COURT HOUSE — Jesse Watkins will not get his case heard in Mays Landing, with jurors chosen from Atlantic County jury pools, Cape May County Superior Court Law Division Raymond J. Batten ruled April 3.

Watkins is facing a first-degree murder trial in the disappearance of his cousin Craig White, on Feb. 23, 1990. White was reportedly last seen with Watkins and never seen again, according to prosecutors. His body has never been found.

Christopher Robertson, defense counsel, filed a motion for change of venue, asking Judge Batten to move the case to Atlantic County arguing that pretrial publicity would prejudice his client’s chances for an unbiased jury.

But Batten said he found insufficient proof that no jury in the county could be found whose members would be unbiased, citing the jury selection process as a means by which to assure an unbiased jury, and a lack of clear and convincing evidence to show that virtually every member of the jury pool in Cape May County was somehow tainted due to the press coverage in the case.

Robertson cited a report in his motion, which tallied pretrial publicity about the case from a variety of local media, including the Herald, Press and Gazette.

But Batten said the evidence didn’t rise to the level of proof necessary to grant a change in venue; and cited the long drive and inconvenience to the many witnesses in the case who would be required to drive to Mays Landing in the event of a change.
Watkins and White were cousins, and good friends, according to witness’ testimony, but things between the two turned sour in late 1989, when Watkins reportedly learned of White’s summer affair with Watkins’ long-time girlfriend at the time, Dawn Garrison, now Dawn Perdomo.

Judge Batten also ruled in a separate hearing a number of hearsay statements witnesses tes-tified to on April 3 would be admitted in the prosecutor’s case.

Watkins’ brother Donald Watkins testified about an argument he and his brother had while the two lived together in Florida.

He testified that Watkins told him to “get out of my face before I do you like I did Craig.”

Donald Watkins upon further questioning said he was uncertain whether his brother said “Craig” or “Greg” and that at that time in 2007 he was using drugs, but that he was clean and sober since January of this year.

But Johnson challenged Watkins with his recorded statement that he said indicated he sounded certain.

“As God is my witness, I do not believe (my brother) is capable of doing anything of that sort,” Donald Watkins said.

Former Middle Township detective Blake Moore testified about a statement made by an-other former girlfriend, Margarette Marion, when the two were living in North Carolina.
She had told Moore that Watkins had confessed to her and told her, “The last time a girl-friend cheated on me (the other man) ended up dead.”

Watkins reportedly admitted to her that he hit White with a brick, took him to a friend where he was shot, and threw the body in a river.

One witness, James Williams, a fishing buddy of Watkins, testified he and Watkins once talked about the best way to dispose of a body, which included weighing it down with a cement block and throwing it in a river.

Other witnesses testified that Watkins told various versions of where he last saw White, including dropping him off in Buena or at a shopping center in Court House.