Florida’s Stand Your Ground law is perhaps one of the broadest in the country. It gained mainstream notoriety with the unfortunate case of Trayvon Martin in 2012, sparking national and international controversy. This is a law that protects victims of violent crimes that could result in death or serious bodily injury. It protects potential victims, who acting reasonably. It also removes any duty to retreat. When Wes Watson was lightly pushed by a special needs man at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami, FL, this did not justify Wes to:
- Batter the victim with a weigh-training belt
- Punch him on the head over 50x
- Kick him in the head 8x while on his knees in a defensive position
- Gauge his eyes
- Pull his hair
The Stand Your Ground law also does not give Wes Watson license to have his friends batter the special needs man with their fists, feet, and a dumbbell while he’s on the floor trying to cover his face and screeching in pain.
The Stand Your Ground law does not give license to gang beatings, either. Most of the savage attack that resulted in the victim having two black eyes and a face fracture took place when he posed absolutely no threat to Wes. The degree to which Wes and his confederates beat this man was in no way reasonable.
How is reasonableness judged? That’s not a question of law, rather, it’s a question of fact for the judge (bench trial) or the jury (jury trial).
No jury on Earth will find Wes striking a man on his knees 50+x with closed fists, unleashing 8 soccer kicks to the head, blinding him and hitting him with a belt 2x in response to mild push – as being reasonable. This will especially be the case since Watson didn’t have so much as a scratch on him.
Also one look at Wes and his demeanor and the jury will have their mind made up pretty quickly. Watson has no intention of humbling himself or softening his image for the Court or any potential jury. We’ve already seen his antics since being released on bond. In his mind, this is not a serious case, and he will not lose face. As a result of acting like a goon and looking like a goon while fighting his case, he’ll make the trier of fact’s job much easier. There is no way that a judge or jury will find his actions to have been reasonable. And if his actions are found not to be reasonable, then Stand Your Ground and basic Self-Defense go out with the bathwater.
The State will not only have the video which shows the utter cruelty of the attack on the special needs man, but it will also more than likely call him as a witness should this case go to trial. The judge and jury will get to see this man’s condition, they will hear him answer questions, and they may also see Watson’s lawyer appear to bully him on the stand. If, in fact, the man’s special needs are apparent as we’ve been led to believe, this will undoubtedly lower Watson’s image before the judge and/or jury.
That said, any jury who sees the video from beginning to end will convict Watson. And there isn’t an evidentiary objection that I can think of that would prevent the video from coming in. In fact, Wes used highly-edited portions of it on his own social media platforms. Wes has also made light of the crime since being released on $5,000 bond.
As a licensed, practicing attorney, I’d call any SYG or Self-Defense approach from Watson’s legal team a pitiful attempt at downplaying what the video shows. If the judge and/or jury are pressed to choose between the alternate reality that Watson’s counsel paints and that the reality that the video shows, it’s pretty clear which version will be relied upon by the Court.
There are also two equally foolish things that can happen here. First, Wes Watson taking this case all the way to a final judgment. Second, would be for Wes to testify. Once he takes the stand and starts answering questions, the State will absolutely wipe the floor with him. Moreover, his inability to contain himself and his obsession with promoting his bullshit alpha male ethos will totally overwhelm him. That persona has already been unmasked, in part, and a trial would all but destroy whatever is left of it.
Even minor details have already come to light – like him not being 6′ tall but really just 5’8. This ex-con-half-pint isn’t tall at all. He may have been able to get away with it on social media through deceiving the public, but the case has already shown the world that he’s really an ankle biter. And if convicted at trial, the State would have no reason not to ask for sentence maximums. After all, Watson is a South Florida transplant. He’s a San Diego native with an extensive rap sheet who has served hard time for these crimes. The Court and the State may not have been familiar with this at the bond hearing. Bond hearings aren’t meant to be punitive; however, any potential danger to the community is factored in. Based on Watson’s modus operandi, I’d say there’s a very good chance he’ll get his bond revoked by getting in trouble before the trial takes place. The judge doesn’t seem inclined to give him any second chances, either.
Will Wes listen to the Judge? Will he listen to his attorney? Or will he continue down the path that has already seen him get banned from the gym he trained clients at, charged, arrested and facing a trial that will be closely followed by the independent bodybuilding media. It has also received mainstream media attention.
The more eyes that are on this case, the less likely it is he will walk away with paying restitution and doing some community service. He faces actual prison time. If his lawyer is able to keep him out of prison, he will more than likely be closely monitored under plea conditions. Some of these conditions might include anger management classes, random drug/alcohol testing, wearing an anklet and/or being restricted from leaving the State without express permission. Wes is, after all, facing two felony charges.
Only time will tell where this case goes, but I couldn’t help but crack-up watching Watson’s attorney fire off a series of defenses that only do not apply to this Wes, but which would insult any judge and/or jury’s intelligence after watching the video in question.
