Jonathan Henry Watson is a California state prisoner serving 50 years to life for a 2008 murder in Humboldt County who, on January 16, 2020, beat two fellow inmates to death at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran. Both victims were convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. Watson confessed in a handwritten letter to a Bay Area newspaper, saying he had warned a prison counselor hours earlier that he would turn violent if he was not moved out of dorm-style housing.
The 2008 Murder That Sent Him to Prison
On December 3, 2008, Watson, then 30, forced his way into the Cutten, California home of Garrett Benson. A struggle followed, and Watson shot Benson three times. Benson died hours later at a hospital. Investigators found a significant amount of marijuana being grown and processed inside the residence.1Times-Standard. Gunman Pleads Guilty to Cutten Murder Benson’s mother testified that Watson had previously been charged with attempted robbery involving her son and his girlfriend, Rachel Wold, who was present at the fatal shooting.2Times-Standard. Second Man Sentenced in Cutten Murder Case
Watson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and was sentenced to 50 years to life under a plea agreement with Deputy District Attorney Max Cardoza.2Times-Standard. Second Man Sentenced in Cutten Murder Case
The January 2020 Killings at Corcoran
By January 2020, Watson had been moved to the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, a Level II prison in Corcoran with dorm-style housing. Watson later described the transfer from a Level III, single-occupancy facility as a “careless” mistake by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and said he had filed multiple grievances protesting it.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison
On January 16, Watson grabbed another inmate’s walking cane and attacked David Bobb, 48, in their housing pod. By Watson’s account, Bobb had been watching PBS Kids on his television in the common area, which Watson took as a taunt given Bobb’s conviction for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14. Watson beat Bobb with the cane and stomped on his head. Bobb died on the way to a hospital.4Prison Legal News. California Prison Officials Cleared After Prisoner Murders Two Sex Offenders
Watson then started toward the guards’ station to turn himself in. On the way he encountered Graham De Luis-Conti, 62, who was also serving a life sentence for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14, and attacked him with the same cane. “I saw a known child trafficker,” Watson later wrote, “and I figured I’d just do everybody a favor. In for a penny, in for a pound.” De Luis-Conti died at a local hospital three days later.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison5KSBW. California Inmate Confesses Killing Two Molesters in Letter to Newspaper
Watson approached a correctional officer afterward and said, “I’ve got some pretty bad news.” He wrote that the officer initially did not believe him and jokingly asked, “You’re not going to hit me with that cane are you?” The officer went to check, confirmed the attacks, and Watson was placed in segregated housing with restricted phone privileges.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison
The Confession Letter
With his phone access restricted, Watson could not accept a phone interview request from the Bay Area News Group. He answered with a handwritten letter that laid out the sequence of events, named both victims, and explained his reasoning. The Mercury News published excerpts in February 2020.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison
Watson wrote that as a lifer, he was “in a unique position where I sometimes have access to these people and I have so little to lose.” He added, “trust me, we get it, these people are every parents’ worst nightmare.”6ABC30. Corcoran Inmate Confesses Killing Two Molesters in Letter to Newspaper He said he would plead guilty to both killings if the state took him to court.7CBS News. Inmate Confesses to Beating Two Child Molesters to Death in Prison
Watson’s Warning Claim and the Inspector General’s Finding
Watson said that in the hours before the attacks, he told a prison counselor he needed an urgent transfer back to Level III housing and warned he would “get violent” if forced to stay. He alleged the counselor “scoffed and dismissed” his request.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison
CDCR initially declined to comment, citing an active investigation.7CBS News. Inmate Confesses to Beating Two Child Molesters to Death in Prison The California Office of the Inspector General later reviewed the incident under Case Nos. 20-0033252 and 20-0032396. In a letter dated May 16, 2022, the OIG found that CDCR had handled the situation in a “satisfactory” manner and that there was “insufficient evidence that the counselor knew of a risk and failed to act.” No prison staff were disciplined.4Prison Legal News. California Prison Officials Cleared After Prisoner Murders Two Sex Offenders
Has Watson Been Charged for the Prison Killings?
As of the most recent available reporting, Watson has not been publicly charged with murder for the deaths of David Bobb and Graham De Luis-Conti. News accounts from February 2020 confirmed that no charges had been filed at that point, and the available record does not document a later charging decision by the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, which has jurisdiction over crimes at the Corcoran facility.3The Mercury News. Convicted Killer Confesses to Murdering Two Child Molesters in California Prison7CBS News. Inmate Confesses to Beating Two Child Molesters to Death in Prison Watson, who said in the letter he would plead guilty if taken to court, remains in CDCR custody serving his original 50-year-to-life sentence for the 2008 murder of Garrett Benson.
The Facility Under Federal Oversight
The California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility has been under sustained federal court scrutiny through the long-running class action Armstrong v. Newsom, which addresses the treatment of incarcerated people with disabilities. In November 2021, Judge Claudia Wilken ordered a court-appointed expert to investigate misconduct at SATF and five other CDCR facilities.8RBGG. Armstrong Court Expert Finds People With Disabilities Incarcerated at SATF Face Greater Punishment Than Peers
The expert’s December 2022 report concluded that people with disabilities at SATF live “diminished and needlessly difficult lives” and face “harsher prison conditions, and thus greater punishment, than their peers,” describing indifferent medical staff and investigative failures in which officials neglected to review security footage or interview the subjects of misconduct allegations.9RBGG. CDCR Staff Misconduct Litigation In February 2023, Judge Wilken ordered CDCR to develop remedies at the facility, including fixed security cameras, body-worn cameras on correctional officers, and increased supervisory staffing.8RBGG. Armstrong Court Expert Finds People With Disabilities Incarcerated at SATF Face Greater Punishment Than Peers The Armstrong litigation does not concern Watson or the January 2020 killings directly, but it describes the conditions at the prison where the killings happened.