Man convicted in couple’s 2018 death
The jury found Dewayne Watkins
By KTBS Staff
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SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — It took a Caddo Parish jury less than two hours Wednesday to find a Shreveport man guilty in the shooting and burning deaths of a couple who only tried to do a kind act.
The jury found Dewayne Watkins, 37, guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Kelly Jose, 43, and his wife, Heather Jose, 32, after listening to nine days of testimony. Watkins faces mandatory life in prison since the state did not seek the death penalty.
Caddo District Judge John Mosely set a formal sentencing date on Oct. 19.
Jury selection began Aug. 29 after multiple delays. The state and defense rested their cases Tuesday, and jurors returned today to hear closing arguments.
In June, a mistrial was declared by Mosely after it was learned that an attorney involved tested positive for COVID-19, and a key witness also was symptomatic. Contact tracing could have led to other potential quarantines. No recess was possible due to witness and juror availabilities.
The Jose’s met their untimely deaths after giving Watkins a ride from Mall St. Vincent on Nov. 8, 2018. He approached them there and asked to use Healther Jose’s cellphone.
The couple, described by friends and family as trusting and generous, agreed to give him a ride instead. Their bodies — burned beyond recognition — were later found in a burning car parked in a carport of an abandoned house on Penick Street. Watkins was arrested several days after the slayings following a six-hour standoff with police.
Kelly Jose was a civilian employee at Barksdale Air Force Base and an Air Force reservist. Heather Jose moved to the Shreveport area from California when she married him.
Assistant District Attorneys Bill Edwards and Mekisha Creal prosecuted the case. Watkins was defended by Sean Collins and the Capital Defense Project of Southeast Louisiana.
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