Joliet casino murder defendant attempts to read jury letter claiming jail’s food trays poisoned

A man charged with fatally stabbing a Joliet casino hotel guest in 2019 took the witness stand in a failed attempt to read to the jury a letter he wrote that claimed his food trays in the jail were contaminated and poisoned.

When Robert Watson, 29, expressed his desire on Monday to testify on his own behalf in the trial, his defense team motioned to withdraw as his attorneys and cited a breakdown in communication. Judge Dave Carlson denied their motion to withdraw and allowed Watson to testify.

After the jury was bought into the courtroom, Watson answered a few questions from his attorney, Jaya Varghese, on the stand about his background. Carlson then dismissed the jury when Watson said he wanted to read a letter in court.

Carlson asked Watson to read the letter. Watson’s letter claimed he was being poisoned at the jail and his food trays were contaminated and poisoned. The letter was similar to another one that Watson wrote, which was filed on Jan. 27, 2022. That letter requested criminal charges because he believed his food was poisoned.

Varghese said she wanted to once again raise the issue as to Watson’s fitness for trial based the letter Watson read in court on Monday.

Carlson denied Varghese’s request because Watson had already been found fit for trial twice. Carlson said Watson’s claims were the already subject of a April 25, 2022 protective order, which was dismissed as Watson did not sustain his burden of proof. Carlson said he was assured by the jail’s staff that Watson’s concerns were unfounded.

Carlson told Watson he could not read his letter to the jury.

“That statement is not relevant to the proceedings here,” Carlson told Watson.

After Carlson asked Watson if he wanted to continue testifying, Watson said, “No.”

When the jury was brought back in, Carlson told them that Watson chose not to testify further and they should not hold his testimony against him in their deliberations.

The episode marked an unusual turn in the first-degree murder trial that began May 3. Prosecutors have finished presenting their case as to Watson’s guilt in the murder of Emanuel “Sam” Burgarino, 76, to death on March 24, 2019, on the fifth floor of Harrah’s casino hotel.

Watson’s defense team now plans to make their case this week that he may have been insane at the time of the stabbing, which would mean he could be found not guilty of the crime by reason of insanity.

Earlier on Monday, the jury was shown soundless surveillance footage of Watson apparently trying to access the casino in 2014 with a fake identification card, followed by footage of him in 2019 wandering inside and outside of the casino hours before prosecutors say he stabbed Burgarino to death.

Watson’s attorneys played the videos in 2014 and 2019 to show the difference in his appearance and demeanor.

In the 2014 video, a more clean-cut Watson is seen smiling and standing with a security guard who is checking out an identification card. In the 2019 video, Watson is moving around the casino wearing a backpack, baggy clothes, a hoodie and a beanie.

The videos were played during the testimony of Larry Ferguson, a surveillance manager for Harrah’s casino in Joliet.

Ferguson testified that to the best of his knowledge, Watson was trying to access the casino with a fake identification in 2014. In 2019, Watson walked through areas of the casino that did not require him to show identification, he said.

In the time before the attack on Burgarino, Watson did not do anything in the 2019 videos to merit a response from the security guards, according to Ferguson.

“There was no odd or bizarre behavior?” asked Will County Assistant State’s Attorney William Lite.

“That’s correct,” Ferguson said.

According to trial testimony from last week, Watson had followed a hotel guest Glenn Hill into an elevator and off the fifth floor of the building. On that floor, Hill said he saw Watson attack Burgarino, who died from multiple stab wounds to his head, neck, chest, heart, lungs and liver.

After the jury was dismissed for a brief break, Watson’s attorney, Shenonda Tisdale, made a motion for a directed finding that asked for a dismissal of one charge that alleged Watson attempted to rob Burgarino.

Tisdale contended there was no evidence presented by prosecutors that Watson tried to rob the victim.

“There’s no statements. There’s no pockets turned inside out,” she said.

Lite said Burgarino’s fiancée, Denise Dixon, testified that Burgarino had a large amount of cash on him, there’s evidence Burgarino was pepper sprayed prior to the attack and Hill managed to catch Watson attacking Burgarino, which led to the failure of the robbery.

Carlson denied Tisdale’s motion.