Man pleads ‘guilty’ to attempted murder charges

YREKA, Calif. – A man pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges after a “violent attack” on his wife, prosecutors say.

The Siskiyou County District Attorney’s Office said on June 7, 2015, Gordon Edmund Watson was traveling in a semi-truck with his wife. While the two were parked at the Ag Station near Hornbook, Watson’s wife told an employee she was afraid of her husband and asked for a welfare check later on.

While the couple was in the truck’s sleeper cab for the night, Watson “violently attacked” his wife, beating her head and face. He then tried to smother her with a pillow.

According to prosecutors, Watson’s attempt to kill his wife was stopped when the Ag Station employee came to check in. Watson fled the scene and was later caught in Jackson County.

On May 24, 2018, Watson pleaded guilty to felony counts of attempted murder and dissuading a witness from testifying.

The D.A.’s office said as part of Watson’s plea deal, he’ll receive a state prison term of 16 years and 4 months. He’ll be required to serve 85% of the sentence.

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