CrimeGabe WatsonBirmingham AlabamaCrime

Gabe Watson Trial Timeline: From Tina Thomas Watson's Death To Alabama Courthouse

Gabe Watson Trial Timeline: Honeymoon Scuba-diving Death To Acquittal In Alabama
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Gabe Watson, 34, stands accused of murdering his first wife, Tina Thomas Watson, on their October 2003 honeymoon in Australia. Watson served 18 months in an Australian prison after pleading guilty to a manslaughter charge, but is now on trial in Birmingham, Alabama and faces life in prison. His defense contends that her death was accidental while prosecutors say he drowned her to cash in her life insurance policy.

Oct. 11, 2003
Gabe Watson and Tina Thomas, both 26, marry in Birmingham, Alabama, The Birmingham News reports.

Oct. 15, 2003
The newlyweds arrive in Australia for their honeymoon.

Oct. 22, 2003
The couple go scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef's historic Yongala dive site. Tina dies in what Watson says was an accident after she panicked underwater.

Watson becomes angry when he's told that his dive computer -- a wristwatch-sized device that records air-pressure, oxygen use and other data -- has been taken by police as evidence.

Oct. 27, 2003
Australian police interview Watson about the incident. Watson says the severe current caused his wife to panic.

Nov. 13, 2007
A coroner's inquest into the incident begins in Australia, The Birmingham News reports.

Aug. 15, 2008
Watson marries his current wife, Kim Lewis.

Nov. 28, 2008
Watson is indicted on a murder charge in Australia.

June 5, 2009
Watson pleads guilty to a negligent manslaughter charge in Australia, essentially admitting that while he did not save his wife's life, he did not intend to kill her. Watson is sentenced to 12 months in an Australian prison.

Sept. 18, 2009
An Australian appeals court extends Watson's jail time to 18 months.

Oct. 22, 2010
Exactly seven years after Tina Thomas Watson's death, Alabama state prosecutors get a capital indictment against Watson in Jefferson County.

Nov. 11, 2010
Watson is released from an Australian prison and is soon after flown to the United States. Upon landing in Los Angeles, police take him to a station for booking.

April 7, 2011
Circuit Judge Tommy Nail indefinitely postpones Watson's trial after state cutbacks leave Alabama courts short on security.

Feb. 13, 2012
Watson's trial in Birmingham begins. He is accused of first-degree murder and faces life in prison without parole.

Feb. 23, 2012
Judge Tommy Nail acquits Gabe Watson, agreeing with the defense that the prosecutors failed to present enough evidence that a crime took place. Prosecutors alleged that Watson drowned his wife for money, but the only witness to her death testified that he thought Watson was rescuing Tina.

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Before You Go

Gabe Watson
Tina Watson Scuba Diving(01 of17)
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This photo was taken in Oct. 2003 and inadvertently shows Tina Thomas Watson (right) in distress on the ocean floor while scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef. Her husband, Gabe Watson, was charged by the Alabama Attorney General's office with drowning her for insurance money, but was acquitted by a judge on Feb. 23, 2012. (credit:Courtesy Townsville Bulletin)
Gabe Watson(02 of17)
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In this undated photo provided by Townsville Coroners Court, Gabe Watson, left, and his then-fiancee, Tina, pose while celebrating their engagement. The Alabama murder trial of Watson began on Feb. 13, 2012, with jury selection and ended with his acquittal on Feb. 23, 2012. (credit:Townsville Coroners Court / AP)
Gabe Watson(03 of17)
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This police booking photo released on Dec.1, 2010, by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shows Gabe Watson, 33, from Alabama. Watson was later acquitted of murdering his wife while they were on their Australian honeymoon in 2003. (credit:Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. / AP)
Gabe Watson(04 of17)
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In this file photo from Jan. 5, 2012, Gabe Watson appears for a hearing in a Jefferson County courtroom in Birmingham, Ala. Watson served 18 months in Australian prison after pleading guilty in the death of his bride, who drowned just days after their wedding while scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. (credit:Bernard Troncale, The Birmingham News / AP)
Gabe Watson(05 of17)
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Gabe Watson, left, talks with one of his attorneys after arriving at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 13 for jury selection in his trial. Watson was later acquitted of drowning his first wife, Tina Thomas Watson, during a scuba dive in Australia in 2003. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(06 of17)
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Gabe Watson talks with his current wife, Kim, after arriving at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Ala., for jury selection in his trial on Feb. 13, 2012. Watson was acquitted on Feb. 23, 2012 of drowning his first wife, Tina Thomas Watson, during a scuba dive in Australia in 2003. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(07 of17)
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David and Glenda Watson watch the proceedings during jury selection in the trial of their son, Gabe Watson, at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(08 of17)
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Gabe Watson talks with his wife, Kim, at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Ala. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(09 of17)
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Gabe Watson, center, talks with friends after arriving at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 13, 2012. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(10 of17)
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Gabe Watson, right, talks with attorney Michael Hanle at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala., on Feb. 13, 2012. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(11 of17)
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Gabe Watson, center, talks with his attorneys at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(12 of17)
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Gabe Watson, left, talks with attorney Brett Bloomston during his trial at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 17, 2012. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(13 of17)
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Witness Michael Moore, right, is cross examined by defense attorney Brett Bloomston during the Gabe Watson murder trial at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham on Feb. 17, 2012. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(14 of17)
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Kim Watson listens to testimony during the murder trial of her husband, Gabe Watson, at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala., Friday, Feb. 17, 2012.
Gabe Watson(15 of17)
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Glenda Watson, second from left, is hugged by her husband, David Watson, as she reacts to testimony during her son Gabe Watson's murder trial at the Mel Bailey Criminal Justice Center in Birmingham, Ala. At right is Gabe Watson's wife, Kim. (credit:Dave Martin, AP)
Gabe Watson(16 of17)
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Tina Watson's father, Tommy Thomas, right, greets dive master Wade Singleton after Singleton testified in the murder trial of Gabe Watson. Watson is accused of killing his newlywed bride Tina Thomas Watson during a honeymoon scuba dive in Australia just days after their wedding in October 2003. (credit:Michelle Campbell, The News / AP)
Gabe Watson(17 of17)
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Gabe Watson, left, stands during a break in his capital murder trial. Watson is charged with murder in his wife's death during their honeymoon in Australia in 2003. (credit:Tamika Moore, The Birmingham News / AP)
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