Bail bondsman receives 110 years for Christmas Eve murder of 2 teens
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A former bail bondsman learned he could spend the rest of his life in prison during his sentencing Friday for the murder of two teenagers, according to online court records.
A jury on March 2 convicted Kevin Watkins, 51, after a five-day trial in Marion Superior Court, Criminal Division 5. The sentence called for two consecutive 55-year terms in the Indiana Department of Correction.
Satori “Dionne” Williams, 16, and Timmee Jackson, 15, were last seen on Christmas Eve in 2015 leaving the home of a friend who lived near Watkins and had been threatened by Watkins in the past, according to a news release issued after Watkins was convicted.
According to court records, Watkins may have believed that Williams burglarized his home on Dec. 19.
One of the last people to see Williams said he had a BB gun and a crowbar with him. A BB gun was recovered in a large trash bin behind Watkins’ business, Watkins Bail Bonds, in the 6000 block of Massachusetts Avenue.
On Dec. 25, Williams’ mother went searching for the teen and noticed blood on Watkins’ property, including on the front step and in the yard.
According to charging documents, Williams’ mother confronted Watkins about the blood and called police. Watkins, of Indianapolis, reportedly told the mother he didn’t know anything about the blood.
A search warrant for the property turned up a rake covered in blood. Pieces of brain matter were found in Watkins’ front yard.
Clothes matching what Williams was last seen in were found in a bloody garbage bag in the back of Watkins’ vehicle.
The body of Timmee Jackson was located in February 2016 buried on the shore of a small pond on the city’s east side near Watkins’ bail bondsman business. The body of Satori Dionne Williams was located in April 2016 in a rural area of Shelby County.
Watkins was arrested on Dec. 26, 2015, and has remained at the Marion County Jail since his arrest.
Authorities determined the deaths were caused by chop wound injuries to the head of each victim inflicted by a tomahawk. The weapon was recovered by the Indianapolis Fire Department Dive Team from the east side pond that was searched after the discovery of Jackson’s body.
After Watkins’ conviction last month, Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry issued a statement:
“This verdict is gratifying for many reasons, most importantly that it brings justice to the families of Timmee Jackson and Dionne Williams. They endured months of not knowing what happened to their loved ones, only to find that their worst fears were true. We mourn the senseless and tragic loss of these young men.”
“Further, the conviction assures the public that Kevin Watkins will no longer be free to use his self-appointed position of power to threaten or injure others in our community.”
On Friday, Curry issued this statement:
“Every homicide is senseless, but some rise to the level of just pure evil. Kevin Watkins is evil, and he deserves every single day of his 110-year sentence. Our hearts continue to go out to the devastated families of Dionne Williams and Timmee Jackson.”
