Shreveport Man Convicted in Double Murder of Local Couple

A Shreveport man is convicted of murder in the death of a local couple. 37-year-old Dewayne Willie Watkins is found guilty in the 2018 kidnapping and first-degree murder of a Shreveport couple.

Watkins kidnapped, robbed and then killed 32-year-old Heather Angela King Jose and her husband, 43-year-old Kelly Dean Jose on November 8, 2018. The two were found burned beyond recognition in a vehicle in the carport of a vacant home in the 3400 block of Penick Street in the Queensborough neighborhood. Watkins was arrested several days after the slayings following a six-hour standoff with police.

The 12-person jury in District Judge John D. Mosely Jr.'s courtroom heard testimony over nine days and returned its verdicts, guilty as charged on two counts of first-degree murder, after just over an hour's deliberation.

In June, a mistrial was declared by Judge John D. Mosely Jr. after it was learned that an attorney involved tested positive for COVID-19, and a key witness also was symptomatic. Contact tracing could have led to other potential quarantines. No recess was possible due to witness and juror availabilities.

Watkins faces two life sentences for the murders when he reports back to court for sentencing on October 19.