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Bride-To-Be Accused Of Murdering Fiancé Over Potential Wedding Guest
Jacqueline Souza, 31, suspected her fiancé Brandon Watkins of cheating on her with a woman he wanted to invite to their wedding. That's when things got violent, police say.
A woman in Colorado Springs killed her fiancé in an apparent argument over a wedding guest, police said.
Jacqueline Souza, 31, was arrested after she called 911 on June 21 to report that her betrothed, Brandon Watkins, was bleeding on the floor of the kitchen, according to KKTV in Colorado Springs. When police arrived, they found him "unresponsive and bloody," according to an arrest report cited by The Gazette in Colorado Springs. There was a steak knife nearby on the kitchen table.
The couple was out celebrating their upcoming nuptials and Watkins' new job, KKTV reported, when they began arguing over a wedding invitation. Souza told police that Watkins wanted to invite a woman he'd previously had an affair with and who she suspected he was still involved with, according to The Gazette.
When police questioned Souza, she changed her story numerous times, The Gazette reports.
Initially, she said she came out of the bathroom to find Watkins with a knife sticking out of his chest and a door in the kitchen open, though there was no sign of a break-in, according to The Gazette.
Next, she said he might have stabbed himself, according to police records cited by The Gazette.
Under continued questioning, Souza changed her story a third time. She told police she accused him of cheating and it led to violence. Watkins grabbed her by the throat and pushed her against the wall of the garage, she said. They kept fighting and insulting each other, she told police, until Watkins picked up a steak knife and threatened her by holding the knife to her face. She said she was trying to get away from him and pushed him, and he fell down on the knife. She said she gave him CPR until emergency workers arrived, police said.
Police were skeptical, however. They said her account was inconsistent with how Watkins' body was found, and also, she had a bruise “roughly the size of the butt end or finger grip portion of a steak knife” on her hand, the report said.
Souza was arrested on a second-degree murder charge. She posted a $50,000 bond and was released on Tuesday morning, according to The Gazette. She's due in court on Aug. 1.
[Photo: Colorado Springs Police Department]
