Watson spent 652 days in the Orange County Jail before being exonerated last week. She was arrested in October of 2022 and accused of First-Degree Murder with a weapon and Robbery by the Orlando Police Department. The State Attorney’s office formally filed a single count of Second-Degree Murder with a weapon on December 1, 2022 which was later amended on May 22, 2024.
Watson’s attorney, Andrew Darling slammed the Orlando Police Department. “This is an example of the Orlando Police Department misleading the media with made-up facts to vilify suspects of a crime. There was never any evidence that either Ms. Watson or her co-defendant took anything from the deceased in this case. The deceased was the aggressor and accosted the two women at the Lynx station and engaged in multiple fights with them. Finally, this ended with one of the women defending the other by shooting and killing the deceased,” Darling said.
In a statement obtained by The Florida Sun, Darling writes that in December 2022, local television station WFTV reported that investigators said Watson caught up to Acosta first and pushed him against a car. “That leak contradicts the statement Watson made to the investigator and the video in this case. Mr. Acosta squared up for a fight, then pressed Watson up against the vehicle with his forearm across her neck, choking her. He was struck in the head by the butt of a firearm before being shot and killed. They tried to stop him before shooting him. It is very possible that without him being shot, Ms. Watson would have been the victim in this case,” said attorney Andrew Darling.
Darling continued, “Defending another person is lawful in the State of Florida. The State Attorney’s office’s refusal to acknowledge the facts in this case after months of discussions reflects an overworked staff that lacks guidance from its leadership. No offers were ever made to Ms. Watson to resolve this case.”
Darling is calling for the State Attorney’s office to review the investigation they received and determine if they should have taken different action in this case.
Before Darling Law was retained, the Judiciary found that there was “proof evident, presumption great” that Ms. Watson had committed an offense. She was refused any bond amount, which is why she remained in custody for more than 21 months.
