Harrah's Casino Murder Defendant Learns His Trial Date

JOLIET, IL — Robert Watson, a transient who has lived in several different states, learned Monday morning that he will stand trial at the Will County Courthuose beginning Feb. 6 in connection with the brutal deadly stabbing of a senior citizen who was staying at downtown Joliet's Harrah's Casino Hotel in March 2019.

Nearly four years ago, Watson stabbed 76-year-old Emanuel Burgarino of Hales Corners, Wis., 26 times after ambushing the guest of Harrah's Casino on the fifth floor of the hotel during a Sunday night robbery, according to Will County's prosecutors and Joliet police detectives.

Nowadays, Watson is 29. His bail remains set at $5 million. On many occasions, Watson refuses to get out of his Will County Jail to go to Courtroom 405 for his pretrial hearings. In response, Will County Judge David Carlson has often entered written orders into Watson's court files, allowing the Will County Sheriff's Office permission to "use any means necessary" to bring Watson to the Will County Courthouse on the dates of Watson's respective hearings in Carlson's courtroom.

Over the past few years, Watson has filed a number of lawsuits and orders of protection claiming the Will County Jail guards are poisoning his food.

Back in 2020, Joliet Patch reported that Watson had used the Will County Jail commissary to purchase 50 Honey Buns, which are individually wrapped.

"He only buys Honey Buns," one of the psychiatrists testified about Watson's eating habits in jail. "He has delusions about being poisoned."

According to court documents, Burgarino's fiancée, Denise Dixon, and Burgarino arrived in Joliet on March 22, 2019, and planned to stay at the Harrah's Casino hotel until Monday, March 25, 2019. Harrah's staff assigned them a room on the fifth floor of the hotel, and they got electronic key cards for their room.

That Sunday evening, Burgarino and Dixon were gambling in the Joliet casino, and the Wisconsin man went back to his hotel room to retrieve something between 9 and 10 p.m., court records show. He went by himself, using the elevator, and walked to his fifth floor room.

The 76-year-old Hales Corners resident was attacked between the elevator and his room. At 9:47 p.m., Watson assaulted him, stabbed him multiple times and robbed him of his money, court documents indicate.

"Watson was not a guest of the hotel, and he had not been issued an electronic key card or assigned a room," Northbrook attorney Jeffrey Crane stated in his 2021 lawsuit against Caesar's Entertainment and Harrah's Joliet seeking a jury award of at least $5 million. "Watson had been stalking patrons in the casino before the assault in plain view of the hotel staff. Watson had appeared several times on the security cameras in the hotel section of the Harrah's Joliet casino in the hours and over the weekend prior to the assault."

Related Joliet Patch coverage:

Harrah's Murder Defendant Says Jail Food Poisoned

Demonic Voices Inside Joliet Murder Defendant's Head, Doctor Says

Harrah's Casino Slaying: Wisconsin Victim's Family Sues