(Nov. 25) -- "Honeymoon Killer" Gabe Watson arrived home in the U.S. today to face two more murder charges in the drowning death of his wife, Tina, during a 2003 scuba-diving trip to Australia.
Watson was released from an Australian prison earlier this month, where he served an 18-month sentence for manslaughter. Australian immigration agents escorted him on a flight today from Melbourne to Los Angeles, where they handed him off to the LAPD.
The 33-year-old convict will now be sent to his home state of Alabama early next week to face two more murder charges for Tina's death, Attorney General Troy King told The Associated Press.
Townsville Coroners Court / AP
Gabe Watson was convicted of manslaughter in the
death of his wife, Tina.
Australian prosecutors initially charged Watson with murder, arguing that he deliberately killed his wife by turning off her air supply under the guise of giving her a "bear hug" underwater. But as part of a plea bargain, Watson agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Haunting photos from their scuba-diving trip show another diver posing for an underwater pic while their instructor rushes to rescue Tina's lifeless body, which was sinking to the seafloor. The 26-year-old bride had been married only 11 days.
"It's been devastating," Tina's mother, Cindy Thomas, told ABC News. "You never think your daughter will leave for her honeymoon and her husband will kill her."
Watson's plea deal angered his wife's family and authorities in their home state of Alabama, who believe he plotted to kill his wife even before they left the U.S. for their honeymoon in Australia. Prosecutors are expected to allege that Watson killed his wife in order to collect a life insurance payment. They also accuse him of kidnapping, for allegedly tricking his wife to go to Australia, where she was killed.
King told the AP he believes Australian authorities were way too lenient with Watson, accusing them of having "extorted from the state and the victim's family" in order to "water down" justice. "Why did they decide to shield a man from punishment for what he did?" he asked. "I don't understand it."
Tina's father, Tommy Thomas, also reacted to news of Watson's arrival in the U.S. today. "What we want to see is justice done by our daughter. And obviously, an 18-month prison sentence, for murder, is not justice," told Alabama's Channel 13 TV.
Watson has since remarried. A former bubble-wrap salesman, he was dubbed the "Honeymoon Killer" by Australian media, which have followed his case closely.
King said an Alabama grand jury indicted Watson on two counts last month, but the indictment was sealed until the suspect's return to the United States. The two charges are capital murder in the course of kidnapping, and capital murder for pecuniary gain, he said.
U.S. officials have long sought Watson's extradition from Australia, but officials there were hesitant to turn him over to Americans because of their stance on the death penalty. Alabama allows the death penalty for murder cases, but Australian law prohibits the state from deporting anyone to a country where they could face execution. Australian officials have said that they agreed to deport Watson today after receiving assurances from their U.S. counterparts that he won't be executed -- even if he's convicted of first-degree murder.
"The Australian government received assurances from the United States government that should Gabe Watson be returned to the U.S., the death penalty would not be sought, imposed or carried out in relation to this crime," Australia's immigration minister, Chris Bowen, told The Herald Sun newspaper.
Watson's Australian lawyer, Adrian Braithwaite, said his client could have applied for asylum in Australia but decided against it after reviewing documents that showed he won't face the death penalty in Alabama.
"Based on advice that Mr. Watson had received from his U.S. attorneys, he has balanced up the risks going and ultimately has decided that he won't contest deportation," Braithwaite told Australia's ABC News. "He'll be returning to Alabama."
source: Lauren Frayer
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