Accused murderer

Jim Watson became a free man Wednesday as he was released from the Fulton

County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Watson, 38,

is accused of murdering his wife, Beverley, in January of 1997 after she

was reported missing from their Fayetteville home. Her remains were found

in a wooded area in south Fulton County over two years after her disappearance.

Watson was

indicted Tuesday, Jan. 15, by a Fulton County grand jury for the murder

of his wife, although the indictment indicates that it is not known how

Beverley Watson died.

Because Watson's

attorney has filed a request for a speedy trial, it is possible the trial

will be in June.

Just because

Watson is out of jail doesn't mean he is totally free. To remain on bond,

he must meet a strict list of conditions set by Fulton County Superior

Court Judge T. Jackson Bedford Jr. To comply with an order to stay away

from any witnesses in the case, Watson will be provided with a copy of

the state's witness list so he will know exactly whom to stay away from.

Bedford also warned Watson not to hire anyone to approach a potential

witness, with the exception of his attorneys.

Watson, a former

police officer, also had to surrender all his firearms and any police

badge or identification in his possession. During his testimony, Watson

admitted to owning a badge from the Manchester Police Department where

he served as a police officer until he "quit" in 2000. He has

also served as a part-time police officer for the Riverdale Police Department.

Watson must

also notify the Fayette and Fulton County sheriff's departments of the

license plate and description of any vehicle he plans to drive while he

is on bond, Judge Bedford ordered. And he cannot drive or ride in a vehicle

with illegally tinted windows, the judge said.

Watson must

also abide by a 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. curfew while he is on bond, the judge

ordered.

In opposing

bond for Watson, Fulton County assistant District Attorney Sheila Ross

argued that Watson admitted stalking Maj. Bruce Jordan of the Fayette

County Sheriff's Department by driving by his house several times. Jordan

led the initial investigation into Beverley Watson's disappearance, which

turned into a murder investigation after her remains were found.

"That

is classic intimidation, your honor," she said. "... If he will

stalk police officers ... now that he's indicted it's reasonable to infer

he will stalk witnesses."

Jordan testified

that he feared for the safety of witnesses in the case should Watson be

granted bail. He said Watson followed him 20 or 30 times during the course

of the investigation.

Jordan also

said Watson drove by his home three times, which Watson said he did because

he wanted to see where the investigator lived.

"I felt

as though he was trying to intimidate me and my family," Jordan said.

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of murder

free on bail from Fulton Co. jail