A second chance for justice : the prosecutions of Gabe Watson for the death of Tina Thomas

This gripping new book written by criminologists, Dr Asher Flynn from Monash University’s School of Political and Social Inquiry and Dr Kate Fitz-Gibbon from Deakin University provides a unique insight into the two prosecutions of Gabe Watson for the death of his wife, Tina. A Second Chance for Justice: The Prosecutions of Gabe Watson for the Death of Tina Thomas examines the legal responses to Tina's death in both the Queensland and Alabama jurisdictions, and in particular, considers questions surrounding the achievability of justice in this case from the perspectives of those directly involved. The book is informed by extensive interviews conducted with those intimately involved in the case, including members of the police, prosecution, defence counsel, and the victim and accused's families, as well as court observations of the capital murder trial in Alabama and the magnitude of legal documents compiled in both jurisdictions.
The analysis is placed within the context of external constraints that influenced the almost nine-year transnational investigation and prosecutions – including costs, delays, cultural differences, double jeopardy, dual sovereignty and jurisdiction, as well as the concerns surrounding the motivations informing the arguably controversial decisions made by authoritative members of the criminal justice system in both jurisdictions. It provides a balanced account of the case from the perspectives of the defence and the prosecution, to offer readers the opportunity to decide whether justice was achieved in either prosecution of Gabe Watson for the death of his wife, Tina Thomas.