Competency hearing will start action in Quentin Watson's double murder trial on Friday

The double murder trial of 29-year-old Quentin Watson of Franklinton will get under way on Monday, Aug. 1 in the 22^nd District Courtroom of Judge William Knight instead of Friday as previously reported.

Quentin Watson

Watson is charged with the shooting deaths of Anita Smith, 46, and her nephew, William Lewis, 32, in Smith’s East Acres Subdivision. Their bodies were discovered on Feb. 6, 2008

On Friday, the court will hold a competency hearing for Watson, who first accepted responsibility for the killings when he was arrested in August 2009, then pled “not guilty” during his arraignment and continued to profess his innocence during a jailhouse interview with the Bogalusa newspaper.

Anita Smith

If Watson is deemed competent to stand trial — meaning he understands the charges against him and can aid in his defense — the trial will get under way on August 1.

It was in that interview that Watson even claimed 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 in the case and that Watson’s claims are not supported by the evidence collected — which includes his DNA.

Getting to this point was not easy, as law enforcement officers spent 18 months following every lead, then going back and following up again. Despite evidence found at the scene, the pieces of the puzzle never quite seemed to fit together.

But that began to change when Watson was arrested for prescription fraud in November 2008. It what Watson described as the first time he ever got in trouble, he says he bought a forged prescription for Lortab from a former nurse and tried to get it filled in Bogalusa.

It was that arrest, and subsequent collection of his DNA by Pardons and Paroles in March 2009, that led to Watson’s arrest.

A backlog delayed the entry of Watson’s DNA into the state system until July 2009 but it was at that point that investigators got a hit with evidence they had collected at the crime scene.

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.

Canal discrimination suit 'dismissed with prejudice'

A suit filed by 15 blacks alleging hiring discrimination by Canal Energy & Services has been dismissed with prejudice by United States District Court Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon. Earlier this year, the plantiffs had a complaint dismissed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Canal Energy & Services headquarters

Judge Lemmon signed the order of dismissal on Tuesday.

Canal president Steve Fetter, in a prepared statement released through operations manager Terry Rutherford, said, “We have never engaged in discriminatory practices and never will. We are gratified that the summary judgment was granted in our favor and we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves against frivolous allegations in the future.”

          The 13-page order of dismissal:

          http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/louisiana/laedce/2:2010cv04607/144614/16/

A dismissal with prejudice is dismissal of a case on merits after adjudication and the plaintiff is barred from bringing an action on the same claim. Dismissal with prejudice is a final judgment and the case becomes res judicata (a matter judged) on the claims that were or could have been brought in it.

The case, which was styled “Brown et al vs. Canal Energy Services, Inc.,” was filed last Dec. 22 by attorney Mary Anna Penton.

The plantiffs — Sondria Brown, Terris Cramedy, Carlos Gibson, Derrick Mixon, Arthur Mixon, Helen Edwards, Lance Jackson, Darrick May, Derrick McGowan, Preston Murray, Donnell Pigott, Jonathan Lowery, Elvin Pigott, Devon Thompson and Michael Williams — said they applied for employment at Canal in response to a newspaper advertisement.

They claimed Canal employed a practice to screen applicants to determine race and alleged it was “not uncommon” for company representatives to mark “B” on applications submitted by blacks and that Fetter advised his executive assistant that he did not want to hire them (blacks).

The suit sought award back pay, front pay, emotional distress damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and court costs.

Following the filing of the suit, an angry Fetter said the applicants were not hired because they were not qualified for the company’s vacancies.

Canal Energy, a worldwide oilfield services company, moved its offices to Bogalusa from Belle Chasse and, despite Fetter’s promise to leave following the following of the suit, is still in operation in the Industrial Park.