Michigan Man Guilty of Murder in No-Body Killing of ‘High-Stakes’ Poker Player

• Lansing jury convicts man in no-body poker killing
  
• Victim carried up to $15K to poker game
  
• Blood evidence found inside SUV despite deep cleaning

An already-incarcerated Lansing, Mich., man has been convicted of the murder of a high-stakes poker player, despite the absence of a body, murder weapon, or eyewitness testimony, The Lansing State Journal reports.

On February 18, an Ingham County Circuit Court jury found Willie James Jr., 57, guilty of second-degree murder in the January 2021 disappearance of Andrew Watson II, 38, following a trial that lasted more than two weeks.

Watson vanished after leaving a girlfriend’s home on January 12, 2021, carrying between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash. Witnesses said he was heading to play poker with James. He was never seen again.

However, Watson was not a regular fixture on the US poker circuit and is not to be confused with his Tulsa, Okla.-based namesake.

Forensic Evidence in SUV

Police initially interviewed James after officers stopped him in late January 2021 and noticed that a section of carpet was missing from the floor of his SUV. Officers also found him carrying a substantial amount of money.

The Journal reported that investigators later searched the SUV and discovered Watson’s blood in multiple areas, including around the front passenger seat and beneath a fabric cover. They also found what they described as a suspected bullet hole in the frame of the front passenger door, roughly at head or upper-torso height.

The blood evidence was found despite testimony that the vehicle had been professionally detailed twice within a day or two of Watson’s disappearance.

In March 2021, investigators recovered additional items from a yard: a plastic bag containing three cell phones belonging to Watson, a pair of rubber gloves, and half of a $20 bill. The items tested positive for Watson’s blood, according to court testimony.

James, who is already serving prison time stemming from a case involving assault and weapons convictions, was on parole when Watson disappeared, according to court records. The sentence in the murder case will run consecutively to the one he is currently serving.

James Blames Dead Man

James took the stand in his own defense and denied killing Watson. He testified that he had loaned his vehicle to his son on the night Watson vanished and claimed he later learned that an associate of his son had killed a man inside the vehicle. He said the body was discarded in a dumpster.

In closing arguments, Ingham County Deputy Chief Assistant Prosecutor Bill Crino challenged that version of events. He told jurors the individual James blamed is now deceased and therefore could not be prosecuted.

Crino described James’ explanation as an “absurd, false story uncorroborated by any evidence,” arguing that robbery was the motive, as reported by the Journal.

“It appears that (Watson) died in that vehicle, but what the blood evidence does not tell you is the identity of those who killed him,” Austin said, referring to the victim.

Second-degree murder in Michigan carries a penalty of any term of years up to life in prison. Judge Rosemarie Aquilina scheduled sentencing for April 15.