County, Toxas E DOCKET NUMBER DIDC21300568 8 ‘THE STATE OF TEXAS § IN THE AUSTIN CITY MUNICIPAL 2 courT 3 ve § 2 HENRY KEITH WATSON Jr 5 AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT # £s Be AFFIDAVIT AND APPLICATION FOR ARREST WARRANT zs ‘The Undersigned Affiant, who after being duly sworn by me, on oath, makes the following statement Thave reason to believe and do believe that: Henry Keith Watson J, = did then and there, on or about 03-31-2021 at 9715 N FM 620 apartment #5207 commit the offense of: MURDER- (1st Degree Felony) On March 31, 2021, at approximately 2:43 A.M., Austin Police Department (APD) Officers responded to 2 shooUstab hotshot 91 call at 9715 N FM 620, Colonial Grand at Canyon Pointe, an apartment complex with multiple buildings. Multiple 9-1-1 callers reported hearing the sound of a door being kicked in and multiple shots being fired somewhere in the area of building 5. One caller reported hearing what sounded like a verbal disturbance prior to the gun shots being fired. Officers approached building 5 and found the door to apartment 5207 had been forced open. Officers entered the apartment and Officer Rene Labadens #4547 found a female resident in the apartment with injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. ‘Travis County EMS responded to the apartment and the female resident was pronounced deceased at 3:04 AM., on March 31, 2021. The female was identified as Natalia Cox, a black female, bom on November 17, 1999. ‘Your affiant conducted research and found APD officers responded to a call of a Terroristic Tlhreat at 9715 N FM 620 apartment #5207 on March 24, 2021, at approximately 11:15 P.M. The APD incident ‘number from that call is 21-831609. Your affiant viewed Officer Ramon Mario Sanchez’ #8789 body worn camera video from the incident. In the video Officer Sanchez arrived at the scene. Cox was on the phone with Henry Watson, an acquaintance of Cox whom she recently dated. In the phone call Cox told Watson that she would meet up with him after she was finished with her homework. They ended the conversation. Cox sat down and began telling Officer Sanchez that Watson, a male she met three days ago, showed up uninvited at her door with a gun, Cox explained she had been on two dates with Watson. The first date was at Arlo's and the second date Austin Police Department Report Number # 210900178 lork 100 AN. 3B 5 ‘oO a i s bawas at her apartment. Cox obtained the license plate for Watson’s vehicle: - blue Honda Civic TXLP: and provided it to the apartment complex because they keep a record of visitors. Cox said she had been text messaging Watson and told him she was not feeling well, because she did not want him to come over. Cox said she got a weird reply from Watson and she replied, “Are you ok?” Cox said she did not get a reply from Watson and she thought he might be coming to her apartment. Cox said she double locked hier door. After some time passed she heard a knock on the door. She sent Watson a text message asking if he was at the door and Watson replied “open the door” ‘Cox used her FaceTime app with Watson. Cox said Watson was holding a gun in front of the camera, Watson told Cox to open the door or he was going to shoot it open. Cox told her roommate to call police. Cox said she was able to talk to Watson vai FaceTime and calm him down, Cox told Officer Sanchez the man's name was Henry Keith Watson Jr. While officers were on scene, Watson FaceTimed Cox again. Cox answered and the conversation was recorded on Officer Sanchez body camera, Watson explained he was upset because he believed they had something going on and she was playing with his emotions. Cox told Watson she was really busy with schoolwork at the time she would call him ‘and meet with him later Cox told Officers that she was scared to the point she was visibly shaking. Watson FaceTimed again and Cox didn’t answer, Cox began crying and told Officer Sanchez she was afraid Watson was going to wait there for her. Cox said she and her roommate were going to go stay somewhere else for the evening, Officers waited at the scene while Cox packed a bag. They stayed with Cox and escorted her and her roommate out of the complex Crime Scene Specialist John Prata assisted with processing the scene. While processing the scene CSS rata took prints from the front door. CSS Prata was able to locate and lift the print from the door to ‘compare with any shoes seized during the investigation Detective Zamora also located an iPhone laying on the bed under Cox body. ‘That phone was given to APD Digital Forensics Detective Williams Pursley. Detective Pursley was also to extract that data on the phone. Your affiant reviewed text messages between Cox and someone saved uncer the name "Henry Keith Watson Je", Your affiant saw that Cox asked Watson not to contact her again on March 25, 2021 at about ‘Austin Police Department Report Number # 21090017810:59 A.M, Detective Pursley was able to tell that Watsons number was blocked on Cox phone on March 28, 2021 Your affiant viewed a text messages sent to Cox on March 25, 2021 at about 12:46 A.M. from someone who identified himself as Henry's father. In the message Henry's father told Cox that Henry was very suicidal and he wanted to talk to her about what happened between them, Cox