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The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Australia indicts American in wife's drowning

By: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

28/11/2008 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

TOWNSVILLE, Australia - Australian prosecutors charged an American man on Friday with murder in the drowning of his wife during their honeymoon at the Great Barrier Reef.

The filing of the indictment allows authorities to begin the process of extraditing David Gabriel Watson, of Birmingham, Ala., to face the charges in Australia.

Watson's wife, Christina Mae Watson, drowned on Oct. 22, 2003, while the couple was diving at a shipwreck off Queensland's coast, 11 days after their wedding. Last June, the Queensland state coroner found there was sufficient evidence to charge Watson with his wife's murder.

Justice Keiran Cullinane said Friday that Watson was required to appear in court on Feb. 3, 2009, to answer the indictment but noted that he had no power to force the American to return to Australia.

Australia and the United States have an extradition treaty, though the process can take months and Watson's lawyers have said they would likely oppose his extradition.

Watson, an experienced diver, was acting as a so-called dive buddy for his less-experienced wife on the day she died. He told police she panicked underwater and then sank away from him. He said he decided to go for help rather than following her to the sea floor to attempt a rescue.

During the coroner's inquest, police testified they initially thought the death was an accident. However, they became suspicious when Watson changed details of his account.

The coroner said the circumstances of the drowning remained unclear but that a possible motive was Tina Watson's modest life insurance policy.

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