Demonic Voices Inside Joliet Murder Defendant's Head, Doctor Says

JOLIET, IL — Dr. Monica Argumedu told a Will County jury Wednesday that Robert A. Watson should not stand trial for the March 24, 2019, fatal stabbing of a senior citizen at Joliet's Harrah's Casino & Hotel because Watson is not mentally fit. The licensed psychiatrist maintained that Watson is not able to assist his Will County Public Defenders in their effort to represent him.

The six-person Will County jury heard testimony that Watson is plagued by demonic voices that are talking in his head. Also, Watson believes the police are targeting him and the mafia is pursuing him. During Tuesday's testimony, Dr. Anna Stapleton testified for the prosecution suggesting Watson appears to be faking his mental illness.

Watson has lost considerable weight at the Will County Jail from lack of eating. At the time Dr. Argumedu interviewed him in late December, he had already been incarcerated for nine months. Watson told her that he suspects the Will County Correctional guards are spitting in his food, taking bites out of his food or putting semen in his food, Dr. Argumedu testified Wednesday afternoon.

"He was pretty delusional," she testified. "He thought he was being persecuted by the guards. He believes his food is tainted by looking at it. That's why he won't eat it."

As a result, Watson has used the Will County Jail commissary to purchase 50 Honey Buns, which are individually wrapped, Dr. Argumedu told Judge Dave Carlson's courtroom Wednesday.

"He only buys Honey Buns," the psychiatrist testified about Watson's eating habits in jail. "He has delusions about being poisoned."

And toward the end of Dr. Argumedu's mental fitness evaluation of Watson last Dec. 16, Watson became antsy, and he then spoke up.

"Can I ask you a question?" she recalled Watson as saying.

"Is it OK if I masturbate?" Watson asked her.

"I said, 'No!' He said, 'Too late. I can't help it.'"

At that moment last Dec. 16, Dr. Argumedu testified, she abruptly halted her interview of Watson inside one of the rooms at the Will County Adult Detention Center.

"So I left," she remembered.

She described Watson's behavior as "very impulsive, very inappropriate."

Dr. Argumedu testified Wednesday that it is her belief that Watson suffers from schizophrenia and from delusional behaviors. She believes his mental health began tumbling downhill around 2013, when he was 20 and living in Florida.

At that time, Watson climbed on the roof of a tall building and was completely naked, threatening to jump to his death. He blamed the episode at the time on some bad marijuana, the jury heard.

Dr. Argumedu testified she has 16 years experience in the field of professional psychiatry. She has been licensed in Illinois since 2009. She has conducted more than 500 mental fitness evaluations and has testified as an expert witness "over 40 times."

Dr. Argumedu was called Wednesday as the defense expert witness of Watson's two court-appointed lawyers, Shenonda Tisdale and Todd Lenzie of the Will County Public Defender's Office. They are asking the jury to determine Watson is not mentally competent for his murder trial.

In March 2019, Watson stabbed Emanuel Burgarino of Hales Corners, Wis., 26 times after ambushing the guest of Harrah's Casino on the fifth floor of the hotel during a Sunday night robbery, according to prosecutors.

This week's rare mental fitness trial is in the courtroom of Will County Judge Dave Carlson. Prosecutors Tom Slazyk and Elizabeth Domagalla have asked the six-person jury to find Watson mentally competent to stand trial on his pending first-degree murder charges.

Dr. Argumedu also told the jury that Watson does what's known as "the 1,000 -yard stare."

Watson stares at you without blinking and it appears he is looking right through you, and you have no idea what's going through his mind, the defense team's psychiatrist testified.

"There's no connection. They're staring right through you. You see that a lot with schizophrenia. He showed a lot of signs that were concerning to me," Dr. Argumedu told the jury.

Tisdale, Watson's public defender, asked her expert witness "what did you learn" from the evaluation of Watson last December?

"He seemed to have a basic understanding of how court worked," the witness answered. "But he would not discuss his case at all. He discussed a lot of delusional beliefs."

A few years back, when Watson was still living with his mother, he began grabbing huge blocks of snow and melting them because "he said he didn't trust the tap water," Dr. Argumedu testified.

On the morning after the Sunday night homicide at Harrah's Casino in downtown Joliet, Joliet police found Watson two blocks away. He was inside the Joliet Public Library. The Joliet transient was arrested and brought to the police station for questioning.

Joliet police also recovered a handwritten document within Watson's possessions and the document revealed "babbling, the idea of demons and him calling out to God to save him from the demons," Dr. Argumedu testified.

Tisdale asked the licensed psychiatrist whether being diagnosed with schizophrenia means the person is not mentally competent to stand trial.

"No," the witness answered.

However, "at this time, Mr. Watson is unfit to stand trial ... he is unable to really understand these charges and work with his attorney," Dr. Argumedu testified.

The two Will County prosecutors maintain that Watson is faking his mental illness in hopes of avoiding spending the rest of his life in a state prison facility, if convicted of his first-degree murder offense.

"Wouldn't you agree ... it's possible that they're creating some type of scenario to cover themselves? Isn't it possible?" Slazyk told the witness.

"He's also charged with murder?" Slazyk reminded Dr. Argumedu.

"That is correct," she answered.

"Do you recall the facts of the crime?" he followed up.

"He stabbed someone to death in the casino allegedly," she replied.

Slazyk also revealed there are witnesses who saw Watson standing over the body in the hallway of the casino.

"I can't speculate to someone standing over a body and what they're thinking," Dr. Argumedu answered the prosecutor.

The witness conceded that Watson won't talk to his lead public defender.

"He does not feel she is helping him and that's why he's not talking to her," Dr. Argumedu testified.

Robert Watson's mental health fitness trial will resume Thursday, which will be the third day of courtroom testimony.

Day 1 trial coverage:

Is Harrah's Murder Defendant Robert Watson Faking Mental Illness?