replied by asking him not to contact her again, Cox received a message from the same number on March 25, 2021 at 11:04 P.M asking her to meet at him at Centry Travesia Luxury Living and provided an apartment number. Cox never replied to the message Your affiant viewed another message to Cox from a different number. This message asked Cox to meet her at Century Travesta Luxury Living and provided the same apartment. The person identified himself as “jay” and asked her not to bring police because he just wanted to work things out. Cox never replied to this message. Your affiant viewed another message sent to Cox on March 25, 2021 at about 8:02 A.M. from a different number. The message said "Say u fuckin wi the wrong fam I call the cops on my bro again and WE gone have probs feel me?” ‘Your affiant requested assistance from APD Tactical Intelligence Unit and at about 8:30 AM Watson's blue 2007 Honda Civic bearing TXLP BBs located in a parking lot in Round Rock. Members of the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force assisted with the investigation, The Honda Civic is registered to Henry Keith Watson. Task Force Officer Everado Cardenas saw someone sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle. Task Force Officer Cardenas only observed one person in the vehicle and positively identified the person as Henry Keith Watson Jr, a black male bor on @QQGS8@ Officers surveilling the vehicle also noticed the vehicle had a broken passenger side mirror. ‘On March 31, 2021, APD Detective Timothy Price spoke with property manager, Ashley Guthrie, at 9715 N FM 620. Guthrie said there was a camera at the entrance of the complex but that she was not able to access the footage. Guthrie gave Detective Price consent to search the digital recorder for any content relevant to this investigation APD Digital Forensics Unit was able to obtain video from the apariment recorder. Your affiant viewed the camera footage and saw a dark colored vehicle with a very similar body style as Watson’s blue 4 door 2007 Honda Civie exit the complex within a few minutes ofthe first 9-1-1 call. This vehicle also appeared to have the same broken passenger side mirror and the same rims. Your aftiant believes this vehicle to be Watson’s vehicle and the same vehicle exiting the apartment complex within minutes of the first 9-1-I cal. (On March 31, 2021, your affiant prepared a search warrant for Watson's vehicle, ‘The search warrant was presented to City Of Austin Municipal Court Judge Christyne B. Harris Schultz. ‘The search warrant was Aus in Police Department Report Number # 210900178approved at 7:55 P.M on March 31, 2021 and given search warrant number SW21100S98. Members of the Austin Police Department Tactical Intelligence Unit located the vehicle near in a parking lot of 12625 NIH 35, The vehicle was impounded and taken to Southside Wrecker at 1111 Old Bastrop Highway. On April L, 2021, Detective Zamora executed the search warrant at Southside Wrecker. Detective ‘Zamora found a red pair of Champion brand sandals. These are the same sandals that Members of the APD Tactical Intelligence Unit saw Watson wearing throughout the day. Your affiant compared the sandals with the shoe print taken from the door at the scene. The shoe print on the door appears to have the letter "C" and a horse shoe shape at the bottom with similar hash marks and designs araund the sole. Detective Zamora also located 9 mm ammunition in the vehicle, The same caliber as the ammunition at the scene, Detective Zamora also located a pry bar in the vehicle, not lised in the origional search warrant. Detectice Zamora said the pry bar appeared to be new but there were marks on the end that led him to believed it had been used. Detective Zamora recalled seeing pry marks on the door frame at the scene that appeared to be the same size as the pry bar found in the vehicle. On April 1, 2021, Dr Lucas Weick preformed an autopsy on Cox. Dr Weick determind Cox manner of death to be homicide and the cause of death to be gun shot wounds. ‘Your affiant believes there is sufficient probable cause to support the charge of Murder in the death of Natalia Cox, Black female, bom on Novernber 11, 1999, inchiding, but not limited to, testimony of witnesses, evidence gathered from the scene, data from the cellular telephone extraction, surveillance video footage, and evidence seized under tha authority of search warrants as well as findings of the Travis County Medical Examiners Office. (deslaphe Vola Christopher Vanlandingham Affiant Austin Police Department Report Number # 210900178SWORN AND SUBSCRIBED before me on this 01 day of Apr, 2021 [cd Seabee Alfred Jenkins County of Travis, Texas AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT MAGISTRATE'S DETERMINATION OF PROBABLE CAUSE ‘The foregoing Affidavit and Application was submitted to me by the said affiant on this OL 2021, at 04:39 PM . I find that there is sufficient Ug 7 tosy mh the arrest of Uy’ acted, of Apr, fed Alfred Jenkins County of Travis, Texas AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURT Signed by the said affiant, submitted to me by reliable electronic means, and subsequently sworn to by the said affiant before me through an electronic broadcast system. Austin Police Department Report Number # 210900178