Judge Pronounces Life Sentence For Man Convicted Of Killing TPD Investigator

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Brad Almond on Friday pronounced a sentence of life without parole for the man convicted of capital murder in the 2019 shooting death of Tuscaloosa Police Investigator Dornell Cousette.

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As Patch previously reported, a Tuscaloosa County jury voted 7-5 last week in favor of the sentence pronounced Friday for 26-year-old Luther Bernard Watkins, Jr. This followed a weeklong trial and hours of witness testimony.

Defense attorneys argued self-defense at trial, telling the jury that Cousette violated policy and made mistakes that set off the series of events leading to his death. They also spoke to Watkins' youth and surroundings as contributing factors to explain his behavior.

Patch reported that prosecutors portrayed Watkins as a fugitive with multiple outstanding warrants for robbery and assault who chose to shoot Cousette as the veteran investigator attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Watkins at a residence on 33rd Avenue in west Tuscaloosa on Sept. 16, 2019.

After two weeks of a packed courtroom for the trial and sentencing, only one person sat behind the defense table and noticeably fewer were present on the prosecution's side.

Watkins has 42 days to appeal his sentence.

Now in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections, it is unclear where Watkins will be sent to serve out his life sentence.

Friday's proceedings also marked the final day on the bench for Judge Almond, who retired in December but stayed on to preside over Watkins' capital murder case.

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