New trial against convicted murderer

Posted on: October 24, 2024, 10:44 am.

Last updated on: October 24, 2024, 10:44 am.

A man convicted of a murder at Harrah's Joliet Hotel & Casino will face a new trial after a panel of Illinois Appeals Court judges overturned Robert Watson's conviction last week.

He had been serving a 100-year sentence after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder.

Watson stabbed 76-year-old Sam Burgarino 26 times in March 2019.

During last year's trial, it was determined that Watson was also mentally ill. According to Patch, issues related to his emotional health were one of the reasons for the appeal.

His lawyers argued during his appeal that it was unreasonable that he was not granted a continuance to obtain a further health assessment. Prosecutors also improperly called an expert witness, Anna Stapleton, as a counterwitness after she was used by the defense, the judges said.

“This error was so damaging that it deprived the defendant of his right to a fair trial,” the appeal judges added in their ruling.

In their appeal, Watson's lawyers also said the bias instructions were not properly read to the jury.

Suspected Robber Arrested at Treasure Island Casino

The man accused of robbing a victim in the Treasure Island Resort & Casino parking garage is now in a Las Vegas jail.

Zac Zachary, 43, was transferred last week from a California prison to the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada for the Feb. 12 attack.

He was charged with robbery with a deadly weapon and charged with robbery with a deadly weapon.

Zachary was reportedly holding a handgun as he approached a man in a car. He then punched him in the head and then ordered him to give him his personal property, police said.

Zachary took an Oakley shoulder bag, debit and credit cards, identification and about $1,000 in cash before fleeing the parking garage, police said.

In his getaway vehicle, a rental car, the police said they found a pistol, ammunition, suspected marijuana, scales, the Oakley bag and a cell phone.

Another person in the parking garage and the casino's surveillance cameras took photos of the suspect. According to Las Vegas television station KLAS, police used the photos to identify and track down the suspect.

There is no information about the injuries of the victim, who was hit in the head.

The California Highway Patrol arrested Zachary in Baker, California. Zachary was initially housed at the High Desert Detention Center in San Bernardino County, California.

He is scheduled to appear in a Nevada court on November 4.

If convicted on these charges, Zachary could face prison time.