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Last summer, it took a jury days to convict the 52-year-old man of the murders of Kandeon Niravanh and Genesis Garrett, both 22, in Waldorf, and on Thursday, he was sentenced to a lifetime in prison.
Charles County State's Attorney Tony Covington said that shortly before 1 a.m. on Jan. 21, 2021, officers were called to the 2400 block of Hanover Court in Waldorf, where there was a front door suspiciously left open in a neighborhood home.
Once inside, they found Niravanh and Garrett dead with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies. Several neighbors and witnesses also reported to hearing gunshots about a half hour before the grisly discovery.
The investigation into the murders found that Watkins supplied marijuana to Niravanh, who then sold it off in Southern Maryland.
Before the fatal incident, the pair got into a argument over texts about an alleged debt, where Watkins also expressed dismay that Niravanh was attempting to contact his drug supplier directly and skipping over the middle man.
That text exchange included a voice-to-text message that showed Watkins threatening violence against Niravanh.
According to court documents, on the morning of the murders, Watkins drove his Honda Accord to Nirvanh's home, which she shared with Garrett, and killed them both.
Following the fatal shootings, prosecutors said that a vehicle matching the description of the Honda was caught on camera leaving the area, leading to his apprehension.
Watkins was convicted following an eight-day trial of:
- Two counts of first-degree murder;
- Two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence related to the murders of Niravanh and Garrett;
- Use of a firearm during the commission after being convicted of a crime of violence.
At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie called the incident a “rage killing” and asked for the maximum sentence under law. He furthered, “the callous disregard for human life is appalling” and that Watkins’ actions were “heinous, angry, and vengeful.”
Judge James West added that the incident “was an execution with no purpose other than to say, ‘I was crossed on a business level or I was disrespected.’ This shouldn’t be tolerated in any community.”
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