Man Pleads Not Guilty To Murder In Chula Vista Property Manager's Slaying

CHULA VISTA, CA — A man who allegedly murdered and dismembered a woman who managed the Chula Vista property where he lived pleaded not guilty Thursday to a murder charge.

Robert Lee Watkins, 41, is accused in last month's slaying of 56-year-old Brenda Gillett, who managed a property owned by her mother on Via Curvada.

In court documents seeking to have bail denied to Watkins, prosecutors say Watkins claimed to police that Gillett confronted him with a hammer, prompting him to take it from her and strike her with it. He later also attacked her with a hatchet, he allegedly told police, before admitting to disposing of the victim's body.

Prosecutors allege he refused to reveal where Gillett's body was located unless he was "given a deal."

The prosecution's motion states police were initially called to the residence at around 2:30 a.m. May 24 because Gillett reported "her family had been recently having ongoing problems with" Watkins, including that he was "covering the cameras" and bringing over guests when he was not allowed to do so.

Officers left after telling Gillett they could not assist her with eviction proceedings, nor could they force access into the home when no one answered the door, prosecutors wrote.

Gillett's sister reported her missing the following day.

Responding officers found Gillett's car parked outside the home and retrieved Ring camera footage showing Watkins disposing of a bag in a trash container, prosecutors said.

After searching the container, officers found the bag, which contained a torn shirt, a "blood-saturated" towel, and a shoe that matched the pair Gillett was last seen wearing, according to prosecutors.

Watkins arrived at the home while the officers were still on scene and he appeared to have "fresh scratch marks on his arm and blood on his shoes."

When officers entered the residence, they found blood throughout and "a strong odor of bleach."

Watkins was subsequently arrested.

Further investigation revealed that on the morning of May 24, Watkins went to the harbor near the USS Midway, where surveillance footage captured him throwing a bag off the pier into the water, as well as throwing multiple other items into a trash can, the prosecution's motion states.

Divers who searched the area where Watkins was seen disposing of items in the water recovered a hammer, hatchet, and some of the victim's remains, prosecutors say. A suitcase found in Paseo Del Rey Park, less than a mile from the Via Curvada residence, also contained Gillett's remains, the prosecution's papers state.

— City News Service