Fayette County man convicted of killing wife

ATLANTA - A Fayette County man was convicted Tuesday night of murdering his wife, who disappeared in 1997. <br> <br> Jim Watson, 39, was immediately sentenced to life in prison. <br> <br> Beverley Watson&#39;s skeletal remains were found by a surveyor in a remote, wooded area of south Fulton County two years after she vanished from her home. <br> <br> A cause of death was never established. <br> <br> Watson told police in January 1997 that his 33-year-old wife had walked away from their home, leaving her car, clothes and her two children. She had planned to file for divorce and had made a deposit on an apartment for her and the children. <br> <br> Watson denied killing her, but members of her family always maintained that he did. <br> <br> A lawsuit alleging that was settled out of court two years ago. Superior Court Judge Paschal English of Fayette County ordered that any funds in the settlement, including Beverley Watson&#39;s life insurance policy, be paid to her two children, now ages 18 and 12. The papers in the financial pact were sealed. <br> <br> Outside the courtroom, relatives of Mrs. Watson gave high-fives to each other and were calling other family members on their cell phones to relay the news. <br> <br> When the verdict was read about 7:45 p.m., Scott Bennett, a brother of Beverley Watson, leaped in his seat and hugged a cousin before breaking down crying. <br> <br> ``Give a sentence to Mr. Watson so he can live the rest of his life in fear like Beverley did,&#39;&#39; Bennett said. <br> <br> During the two-week trial, prosecution witnesses testified that Watson had been an abusive spouse. <br> <br> ``The jury saw through everything,&#39;&#39; Krista Hinkle, Beverley Watson&#39;s lifelong friend who had testified. ``It&#39;s good that we finally got justice, but I feel bad for the kids.&#39;&#39;