Competency hearing begins Friday in double murder

Beginning Friday morning, defense attorneys for Quentin Watson will try to convince 22^nd Judicial District Judge William Knight that he is not competent to stand trial.

Quentin Watson

Watson, 29, faces the death penalty in the double murder of Anita Smith, 46, and her nephew, William Lewis, 32, in Smith’s East Acres Subdivision in Franklinton. Family members discovered their bodies on Feb. 6, 2008.

It will be up to Judge Knight to sort through the presentations of both defense and prosecution and decide if Watson, who initially admitted guilt when arrested in August 2009, can aid in his own defense.

If ruled competent, jury selection in the trial can get under way as quickly as Judge Knight decides.

Anita Smith

Watson pled “not guilty” during his arraignment and continued to profess his innocence during a jailhouse interview with the Bogalusa newspaper.

In the newspaper interview, Watson even claims to have talked with the person he believes to be the real killer and said his confession to police was out of fear for the safety for his family and himself.

Watson said he received a call on his cell phone the day the bodies were discovered and was told that if he said anything, he “would be next.”

Law enforcement discounted Watson’s claims and said he was looking for a way out. They also said the person Watson was referring to was never a suspect and that Watson’s claims are not supported by the evidence collected — which includes his DNA.

It was a contact DNA sample taken from the crime scene that resulted in Watson’s arrest. Watson was arrested for prescription fraud in November 2008 and had his DNA collected by Pardons and Paroles in March 2009.

A backlog delayed the entry of Watson’s DNA into the state system until July 2009 but when it was finally entered, investigators got a hit.

Police began tracking Watson’s movements before bringing him in for questioning when, Franklinton Police Chief Donald Folse said, “he took full responsibility” for the killings.