Teen Placed Sister In Chokehold, Strangled Her To Death In Argument Over WiFi Password

A Georgia teen will spend the rest of his life in prison for putting his sister in a deadly chokehold during a heated argument about the household WiFi password.

Kevon Watkins, 18, received the life sentence Friday for killing his sister in February 2018, the Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney stated in a press release.

He was 16 when he changed his home Internet password ”so he could play video games without others who wanted to use the Internet interrupting.”

The teen lived in Macon with his family, which included his mother and his 20-year-old sister Alexus Breanna Watkins.

An argument over the password change ensued between Watkins and his mother. As the confrontation became more heated, Alexus stepped in to protect her mom.

“Fearing that Kevon was about to be in a physical altercation with their mother, Alexus came to her aid,” the district attorney’s office stated. “Kevon and Alexus tussled and fell to the floor.”

Kevon Watkins Photo: Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office

The mom tried to separate them, but couldn’t, the prosecution claimed. She called 911 for help instead. 

“Kevon placed his sister in a choke hold and held her there for an estimated 15 minutes,” according to the district attorney’s office. In fact, one of the responding deputies testified that Kevon still had a hold on his sister when he arrived. That would have been 10 minutes after their mother called 911.

“Kevon released his sister upon a deputy’s command and she fell to the floor,” according to the attorney’s office. 

Even though deputies performed CPR to try to save her, it was too late; she was declared dead at a local hospital later that night.

Watkins had waived his right to a jury trial and instead chose to have a judge hear testimony and review evidence in the case instead, which happened over a two-day period.

Even though prosecutors said Kevon didn’t intend to kill his sister, they said his decision to intentionally place her in a chokehold resulting in her death constitutes felony murder.

Bibb County Superior Court Judge Verda Colvin said her decision to pick murder over voluntary manslaughter was also based on the fact that Kevon’s 13-year-old brother tried to get him to stop choking their sister but he didn’t.

"In those 10 minutes, she had to have stopped moving. Perhaps that wasn't noticed by the defendant because he was still angry," Colvin said, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Both Kevon and his family cried when he was sentenced.

Before he was brought out of the courtroom, the only audible words that could be made out through Kevon’s sobs was the phrase "I'm sorry."

"I think everyone understands," Colvin replied, according to WSB-TV. "Including this court."

Before Colvin gave the teen the harsh sentence, she told him she was sorry that the adults in his life let him down and failed to give him the tools to deal with his anger.

"In this household, chaos was empowered," Colvin said. "In this household, the ability to ignore and follow corrective discipline was empowered."