On October 22, 2003, just 11 days into her marriage, 26-year-old Tina Watson, an American woman from Helena, Alabama, lost her life during a scuba diving excursion on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia. She and her husband, David Gabriel 'Gabe' Watson, were on their honeymoon, exploring the historic SS Yongala shipwreck. Within the first few minutes of their dive, Tina, an inexperienced diver, became unconscious and sank 98 feet to the ocean floor.
Gabe Watson, an experienced diver, claimed that strong currents unexpectedly swept them apart. He stated that Tina panicked and knocked his mask and air regulator off. By the time he recovered, he said, she was sinking too quickly for him to rescue her, and he surfaced to get help. However, his account of the events would change multiple times during the investigation, raising suspicion among authorities. His dive computer also presented a different story of his movements underwater, contradicting his claims.
The investigation into Tina's death led to a coronial inquest in Australia. The coroner found it likely that Watson had killed his wife by turning off her air supply and holding her in an 'underwater bear hug'. In 2008, he was charged with her murder. A year later, in a surprising turn of events, the prosecution accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of manslaughter, based on his failure to rescue her. He was sentenced to a term of imprisonment in Australia.
After serving 18 months in an Australian prison, Gabe Watson was deported back to the United States, where he faced further legal troubles in his home state of Alabama. In October 2010, an Alabama grand jury indicted him on two counts of capital murder, with prosecutors arguing that he had planned the murder in Alabama, giving them jurisdiction. The trial began in February 2012, but the judge, citing a lack of evidence, dismissed the case against Gabe Watson before the defense even had to present their arguments.
