Murdered Harrah's Casino Hotel Guest Stabbed 26 Times

JOLIET, IL — A 76-year-old Wisconsin senior citizen suffered 26 stab wounds as he was slain in a fifth floor hallway of the Harrah's Casino Hotel on Sunday night by a 25-year-old man who has turned to a life of crime, according to Will County State's Attorneys. On Tuesday afternoon, Robert A. Watson, 25, who is a transient, appeared before Judge Chrystel Gavlin through a video feed set up at the Will County Jail.

Assistant State's Attorney Chelsea Selvey urged the judge to set the murder defendant's bail at $5 million. And that's what happened.

Watson "is a young man with a pretty lengthy criminal history," Judge Gavlin informed everyone. Prosecutors said there are irrefutable video surveillance tapes from throughout the Harrah's Casino premises that tie Watson to the murder of Harrah's Casino hotel guest Emanuel Burgarino of Hales Corners, a Wisconsin village of less than 8,000 people near Milwaukee.

Watson, the court heard, had just relocated to Will County about a month ago, he told the judge. Robbery was the motive for the crime; Watson attacked Burgarino to steal his cash, the prosecution's case outlines.

The downtown Joliet casino murder occurred around 10 p.m. on Sunday, March 24.

By Monday afternoon, Joliet Police detectives had taken Watson into custody on the second floor of the downtown Joliet Public Library, less than two blocks away.

The downtown library property is a regular gathering place for transients who tend to stay at the Daybreak Homeless Shelter, 611 E. Cass Street, as well as the MorningStar Mission at 350 E. Washington Street. When the weather is nice, it's not uncommon to see large groups of transients hanging out near the library, sometimes blocking access for pedestrians using the sidewalks on either Ottawa Street or along Clinton Street, across from the Hotel Plaza.

It's about a three-minute walk from Harrah's Casino to the downtown library on North Ottawa Street.

The office of Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow has charged Watson with the following crimes:

• 4 counts of first-degree murder
• 1 count of armed robbery
• 1 count of robbery

Prosecutor Selvey told the judge that Watson's criminal history spans the past decade and includes convictions in Arizona involving burglary, criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, shoplifting and improperly carrying a gun without a license; from Cook County: failure to appear, retail thefts and robbery, from Texas: aggravated robbery and a lewd behavior conviction out of Wisconsin.

"Court is going to set bond at $5 million," Judge Gavlin declared.

As far as the downtown Joliet homicide, prosecutor Selvey informed the courtroom that eyewitness statements, video surveillance tapes and physical evidence recovered by the Joliet Police Department connect Watson to the Wisconsin man's slaying.

According to Tuesday's testimony, at least one Harrah's Casino Hotel guest on Sunday night noticed Watson hanging around the Harrah's hotel lobby area and Watson tried to follow the guest on an elevator in hopes of getting onto one of the hotel's floors.

The witness noticed Watson did not push any particular floor buttons once he got inside the elevator, the judge learned.

Eventually, the witness got off on the fifth floor. The hotel guest later heard a loud noise from the fifth floor hallway.

"He saw the defendant on top of the victim," Selvey told the court. The guest yelled at Watson, who immediately ran off, darting down a flight of stairs and dashing out the front door of the Harrah's Casino, according to prosecutors.

Harrah's has video surveillance tapes showing Watson running down the stairwell "and out of the casino," the judge heard.

Burgarino suffered a total of 26 stab wounds, mainly to his neck and chest, the prosecutor said. He was pronounced dead at the St. Joe's hospital emergency room.

During the homicide investigation, Joliet Police found Watson's backpack at an abandoned Joliet house, the prosecutor revealed Tuesday afternoon.

Police recovered a knife with red stains on the blade as well as U.S. mail with the defendant's name on it, inside the backpack, the prosecutor informed Courtroom 305.

"How long have you lived in Will County?"

"I've lived in Will County about a month," Watson replied.

Meanwhile, Selvey implored the judge to set a high bail for Watson, given the egregious nature of the crime that took the life of a 76-year-old Wisconsin visitor to Joliet.

"He does have a criminal history from all over the place," Selvey pointed out. "The allegations you have before you are egregious."

At one point, a Will County public defender inquired, "Mr. Watson, were you employed?"

"No," he answered.

"So, Mr. Watson, you don't have any money you can post?"

"No," he responded.

A Will County booking mugshot now lists Watson as being a resident of Normal, IL. On Monday evening when Watson was first booked into the jail, the logs had him with a Chicago address.

Now, Watson needs to come up with $500,000 cash if he wants to regain his freedom while his murder charges are pending in what has become one of Will County's most high-profile murder cases for 2019.

ORIGINAL JOLIET PATCH ARTICLE: Joliet Police Solve Harrah's Casino Murder