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Jonathan Armstrong Watkins, 36, was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison in Rockbridge County Circuit Court last Tuesday for charges related to the murder of Katrina Dudley on Dec. 10, 2021.
Watkins was convicted on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a murder by a jury following a week-long trial in July.
Last week, Rockbridge Circuit Court Judge Christopher Russell sentenced Watkins to 38 years for the murder, suspending 20 years of that sentence, and to three years for the use of a firearm charge, which is the mandatory minimum sentence.
Watkins also pled guilty to a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and was sentenced to five years, with three suspended. The sentences will be served consecutively. Following his release, Watkins will have to complete five years of supervised probation and maintain good behavior for a period of 25 years.
“We were hoping for a greater sentence, but ultimately, we feel that justice has been served,” Rockbridge County Commonwealth’s Attorney Jared Moon told The News-Gazette last Wednesday.
In his closing arguments, Moon asked Russell for an active sentence of 35 to 40 years, which would have exceeded the recommended sentencing guidelines of the presentence report. The report recommended a sentence between 14 years, one month, and 23 years, seven months.
“The consequences of (Watkins’s) malicious act will be felt for years to come,” Moon argued. “How do you measure a mother’s loss of her daughter? How do you measure a father’s loss of his daughter? How do you measure a brother’s loss of his sister? ... Is it even possible to measure, to quantify to loss of this one person?”
Moon also pointed to the years of life Watkins had taken away from Dudley herself, noting that she was 28 years old when she died. He noted that, although she had been struggling with fertility issues, she had wanted to have children of her own and had been a mother figure to Watkins’ children.
“There is one fact that should not be missed in this case,” he said. “When he (Watkins) gets out of prison, he will have children. He will likely have grandchildren by then. Jonathan Watkins will have posterity who will live on, but there will be no descendants of Katrina Leeann Dudley.”
Teresa Harris, Watkins’s defense attorney, asked Russell to consider a sentence of seven years, which was below the minimum recommended by the sentencing guidelines, which is something that can be considered if the defendant has been determined to have shown sufficient remorse for his or her actions.
Harris pointed to a moment during the nearly nine-hour interview of Watkins on Dec. 10, 2021, where at one point investigator Chris Young asked Watkins if he believed he was responsible for Dudley’s death. Watkins denied shooting her, but acknowledged that he was responsible.
Russell acknowledged that that was “a reasonable interpretation” of that moment of the interview, but felt that it didn’t rise to the standard for a lesser sentence. He also acknowledged that the court did not have to follow the recommended sentencing guidelines, but that he didn’t “see a reason to depart” from them.
Prior to the closing arguments, members of both Dudley’s and Watkins’ families testified at the sentencing hearing, talking about how the events of Dec. 10, 2021, had impacted them.
Felicia Dudley, Katrina’s mother, talked about how Katrina was “very outdoorsy” and how she “loved her family dearly.”
“There was a bright light when she came in the room,” she said. “Her smile would light up a room and now it’s gone.
“She had a very nurturing nature,” she added. “She wanted to be a nurse. She wanted to be a mother. She wanted to live a full life and he (Watkins) took that away … I am completely broken, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be whole again. And I think he needs to pay. I really do.”
Alex Dudley, Katrina’s brother, said that he and his sister had a “really close relationship.”
“She’d be the first person I’d go to to tell everything. She was my main supporter in things. Even when she wasn’t okay, she made sure I was alright … She should be here, and she just isn’t because someone made a stupid decision.”
Dudley noted that his sister’s death “took [away] the chance of me becoming an uncle, of having any nieces and nephews,” and that there “a lot of milestones” in his life that she wouldn’t be there for. He also talked about the impact her death had on his parents, recalling a recent moment where a picture of Katrina had come up on his mother’s phone and “she couldn’t look at it.”
Dudley and his mother both testified that they have been in therapy since Katrina’s death.
Tabitha Bailey, Katrina’s cousin, recalled growing up with Katrina and spending time hunting, camping, and having cookouts on the land where Katrina was living when she died.
“There’s a hole in everybody,” she said. “We used to have cookouts on that property, and half of us don’t want to go there anymore. There’s never going to be a time and place where we feel complete anymore because something was taken from us.”
Donna Moore, Watkins’ mother, testified on her son’s behalf. She talked about how close she was with her son prior and how she “loved Katrina like family.” Her son, she testified, loved her, too.
“They stuck to each other like glue,” she said. “They would be kissing and loving on each other all the time.”
Moore also testified about how Watkins was a good father to his three children, and how he tried to be involved in their lives as much as he could, even though he didn’t see the younger two as often. She also said that Katrina loved the children.
Moore said that she had seen bruises on Katrina prior to Dec. 10, 2021, and that she had reprimanded Watkins, telling him that “he is not to put his hands on a woman [like that].”
Watkins’ oldest daughter, Adriana Watkins, also took the stand on her father’s behalf, saying that her father was “my best friend.”
“I’ve always been a daddy’s girl,” she said. “We’d do everything together. He took me to work with him and sometimes let me play with his tools, [and] he helped me with my homework.” She testified that her father had a good relationship with her younger brother and sister, even though he didn’t get to see them very often.
Watkins testified that on Dec. 10, she didn’t learn about what had happened until after she got home from school, at which point her father was at the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, being interviewed by investigator Young.
“I didn’t get to say good-bye,” she said. “It rips me apart because my dad was my best friend. I never imagined him not being there to cheer me on. I’m afraid he’s not going to see me graduate.
“Losing a life is hard,” she added. “I understand how that tears you up inside. I really don’t want to lose my dad, too.”
Watkins also testified about her relationship with Katrina Dudley, saying that she and her siblings “loved her too.”
“She was amazing,” she said. “Even though she was older than me, it was like she was one of my school friends. I could tell her things and she wouldn’t judge me. I loved her.”
