Watson ruled competent; trial date set

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Former Ontario schoolteacher accused of killing his wife ruled mentally incompetent

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA) - Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Author: Lori Consalvo, Staff Writer

A former Ontario schoolteacher accused of killing his wife in Nevada has been ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial on murder charges.

John Mathis Watson , 68, was taken to a mental-health facility in Nevada where he will be treated until he is ruled competent to stand trial, according to documents from the Clark County Courthouse.

"So that's what happens ... everything just stops because that's the law," the judge said in court documents. "And, you know, if he cooperates up there, maybe he'll come back in six weeks, and we can reset this. If he doesn't cooperate up there, he might not come back for six or eight months, and then we'll reset."

Upon hearing the ruling, Watson spoke up in court.

"It's - here's the problem - I have a question. I did not know illness - it's not a mental illness," Watson is documented as saying.

Prosecutors say Watson shot his 50-year-old wife, Everilda Watson , during a vacation in Las Vegas, then cut her body into pieces with an electric saw he bought at a home improvement store.

The mother of three vanished during the July 2006 trip and has not been seen since. No remains have been found.

A grand jury in Clark County indicted Watson on murder, kidnapping and robbery charges.

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

Watson was sent to the Lakes Crossing mental-health facility on Oct. 30.

During the investigation, detectives found a large amount of blood in the couple's Jeep and in a Las Vegas hotel room that Watson reportedly rented using a false identity and a disguise.

There is also evidence that Watson bought an electric saw, bleach, incense and odor-absorbing trash bags at the time, authorities said. A tarp with the woman's blood on it reportedly was found in a remote area of Tulare County. The material matched the tarp found in the back of Watson 's car, authorities said.

Watson , however, insists he did not murder his wife. Earlier this year, he told reporters his wife got mad at him in Las Vegas and stormed away after learning he had been keeping several secrets from her, including his cancer diagnosis.

Now, the public may never know what happened to Everilda Watson .

"As you know, the defense has raised the competency issue of Mr. Watson , and Mr. Watson , whether it be a ploy or not, has refused to cooperate with the doctors, so there's no (way) I can make a finding that he's competent and go forward," a judge said in court documents.

Staff writer Rod Leveque contributed to this report.

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Watson says he's dying

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario, CA) - Thursday, April 10, 2008

Author: Rod Leveque, Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - A retired Ontario math teacher accused of killing and dismembering his wife says he believes he will soon be dead from cancer, and he isn't concerned about whether he might be convicted of murder during his upcoming trial.

During a brief interview at a downtown Las Vegas jail Wednesday night, John Watson insisted he did not murder his wife of 20 years, Everilda Watson , and said he can explain away evidence that suggests otherwise.

He showed little interest in doing so during the interview, however, saying that regardless of what happens to him in court, he believes his fate is already sealed.

"Whether or not they convict me is of little difference," he said. "I'm going to die soon anyway."

Prosecutors allege Watson , 68, shot Everilda Watson , 50, during a vacation in Las Vegas, then cut her body into pieces with an electric saw he bought at a home improvement store.

The mother of three vanished during the July 2006 trip and has not been seen since.

A grand jury in Clark County, Nev., indicted the former Ontario High School teacher on murder, kidnapping and robbery charges.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in a trial scheduled to begin April 21.

Watson fears his trial may be delayed because, as he puts it, his privately retained lawyers have "abandoned" him by not honoring their promises to see him in jail.

He said he is eager for the trial, but only because he knows he will get to leave the Clark County jail at its end.

He complained of receiving poor medical treatment at the downtown Las Vegas detention center, sarcastically saying jailers there do little more than supply him with Tylenol for his pain.

Whether he is convicted and sent to state prison, or acquitted and sent home, he believes he will receive better medical help once he leaves the facility.

"I just want to get out of this jail and get somewhere I can get treatment," he said.

Although Watson largely refused to discuss the evidence against him Wednesday, he will soon have to confront it in court.

Despite the absence of Everilda Watson 's body, police have amassed a mountain of facts to suggest her husband is responsible for her disappearance.

Detectives found a large amount of blood inside the couple's Jeep, as well as inside a Las Vegas hotel room that Watson rented using a false identity and a disguise.

They also have evidence Watson bought an electric saw, bleach, incense and odor-absorbent trash bags at the same time his wife went missing.

They say they found a tarp with the woman's blood on it in a remote area of Tulare County. The tarp matched one found in the back of Watson 's car.

And at least one friend of Watson told police that shortly before the woman vanished, Watson told him he feared she had plans to leave him and take half of his money. The friend told police Watson was angry about it, and said he could kill his wife and hide her body where it would never be found.

Watson initially told police he last saw his wife in downtown Las Vegas after he got into an argument with her.

However, he later told two of his sons that their mother shot herself in the bathroom of the hotel, but did it in such a way as to make him look responsible. He told his sons he disposed of the body because he feared police would blame him for her death, according to court records.

From jail, Watson said the initial story he told to police is the truth. He said his wife got mad at him in Las Vegas and stormed away after learning he had been keeping several secrets from her, including his cancer diagnosis.

He could not offer a clear explanation as to why he told his children the ghoulish suicide story.

"My mind was not good at the time," he said. "It backfired. It was for the wrong reasons."

As for the remaining evidence, he refused to talk about it, with two exceptions.

He said the friend who told police he was upset about a possible separation from his wife is a liar, though he did not say why anybody would concoct such a story.

He also said the reason he wore disguises and used fake names in Las Vegas is because he is a card-counter and didn't want to be recognized by casino bosses.

He did, however, discuss his case in broad terms, saying he had no motive to kill his wife.

He said he learned he had cancer shortly before the Las Vegas trip, and did not worry about her leaving him because he didn't believe he had long to live.

Nonetheless, he admitted the evidence against him is compelling on its face, and said he understands why police suspect him in the disappearance.

"Quite truthfully, if I were them I would have arrested me, too," he said.

Watson said that early after his wife disappeared, he believed she was alive somewhere.

Now, he says, he believes her to be dead. She would not have stayed away from her children and family for so long, he said.

Watson emphatically said whatever happened to his wife did not come by his hand.

"I know there was never a murder," he said. "I'm charged with murder, and there was no murder."

Watson is due back in court April 17 for a pretrial hearing.