those statements, he said, created a constant stream of stories and exaggerations. Watkins, according to his defense, is not always truthful as many family members, including his sister and daughter testified to.
Robertson said that the prosecution doesn’t have a crime scene, DNA, eye witnesses to the murder or ballistic evidence. And, most importantly, he told the jury, there is no body.
Robertson said that his client had the “unfortunate luck” to be the last person to be seen with Craig White. However, as he referred to three defense witnesses, not the only person to see White after Feb. 23, 1990, the date of the alleged murder.
White, he said, had pending charges against him, $40,000 buried in the woods and had, according to George Watkins Jr.’s testimony, kept in contact with a girl in California.
“This wasn’t a very good investigation for a homicide case,” Robertson said and noted that their were no search warrants, no photos and no physical collection of evidence.
Robertson said that there was three major physical searches for White’s body, but they all came up negative.
Robertson related the story to the jury of a pit bull shot by its owner for harming a baby when circumstantial evidence seemingly made the animal look guilty. The real culprit in that story was a wolf that the pit bull had protected the child from.
“Circumstantial evidence can lead to the wrong conclusion,” Robertson told the jury. “In this case it is simply not enough.”
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rob Johnson told the jury that Craig White didn’t run away in his closing statements.
“Craig White is dead. And he has been since Feb. 23, 1990,” Johnson said.
Johnson suggested that Watkins killed his cousin because of White’s affair with Watkins’ long time girlfriend.
“He had time to talk about it, tell people how mad he was and even ask a friend the best way to get rid of a body,” Johnson said. “He had planned this for a couple of months.”
Johnson told the jury that despite pending charges, White had a lot of ties to area, including his 1-year-old son and entire family.
“Everything he ever owned was left in his room,” Johnson said. “His lights were left on and his music was playing. He told Ty and Tony White that he’d be right back. These men were cousins, but they were as close as brothers. Don’t you think he would have mentioned something if he were planning on leaving?”
Johnson said that he realized that 19-years is a lot of time and noted that many witnessed needed to refresh their memory over statements made years ago.
“This case needed that time,” Johnson said. “Because Donald Watkins isn’t threatened by Jesse Watkins until 2007. That’s when he is afraid his brother will ‘do me like he did Craig.’”
Johnson said that the state also need Karen Fox, Watkins’ ex-wife, and Margarette Marion, Watkins’ ex-girlfriend, to come forward with their testimony of Watkins’ confessions.
Johnson also noted that the lengthy searches and the fact that White’s own son and mother haven’t heard from him in 19 years.
Watkins’ bail was revoked as a result of the verdict and sentencing date was set for April 17.
Thursday February 5, 5:00 p.m.
COURT HOUSE — The jury did not reach a verdict by end of court today and was directed reconvene on Friday Feb. 6 at 9 a.m. to continue deliberations.
This afternoon the jury asked to hear again testimony from two of the prosecution’s key witnesses, Margarette Marion and Karen Fox.
Thursday, February 5, 9:30 a.m. update:
COURT HOUSE — Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten dismissed juror 11, because the juror was “familiar” with someone in the courtroom, who was supporting the defendant, Jesse Watkins. An alternate juror was selected, and the jury was instructed to start deliberations anew.
Wednesday, February 4, 5:00 p.m. update:
COURT HOUSE — The jury could not reach a verdict after their first day of deliberation.
Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten recessed court for the day with orders to continue to avoid all media accounts of the trial. The jury will return Feb. 5 for another day of deliberation.
Tuesday, February 3, 5:00 p.m. update:
COURT HOUSE — Defense attorney Christopher Robertson told the jury during closing arguments that the state hasn’t produced any evidence that Jesse Watkins murdered his cousin Craig White.
“The state wants a conviction,” he told the jury. “But all they have is hearsay.”
Those statements, he said, created a constant stream of stories and exaggerations. Watkins, according to his defense, is not always truthful as many family members, including his sister and daughter testified to.
Robertson said that the prosecution doesn’t have a crime scene, DNA, eye witnesses to the murder or ballistic evidence. And, most importantly, he told the jury, there is no body.
Robertson said that his client had the “unfortunate luck” to be the last person to be seen with Craig White. However, as he referred to three defense witnesses, not the only person to see White after Feb. 23, 1990, the date of the alleged murder.
White, he said, had pending charges against him, $40,000 buried in the woods and had, according to George Watkins Jr.’s testimony, kept in contact with a girl in California.
“This wasn’t a very good investigation for a homicide case,” Robertson said and noted that their were no search warrants, no photos and no physical collection of evidence.
Robertson said that their was three major physical searches for White’s body, but they all came up negative.
Robertson related the story to the jury of a pit bull shot by its owner for harming a baby when circumstantial evidence seemingly made the animal look guilty. The real culprit in that story was a wolf that the pit bull had protected the child from.
“Circumstantial evidence can lead to the wrong conclusion,” Robertson told the jury. “In this case it is simply not enough.”
Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rob Johnson told the jury that Craig White didn’t run away in his closing statements.
“Craig White is dead. And he has been since Feb. 23, 1990,” Johnson said.
Johnson suggested that Watkins killed his cousin because of White’s affair with Watkin’s long time girlfriend.
“He had time to talk about it, tell people how mad he was and even ask a friend the best way to get rid of a body,” Johnson said. “He had planned this for a couple of months.”
Johnson told the jury that despite pending charges, White had a lot of ties to area, including his 1 year old son and entire family.
“Everything he ever owned was left in his room,” Johnson said. “His lights were left on and his music was playing. He told Ty and Tony White that he’d be right back. These men were cousins, but they were as close as brothers. Don’t you think he would have mentioned something if he were planning on leaving?”
