First movement from Watson jury in a day and half

 

The Brandon Watson jury started deliberations a few minutes after 4 p.m. on June 29.

They came back on June 30 and started deliberations at 10 a.m. There were no notes from the jury. They deliberated until 4:30 p.m.

On July 1, they started around 10 a.m. and left for lunch. Started deliberations shortly after 1 p.m.

At 1:48 p.m., the bailiff was called to the jury room. At 1:51, the bailiff handed a note to the Judge. At 1:55, the bailiff went back to the jury room.

Court reporter for the Watson trial went into the courtroom. At 2 p.m. bailiff comes back with another or same note.

I think it is a verdict because Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees, Ms. Andrea Sullivan, Deputy DA Clover Schinke and Victim Witness Advocate are here.

2:07 p.m. confirmed because Triantos' parents are here

Guilty on all three counts as charged. Sentencing is on August 16.

I am sure the DA will issue a press release. I have posted it below. Their press release omits that the People's video was grainy; the People's witness, Edwards was impeached by Sgt. Kay Howden and that Besselieu-Hill was defensive about his blood alcohol level. 

Count 1 is First degree murder. Special allegation is use of a deadly weapon, a knife. Victim Peter "Bo" Triantos.

Count 2 is assault with a deadly weapon. Special allegation inflicting great bodily injury. Victim Brian Edwards.

Count 3 is is assault with a deadly weapon. Victim Antony Besselieu-Hill. Special allegation inflicting great bodily injury. 

The jury did have the options to convict on lesser included offenses. I made some comments and observations about the jury in this trial. I have made them about Humboldt juries in the last few years. There has been an additional impact on jury pools due to the pandemic. Like everything else, the pandemic related consequence is not positive.

Forget a jury of your peers. The jury pool in Humboldt is already limited because financial hardship excludes many people. Mostly retired people in the pools and I recognize certain people being picked for jury duty over and over again and sometimes they end up on jury.

If you are different in any way, you are screwed. If you are an outsider and not considered a "local" you might as well plead.

Were their minds made up? Did emotion win over law? Can a Humboldt jury relate to a defendant's lifestyle different than their vanilla, white, small, rural experience?

Every single case that has involved a male defendant and an "outsider"; not a "local"; the jury goes with emotion over law. 

I believe in the law but this was another Humboldt drama case and the result was destruction of lives.

Certain testosterone filled, drunk, violent punks whose behavior is excused by their out of control parents got a pass from this jury. The verdict was overkill. Someone has to pay for and the defendant doesn't have grieving parents you need to walk past in a courtroom. 4th of July weekend is coming up. We deliberated a day and a half. Let's wrap this up and go home. No readback, no note, no questions. Why didn't they just come back the next morning because it seems like there wasn't anything to discuss. Or there was and the holdouts were "convinced."

Over the years, I have learned about all aspects of the criminal justice system. I have learned to respect what defense attorneys do. Innocent until guilty is not just a phrase. One day you could be in the system and 12 random people will decide your fate. 

I never believed courts equal justice but except for sexual abuse and sexual assault cases, I am glad this was not the jury for the Gary Lee Bulock, Jason Warren or Bodhi Tree case. They probably would have acquitted those cold blooded murderers.

Marci Kitchen who brutally murdered her own child got a slap on the wrist but a guy involved in a fight with drunk, testosterone filled punks who baited him faces the kind of sentence Marci Kitchen should have received. These "victims" participated and/or initiated the physical contact.

Two amended complaints, a grainy video and selective clips and a jury that gets to go home for 4th of July.  Want them deciding your fate? 

Watson should face consequences for Triantos' death but not first degree murder or second degree murder. Voluntary or involuntary manslaughter. Not guilty on assault for Edwards and Besselieu-Hill. That could have been the decision of 12 other people. 

6 people took the Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees' business card from him in court. Most were men. There were 6 men and 6 women. There wasn't harmony yesterday or this morning among most jurors when they left for lunch. They go to lunch today and come back happy and relieved and there is a verdict.

Since when do we hand out business cards in court? One male juror adamantly waited outside court for the DA. He was an angry white male, sitting and walking alone, during breaks. 

Three jurors took Ms. Andrea Sullivan's card from one of her investigators outside court.

Triantos' parents were vocal and very disrespectful and addressed Watson in court. The sobbing is one thing but yelling, "Hell yeah" and yelling "evil" while overlooking their own son's previous arrest for controlled substances in Alabama and drug use in Humboldt. 

