The trial of Luther Watkins Jr. began Monday after five days of jury selection last week. Watkins is charged with the capital murder of 13-year Tuscaloosa Police Department officer Dornell Cousette on Sept. 16, 2019, and could face the death penalty if found guilty.
Watkins has been held without bond in Tuscaloosa County Jail since his arrest in 20219.
The jury of 12 members and three alternates consists of one Black man, two Black women, six white men and six white women. Circuit Judge Brad Almond, who retired last month but will oversee the trial to completion with the state’s permission, did not allow members of the media to be present during jury selection last week.
Watkins is accused of killing Cousette after Cousette came to a residence on 3rd Avenue in West Tuscaloosa to arrest him on outstanding felony warrants.
The defense does not deny that Watkins fired the round that killed Cousette, but argues that he acted in self-defense after Cousette shot him first.
District Attorney Hayes Webb delivered the opening statement for the state, saying that Watkins ran from Cousette when he drove up to the residence on 3rd Ave. Watkins was sitting in the yard of a house when Cousette arrived in an unmarked vehicle while in uniform. It is unclear if Cousette was wearing a body camera that evening or if it wasn’t functioning properly. Whether he pointed his Glock or his finger at Watkins upon exiting his vehicle.
Watkins’ defense attorneys, including Christopher Daniel, Justin Forrester and Scott Brower, said that Cousette exited his vehicle with his gun drawn.
Cousette was attempting to arrest Watkins, who was wanted for four felony warrants at the time. The officer spoke with Edward Giles, a local bail bondsman days before the shooting to ask if he knew of Watkins’ whereabouts. Giles testified Monday that he saw Watkins at the house twice over the weekend and went to TPD headquarters the following Monday. At around 6:15 p.m. that evening, he met with Cousette at Westlawn Middle School where Cousette worked as a student resource officer.
Cousette’s SRO shift had ended, and according to the testimony of a TPD secretary Sonya Barger, he began another shift as an investigator in the TPD Juvenile Division and was not off-duty, contrasting previous claims that he wasn’t on duty when arriving at the house.
According to TPD dispatcher Tiffany Morrison during her testimony, there were no additional units currently available, but Cousette told Giles, “f–k it, let’s go” to Watkins’ location. He at first followed Giles’ vehicle but got in front of him when they got closer to the residence.
Cousette also called TPD Lt. Bobby Windham, who was a sergeant at the time, to ask for backup. Windham said in court Monday he considered Cousette to be a personal friend, being from the same hometown and their families knowing each other. Windham testified that he was unable to assist due to being placed on desk duty after tearing his ACL months prior while chasing a suspect. He said he advised Cousette not to pursue Watkins alone. While he held rank over Cousette, he said they were in different divisions and did not “order” him to stand down, but only advised him not to go alone.
Giles said that there were five men, including Watkins, sitting at a table in the “small” yard of the house when they arrived. Upon arrival, Cousette got out of his vehicle and shouted “Luther” followed by telling him not to run. Giles said he was “surprised” Cousette got out of his vehicle, as the original plan was to drive by to confirm Watkins was at the suspected location. Watkins ran into the house and Cousette followed him inside. Once inside, Cousette fired at Watkins, hitting him in the back. Both men then fired at each other, leading to Watkins being hit in the right shoulder and Cousette being hit in the upper lip, which killed him.
The state claims that Watkins fired right before Cousette fired his second shot, which caused the bullet casing to not eject properly, causing a jam. After Cousette fell to the ground, Watkins ran out of the house and down the street.
Giles said he drew his taser when he heard the gunshots in the house but didn’t point at Watkins and called 911. The 911 call, which was played in court on Monday, contains audio of Giles shouting “officer down” while telling others at the house to stay back and “don’t touch anything.” Giles said the scene was “chaotic” at the time.
TPD Sgt. David Garrison, who was a patrol officer at the time, testified that he was in his vehicle at the Westside precinct when he got the radio alert that an officer was down and responded to the house once he knew the address. His body camera footage, which was played in court, showed that he was the first on the scene. He tried to tend to Cousette, who was choking on his blood, while emergency services arrived.
Kenclomisha Hughes, who said she knew Watkins through the neighborhood, testified that she drove Watkins to DCH Northport after he approached her outside of her mother’s house. She said he wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes and placed a white sheet over him before taking him to the emergency room. She dropped him off at the hospital away from the emergency room entrance, saying she was scared to take him inside because she was afraid to be involved with the police over what had happened.
Hence then, the article about capital murder trial for man accused of killing tuscaloosa police officer begins was published today ( ) and is available on The Crimson White ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Capital murder trial for man accused of killing Tuscaloosa police officer begins )
Also on site :
- Russia exposed plot to blow up Black Sea gas pipelines – Putin
- NATO nations could transfer nuclear bomb to Ukraine – Russian intelligence
- Discord cuts ties with Peter Thiel-backed verification software after its code was found tied to U.S. surveillance efforts