Johnson said that he realized that 19-years is a lot of time and noted that many witnessed needed to refresh their memory over statements made years ago.
“This case needed that time,” Johnson said. “Because Donald Watkins isn’t threatened by Jesse Watkins until 2007. That’s when he is afraid his brother will ‘do me like he did Craig.'”
Johnson said that the state also need Karen Fox, Watkins’ ex-wife, and Margarette Marion, Watkins’ ex-girlfriend, to come forward with their testimony of Watkins’ confessions.
Johnson also noted that the lengthy searches and the fact that White’s own son and mother haven’t heard from him in 19 years.
“The defendant is not entitled to a not guilty verdict because he did a good job hiding the body,” Johnson said.
Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten will formally charge the jury on Feb. 4 at 9 a.m., then turn it over to them for deliberation.
Tuesday, February 3, 1:00 p.m. update:
COURT HOUSE — Jesse Watkins will not take the witness stand in his own defense in his murder trial.
Watkins, who is accused of killing his cousin, Craig White, invoked his Fifth Amendment right on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Superior Court Judge Raymond Batten said he would charge the jury that the fact that a defendant did not testify is not part of jury deliberation.
Closing arguments are slated to begin this afternoon.
This morning jurors heard from a defense witness that frequently saw Craig White at the Burleigh Wawa, where she was employed. She testified that although she didn’t know him by name, she saw him at the Wawa during Feb. 26 or Feb. 27 in 1990. White she said was dressed in a long leather black coat and blue jeans.
The prosecution asked if the witness was certain of the dates and if it was possible that it may have been before Feb. 23, the day of the alleged murder, that she saw White. The witness said that she couldn’t “honestly remember the specific dates, so it may be possible.”
COURT HOUSE — Anthony White tried to hold back tears as he testified in the murder trial of Jesse Watkins about the last time he saw his first cousin, Craig White.
“He said, ‘I’ll be right back,’” Anthony White told Chief Assistant Prosecutor Rob Johnson on Jan. 29 about the evening his first cousin was last seen.
“Did he come back?” Johnson questioned.
“No,” replied White.
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 maintained his innocence. The defense has argued that White may have left the community of Whitesboro of his own accord to avoid robbery and drug charges pending against him.
The defense’s first witness was Dawn Sneathen, who testified she recalled seeing White running along Route 9 on Feb. 26 or Fed. 27, several days after his disappearance from Whitesboro.
Sneathen said she recalled being certain it was White who was running toward her pickup truck in a black sweatshirt near the Hillside Motel on Route 9.
“I slammed on my brakes and when I turned around he was gone,” she said.
Johnson repeatedly asked Sneathen if she was sure of the date she saw Craig White.
“Are you sure it was the 26th or the 27th? Could have it been earlier,” he asked.
Sneathen responded “anything was possible.”
The prosecution has built the case that White would have never left behind his infant son, Craig Lee White Jr. Several witnesses, including White’s mother, grandmother, aunt, cousins and friends have testified they never saw or heard from White since Feb. 23, 1990.
Watkins and White were also 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.
On Feb. 2, the state rested after calling Margarette Marion, an ex-girlfriend of Watkins, who testified that Watkins confessed to her that he killed his cousin Craig White after walking in on White having an affair with his then-girlfriend.
Marion said that Watkins had disposed of White’s body by weighing it down with cinderblocks, wrapping it in plastic and tossing it in the river.
She also testified that when Watkins had believed she was being unfaithful to him, he had said, “the last girlfriend who cheated on me, her boyfriend ended up dead.”
Anthony White testified that Watkins came to pick up Craig White to help “cut poles in the woods.” Craig, he said, changed into his work boots and left his music and lights on is his room and his money and jewelry on his dresser.
Craig, he said, didn’t want to go with Watkins, but changed his mind about the prearranged meeting.
“Craig wasn’t the type of guy to show it if he was afraid,” said Anthony White.
Watkins’ ex-wife, Karen Fox, testified on Jan. 28 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.
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 Hawkins” for help in disposing of the body. Hawkins, 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.
“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.
Jurors also heard from White’s son, who is now older than his father was when he was last seen.
“Have you ever seen or heard from your father?” asked Johnson.
“No,” replied Craig White Jr.
The prosecution alleges that Watkins repeatedly avoided police officers for questioning of White’s whereabouts and told conflicting statements about seeing White.
Former Middle Township Police Detective Blake Moore testified that he waited outside the funeral of Bessie Williams, Watkin’s grandmother, at the First Baptist Church in Whitesboro in 1991 with a subpoena.
Moore heard that Watkins might attend his grandmother’s funeral, a year after Watkins’ cousin, Craig White, disappeared and Watkins left town.
The detective spotted Watkins walking down the church’s steps and yelled to him, Moore testified.
Moore said that Watkins raised his finger, as if to say, in a minute, but then ducked down between the cars and got away from him.
Milton Gilfillian, formerly of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, testified that he and Moore had attempted to interview Watkins, during his incarceration in a North Carolina jail in 1995.
Watkins, he said, had agreed to speak about Craig White’s disappearance if he had a immunity agreement for various robbery, drug offenses and possibly aiding White, if he had fled the area.
“So he had immunity if he had helped him run away,” asked Johnson.
“Yes sir,” responded Gilfillian, noting there was no immunity for homicide.
After the immunity agreement was given to Watkins’ lawyer at that time, Gilfillian said that Watkins didn’t accept it and would not agree to talk with law enforcement about the disappearance of Craig White.
Contact Suit at: (609) 886-8600 ext. 25 or lsuit@cmcherald.com