Luther Watkins Gets Life Without Parole for Murder of Tuscaloosa Investigator
A jury has sentenced Luther Watkins, Jr. to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Tuscaloosa Police Investigator Dornell Cousette, sparing him the death penalty.
As the Thread has reported, the jury convicted Watkins of the capital murder of a law enforcement officer last Friday, and the only sentencing outcomes available in Alabama for that charge are life in prison without parole or execution.
Read more of our extensive coverage of the trial and case here.
After taking the weekend and President's Day off, the 12-member jury heard testimony on Tuesday and Thursday during the sentencing phase of this trial.
District Attorney Hays Webb and lead prosecutor Paula Whitney Abernathy said killing Cousette in the line of duty makes Watkins "the worst of the worst," and merited his execution.
Webb told the Thread that the only other time he has sought the death penalty since he was first elected a decade ago was in 2019, for Stephen Belcher.
Belcher was convicted of the torture and murder of Samatha Payne, whose decapitated body was discovered in the Talladega National Forest in Tuscaloosa County in late 2015, and his jury recommended his execution.
The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the sentence last year.
Watkins and his defense team never denied that he killed Investigator Cousette, but claimed the deadly shooting in September 2019 was an act of self-defense.
Cousette was acting without backup and against the advice of a supervisor when he attempted to arrest Watkins, who was wanted on a series of robbery and assault charges. He chased Watkins inside a West Tuscaloosa home on 33rd Avenue and shot the 20-year-old fugitive twice. Watkins shot Cousette in the head, incapacitating and fatally wounding him.
Watkins testified that he was scared for his life in the gunfight with Cousette, but also acknowledged that he knew he was wanted and refused to surrender when Cousette first arrived at the house.
The jury deliberated for about three hours Friday afternoon before convicting Watkins of capital murder.
After hearing testimony from friends and family of both Dornell Cousette and Luther Watkins, Jr. this week, the jury has sentenced the convicted murderer, now 26, to life in prison, sparing his execution.
On Tuesday, co-workers and his cousin remembered Cousette as an advocate for children and families who went above and beyond in his role as a school resource officer and as an investigator in the Youth Aid Division of the Tuscaloosa Police Department.
They said his absence was felt throughout every organization Cousette touched.
Watkins' mother, brother, and uncle testified on his behalf, along with a former principal and his pastor.
They said Watkins was only a month beyond his 20th birthday when Cousette came after him for his outstanding warrants, and that Watkins' terrible decisions were the result of his youth and bad influences.
The court recessed before deliberations could begin on Tuesday, and Circuit Judge Brad Almond had a conflict and could not hold court on Wednesday, so the jury did not begin considering sentencing until Thursday morning.
The only witness to testify on Thursday before deliberations began was Chief Loyd Baker, the commander of the Tuscaloosa County Jail for the sheriff's office. He told the jury of dozens of violations Watkins is accused of committing since he was first incarcerated in 2019.
After his testimony, the jurors deliberated in private and returned with a decision around 4:05 p.m. Thursday, condemning Watkins to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The jury vote was split with seven voting for life in prison and five voting for execution
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