Cotopaxi Man Guilty of Criminally Negligent Homicide

A jury has found 65-year-old Earl Scott Watkins guilty of criminally negligent homicide after 19 hours of deliberation for the shooting death of 27-year-old Jonathon Kern on September 22, 2018, in Cotopaxi.   

Watkins was also found guilty of possession of a dangerous weapon and tampering with physical evidence.   

The jury deliberated 12 hours on Friday and seven hours on Saturday.  They considered whether Watkins should be charged with murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide.   

Watkins will be held in custody without bail until his sentencing on July 9th.     

Dan R