On a Saturday evening in Glendale, Arizona, the life of 53-year-old Ray Watkins was tragically cut short in an act of violence that stunned the community. On January 25, 2020, Watkins, the co-owner of The Astrology Store, was closing up his business near 59th and Glendale avenues with an employee. Shortly after 6 p.m., a man known to Watkins and his staff arrived at the locked front door of the shop.
Finding the entrance secured, the man, later identified as 21-year-old Sean Patrick
Davidson, made his way to the rear of the building. In the alleyway behind the store, he encountered Watkins and a female employee. There, Davidson allegedly shot Watkins in the head and proceeded to stomp on him. Following the brutal assault, he returned to the front of the store and shattered the glass door. Another employee who was hiding inside the business was unharmed as Davidson fled the scene on foot.
Glendale police and fire departments responded to the scene to find Watkins with severe head trauma. He was pronounced dead in the alleyway. As officers began their investigation, employees at the scene identified Davidson as the assailant. Law enforcement quickly disseminated information about Davidson and associated vehicles to other agencies in the area.
Later that same night, the Arizona Department of Public Safety contacted Glendale police. They had a driver in custody at a hospital who had been involved in a pursuit and subsequent crash near Interstate 10 and Miller Road. The individual in custody was Sean Patrick Davidson. When Glendale police arrived at the hospital, Davidson reportedly made statements that implicated himself in the murder of Ray Watkins. According to court records, Davidson claimed he killed Watkins because he believed Watkins was sexually assaulting him in his sleep. He also stated that he had purchased the handgun used in the shooting earlier that day with the intention of also killing Watkins' husband, but changed his mind and fled as police arrived. Davidson was later booked into jail on a two-million-dollar cash-only bond, facing charges including first-degree murder. The death of Ray Watkins left his loved ones and the local community to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a beloved figure.
