What was David Watson accused of? Harrowing details of former Tucson fire department Captain's crimes on Dateline, explored 

NBC's Dateline has been tracking some of the most complicated and startling crimes for years, one of which is the conviction of David Watson. He was a former firefighter, who saved several lives, but ultimately ended up being charged with three murders.

Watson served as a firefighter for almost twenty years at the Tucson Fire Department and was later promoted to captain. However, David Watson resigned right after his arrest and made headlines when given 66 years in prison for killing his ex-wife, her mother, and the mother's friend.

The former captain even requested a retrial, but the evidence wasn't strong enough to prove his innocence. Per Azcentral, when Watson was given his sentence, he maintained his innocence and said:

"We’re clear that we’ll never know what truly happened. There are people in this courtroom and obviously this court who think I was the one who did all that."

So, did he not commit the crime? After the trials, David Watson was declared guilty of the brutal murders and is currently serving his punishment in prison. Continue reading to learn more about the case and reason behind the killings.

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Former Tucson fire department captain David Watson's case featured on Dateline

As previously mentioned, Dateline tracked down the murder case of three individuals personally related to the former Tucson Fire Department Captain David Watson in Arizona. The issue began in 2000 when Watson's ex-wife Linda Watson was nowhere to be found.

Her disappearance sparked an investigation, but no evidence occurred. Three years later in 2003, Linda Watson's skeletal remains were discovered in the Arizona desert. However, the remains weren't immediately identified, and took a few years until DNA testing in 2011 confirmed they belonged to Linda Watson.

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The same year when Linda Watson's skeleton remains were discovered, her 63-year-old mother Marilyn Cox, and Cox's 53-year-old friend Renee Farnsworth were gunned down. As explained on Dateline, the tragic incident occurred right after Marilyn and her friend dropped off Watson's daughter at his house.

Investigations began but the case remained unsolved for years until David Watson was finally arrested in 2015. He was charged with the murders of Linda, Marilyn, and Renee based on evidence and testimonies.

So, why did David Watson commit the murders? The Dateline episode explained that Watson and his ex-wife had been battling over the custody of their daughter. Marilyn Cox and Renee Farnsworth supported Linda and remained close to the kid until the two were also shot dead.

Also Read: 5 disturbing facts about the Bailey Sharp murder case on Dateline, explored

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What was the key evidence against David Watson: Dateline tracks the man's conviction

One of the major key points in speculating the motive for killing the three women was the ongoing custody battle between David Watson and Linda Watson over their daughter. Additionally, Linda's mother and Renee Farnsworth were killed soon after a court-ordered visitation.

Not only this but David Watson's second wife Rosemary Watson also claimed that her husband used to say "She needs to disappear... She needs to go away", hinting that the former Tucson fire department captain was involved in the murder of Linda Watson.

The trial began in 2016, but the jury deadlocked it in November. Watson was then retried in 2017, during which his second wife confessed to lying in the previous trial. Following her new confession and other evidence, the jury declared Watson guilty of the three murders.

He received 25 years of prison for Marilyn Cox’s murder, followed by the second term for Renee Farnsworth’s murder. And was also given 16 years of prison for his ex-wife Linda Watson's killing. This way, he received a total of 66 years in jail.

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