Man Pleads Guilty to Non-Capital Murder, Court Hears Details of Planning and Execution

Court hears how man planned and executed estranged wife’s killing

Weeks before sneaking into his estranged wife’s home to brutally kill her, Sean Watson purchased hardware supplies to use in the crime.

That was contained in a detailed statement the 46-year-old architectural draughtsman of Bannantyne Gardens, Christ Church gave to police about how he planned and executed the murder.

Director of Public Prosecutions Donna Babb-Agard SC read the statement in the No. 2 Supreme Court on Tuesday after Watson pleaded guilty to non-capital murder in relation to the stabbing death of 37-year-old Nicole Harrison-Watson on April 28, 2012.

As Watson sat in the dock fidgeting with his hands and rapidly bouncing his right leg, the court heard that on the evening in question, he drove a hired car to the workplace of Harrison-Watson, a clerical officer at Urban Development Commission, and then followed her as she dropped off a workmate before heading to her Ferniehurst, Black Rock, St Michael home.

Watson watched her for a little while, then left and returned when it was dark. He parked by a pasture near her home, waiting for four hours until she left to go to a reggae show. During that time, he sent her a message saying he had tickets to go to Vintage Reggae and he was letting her know “out of courtesy” that they might see one another. In fact, Watson had no tickets but wanted to see his estranged wife’s response. She only read the message but did not reply.

When she was picked up at the house, Watson followed her to Kensington Oval where the show was held, before going home and changing into an all-black pants and shirt, a dark blue overall and a hoodie. He then got into his own car, where he had packed a bag of “tools’’ a week prior. The bag contained a hammer, a rubber hammer, a chisel, two crowbars, duct tape, a roll of plastic, gloves, cable ties, two notepads, a black marker, some white rope, a box cutter, scissors, a knife and a pair of black riding gloves. He admitted purchasing the items in March from two hardware stores along with two containers of gasoline from the gas station.

Watson drove back to his wife’s neighbourhood around 1:30 a.m., parked his car by a church, and got out, taking with him the bag, gas containers and a black bed sheet to hang over the clothesline so no one could see him if they passed the yard.

He used a crowbar to pry open the door and enter the house. Heading upstairs to Harrison-Watson’s bedroom, he went through her camera, iPad, photos and notes on her computer, and her Facebook page. He also skimmed through her bills, receipts, salary slips, and even her passport to see if she had travelled since they had separated.

Watson then took four pre-cut pieces of rope from his bag, two of which he had labelled ‘HANDS’ and tied them to each corner of the bed. He said he walked between Harrison-Watson’s and her daughter’s bedrooms, listening for when she returned. He took off the overalls, goggles and boots he was wearing and put them in the daughter’s bedroom.