Watson's dad took him to the precinct after the Pearl incident. 

Marci Kitchen's daughter, Kiya and Faith Tsarnas were innocent victims slaughtered. Marci Kitchen is out free and enjoying life. Humboldt justice is a joke. 

Since this post was published, towards the end of July, the DA requested a hearing on 8/2 for confirmation of the sentencing date which is scheduled for 8/16.

Previous post:

https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2021/06/i-dont-know-what-bars-mr-rees-goes-to.html?m=1

DA Press Release:

On July 1, 2021, a Humboldt County jury found Brandon Matthew Watson, age 29, of Arcata, guilty of one count of first-degree murder for the homicide of Peter “Bo” Triantos and two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon. The jury also found true the special allegations that Watson personally caused great bodily injury and personally used a deadly weapon.

The case arose from two separate incidents in which Watson approached strangers at a bar, started a fight with them, and ultimately stabbed them. The first incident occurred outside the Pearl in Eureka on February 14, 2016, when Antony Bessellieu-Hill and Brian Edwards were out celebrating Valentine’s Day with their significant others. At a point when the two men were in front of the bar discussing local gang activity, Watson overheard the conversation and aggressively inserted himself into their discussion. Watson claimed to be a gang member and tried to educate the pair on gangs. When they conveyed their lack of interest in Watson’s comments, he responded by punching Mr. Edwards in the face. Mr. Edwards then took Watson to the ground, but bouncers quickly broke up the fight. The bouncers then escorted Mr. Bessellieu-Hill and Mr. Edwards out the back of the bar, with the goal of avoiding further interaction with Watson.

Unfortunately, Watson and others were waiting in the alley behind the bar, and both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Bessellieu-Hill were stabbed multiple times. Fortunately, they both survived their injuries, albeit with severe physical and mental complications. 

In the initial investigation of this incident, neither victim could identify that Mr. Watson had a knife. Mr. Bessellieu-Hill indicated that another, unidentified individual had a knife and had initially stabbed him in the abdomen. However, Mr. Bessellieu-Hill was able to testify that Watson was the only person to strike him multiple times in the back, and those strikes were in the same location as the stab wounds in his back. When Watson was cross-examined as to who initially stabbed Mr. Bessellieu-Hill, Watson refused to answer the question despite the Court’s direct order to answer the question. He testified that he “didn’t see how it was relevant” to identify the other person that stabbed Mr. Bessellieu-Hill.   Watson admitted to stabbing Mr. Edwards.

The second incident occurred outside the Jam in Arcata on October 25, 2018, when Bo Triantos and Sage Rios were standing in front of the Jam. Watson approached Mr. Rios and began a conversation that involved Watson again claiming to be a gang member. When Mr. Triantos laughed at this claim, Watson punched him in the face. The three fought briefly before being separated, but they continued yelling at each other after the fight. 

Video surveillance from local businesses captured the ensuing events. Mr. Triantos walked into an alley in apparent preparation for a fistfight with Watson. However, once in the alley, Watson proceeded to pull out a knife and stab Mr. Triantos multiple times, including a fatal strike to the abdomen. Watson immediately fled the scene. 

Eureka Police Department Detective Sgt. (ret.) Kay Howden and Detective (ret.) John Gordon led the investigation into the assault on Mr. Edwards and Mr. Bessellieu-Hill. Arcata Police Department Detectives Luke Scown and Victoria Johnson led the investigation of Mr. Triantos’ death. Their investigations were assisted by numerous officers and evidence technicians with the Eureka and Arcata Police Departments.

Deputy District Attorney Roger C. Rees prosecuted the case with assistance from District Attorney Investigator Braden Brawner, and victim advocates Holly Hensher and Caitlyn LaHaie. Anakalia Sullivan represented Mr. Watson. Judge Lawrence Killoran presided over the month-long jury trial.

Mr. Watson is scheduled for sentencing on August 16, 2021. He faces a maximum of life in prison, with an initial parole eligibility date up to 35 years away. Because he was convicted of murder, Mr. Watson will serve every day of his sentence.

District Attorney Maggie Fleming commented on the trial, “Once again, the willingness of witnesses to come forward created the opportunity to achieve justice - I appreciate their decision to participate. I also appreciate the exceptional efforts of the jury, especially under the unique conditions created by the pandemic.”