Background: News footage of Patrick Watson in court on Dec. 16 as he heard his guilty verdict (WCJB). Inset: D'halani Armstrong (Phillip & Sons Funeral Directors).
A Florida man who was behind a home invasion that resulted in a 20-year-old woman being fatally shot will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Patrick Watson, 52, was convicted by a jury in Alachua County on Tuesday and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in a home invasion that led to the shooting death of 20-year-old D'halani Armstrong.
According to courtroom reporting by local ABC affiliate WCJB, prosecutors said that Watson hired three men and provided them with weapons, money, and drugs, as well as information about his target, and told them, "Find a way." Before the men showed up at the victim's home in Gainesville, Florida, on July 19, 2022, Watson promised them each their own share of what they walked away with.
During the trial, the jury heard testimony from the three people Watson hired to carry out the home invasion. All of them took plea deals and were sentenced for their involvement in the deadly crime. Watson was charged with first-degree murder, armed home invasion, solicitation to commit armed burglary, and felony possession of a weapon. He was convicted on every charge.
According to court documents obtained by WCJB, Tiara Luckie drove Alderious White and Jason Ward to the Gainesville home and stayed in the car while the two men broke in. The first person they encountered was Armstrong, who was immediately shot by White. The homeowner, Armstrong's uncle Dovico Miles, was held at gunpoint by Ward.
Miles was able to get a hold of the gun and fire shots at White and Ward as they fled the home. Both men were struck and had non-life-threatening wounds. Ward was able to return to the car, and Luckie drove him away. White was arrested at the scene.
Miles was initially charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, but those charges were dropped.
Luckie, Ward, and White all testified at Watson's trial, which the defense tried to argue was less than reliable. Watson's defense attorney said during closing arguments that without their testimony, "they have absolutely no evidence that my client engaged in any type of criminal conduct."
The jury, however, disagreed. The judge was also not swayed, telling Watson while handing him his life sentence, "It is my intention that you serve the rest of your life in prison, and never be released until you die. And then your body may be removed from the Department of Corrections."