Gabe Watson, the American man convicted of killing his wife on their Australian honeymoon, has been released from prison in Queensland. He is now in immigration detention while Australian authorities seek assurances from the US that he will not face the death penalty if returned to Alabama.
Watson, a former bubblewrap salesman, served 18 months for the manslaughter of his wife Tina during a scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef in 2003. He had initially been charged with murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge last year.
Alabama prosecutors want to try Watson for murder, claiming they have jurisdiction as the alleged plot began there. They have said they will not seek the death penalty, but Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen wants a similar guarantee from the US federal government.
“Our embassy in Washington is seeking an assurance that the death penalty would not apply to Mr Watson should he be returned to the United States,” Mr Bowen said. “The legal advice we have received is that we need a similar assurance from the national government of the United States.”
A coroner suggested a possible motive for the killing was Tina Watson’s modest life insurance policy. Watson’s lawyer has expressed confidence that his client would successfully defend any charges in Alabama.
