Lauderdale County, Tenn.–The murder trial for an inmate charged with killing a corrections official before escaping from the state prison at Henning has been delayed until 2021.
Curtis Watson had been set for trial Oct. 26 in the killing of Tennessee Department of Correction administrator Debra Johnson. Her body was found in her home on the grounds of West Tennessee State Penintentiary in August 2019. Watson escaped from the grounds on a prison tractor and then set out on foot.
Watson is charged with premeditated murder, rape and escape. He has not entered a plea.
Watson was caught after a five-day manhunt by the contingent from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, which two bloodhounds and their handlers.
Watson’s lawyer, David Stockton, said a judge moved the trial to Sept. 20, 2021. The trial reportedly was delayed due to court backlogs caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It will be held in Lauderdale County.