Australian Scuba Honeymoon Death

[Dragon Eye]

I'm sure you all remember this story.  I was watching the Today show this morning and it mentioned that the husband was cleared in Australia, but that the Attorney General in Alabama wants to arrest him in the states and prosecute him for "killing his wife" as she died in a scuba accident in AUS.  Now I know the details are all pretty sketchy with this case, but I'd like to hear you weigh in on the potential legal action in the US. Linked story below.

[Hydro]

as far as ive heard, if the US disagrees with any of your foreign actions, they claim they can prosecute you if you are a US citizen... i dont know much more of it, but i know they get people that go to the south pacific for sex tourism. not saying i know anything about that either....

[divechick]

I didn't watch the video but did read the article at that site. He was convicted in Australia -
"Officials in Queensland state initially charged him with murder, arguing he killed his wife by turning off her air supply and holding her underwater. When Watson pleaded guilty to the lesser manslaughter charge last year, he was sentenced to 18 months — a punishment Tina Watson's family and Alabama authorities slammed as far too lenient."

It also said that Australia wouldn't deport him until Alabama agreed not to pursue the death penalty. An interesting side note is that the guy has remarried.

[Terry]

                    He has a rescue card, shes was a guppy. He wanted her to name him as beneficiary once they married, she left her folks as beni. Other divers saw him "bearhugging" her underwater, autopsy says she had drown, but her tank had plenty of air in it. He says, he paniced when he saw her lying face up in 100', (a pic that was originally published, just sad to see, with her arms outstretched toward the sky) and headed to the surface, to get the divemaster, (pardon me, WTF!)(effectively adding sufficient time so that resuscitation would for sure not be successful) he must not of learned that basic premise in a rescue class that you may bend or embolize a unconscious buddy bringing them to the surface, but for sure their dead if you leave them on the bottom. Sounds like (if he planned) the bearhug ( he's substantially larger then she was) to reach around shut off her air, wait for her one breath or so in the hose hold onto her while she panics, and drowns, then reopen the tank valve, all the while tricking the other divers into thinking it was just newlywed lovie - dovie nonsense,  :-\ (ok, some super romantic underwater moment, like Dr. Ruth describing good sex, as everyone gets wet) as some of them stated, could the planning part make it into 1st degree, I don't know I'm not an attorney, never even played one underwater. Why are the Ausie's concerned Bama will fry him if they don't think there's sufficient 1st degree potential, he wouldn't fry for anything less.  I say tell the Ausies what they want to hear, then put him in with some Bubba's that always liked her and her dad, to see how it sucks to be held while you cant breathe.  T