by Christian Duque
From the moment this brutal gym attack took place at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami Florida there has been a considerable effort from many in the bodybuilding community to see justice be done. From the very beginning Jon Bravo Films and Ballerbusters led the way. These two outlets have done more than anyone else. They are both extremely gracious and humble and credit the wheels of justice turning to the efforts of all, but the reality of the matter is without them being the catalyst and main drivers, none of this would have been possible. A lion’s share of the credit is owed to them before anyone else can even dream of patting themselves on the back.
As you all know by now, this involves the beating of a special needs man at one of Miami’s premier fitness establishments. Although the man answered Wes’s call to throw down, it was not a fair fight. It was never a fair fight. Wes and his buddies savagely beat this man while he was on his knees, covering his face, and screaming and crying in agony. It was all caught on video. But it took what seemed to be in an eternity before the police department followed through and investigated the criminal complaint. During those weeks of waiting, the independent bodybuilding media was putting out content and keeping the story alive. It was during this time that critics argued that it was staged. Others argued that it was self-defense. Even the gym owner had his say on New Year’s day on the StrengthAddicts Instagram platform rattling off a series of lies. He even spoke with Jon Bravo who he thought he was playing, but in reality, it was Jon who played him like a violin. The gym owner in question lied through his teeth, but this wasn’t Bravo’s first rodeo. In fact he strategically put out a story that admittedly omitted several portions of what the gym owner tried to tell him in order to throw him off.
Once it became obvious that there was a police report and that there was a victim, things started to become a lot more clear. From there it was only a question of time until the police saw the actual video, not the video that Wes Watson and Elev8tion Fitness pointed to. When he was arrested it sent shockwaves throughout the fitness industry. When he appeared before a judge for a bond hearing it became apparent that he had lost much of that alpha male mentality as he was silenced upon the first attempt at speaking out. He was silenced by the judge and he was silenced by his own attorney, as well.
Although Wes tried to save face once released by posting a ridiculous Instagram story dancing around his rented mansion, the word was out by then. Watson is facing two felony charges and will more than likely ignore the judge’s admonishments and get himself into trouble again. It’s almost a foregone conclusion that this individual will get himself into trouble again. I mean even after the gym incident he nearly got into a fight at a CVS with a guy who was simply asking him about his fancy car and his tattoos. This is a person who is not overly intelligent. He doesn’t take this case against him seriously and he will more than likely ignore even the most passionate requests from his attorney to lay low and stay out of trouble. If anyone will get their bond revoked it’s Wes Watson. And as the judge warned him, if that happens, he will spend the rest of the time waiting for trial in jail. Mark my words, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. But enough about that, let’s talk about what I think is going to come down the road.
I called it from day one. This was a felony assault and battery all day everyday. There is no self-defense here. There is no standing your ground here. I understand that his lawyer needs less to earn his fees and he’s going to put on whatever defense he can dream up, but anyone who sees that video will immediately know that Wes did not use reasonable force. They will know that Wes was not in imminent danger of a battery. They will also know that Wes did not fight one-on-one. That he used the help of his friends and that they used weapons in the process.
Anyone that sees that video and understands the nature of the savage beating of a special needs man is not going to go lightly on the former gang shot caller. They are going to want to make an example out of him. Even during the bond hearing the judge could not help but make remarks when Watson’s lawyer tried to paint an alternate narrative of this being nothing more than a fight between two people. She made the point that the victim in this case had two black eyes and a facial fracture. Meanwhile Wes didn’t have a scratch on him.
There’s no question that Watson’s attorney will have his work cut out for him. He may look confident on video but what lawyer is going to look anything but? Even if you don’t have a legal leg to stand on, you have to look like you are in command. You have to look like your client has a strong case and you have to zealously advocate in his interests. That’s what a good lawyer does.
Now that being said, there is no doubt in my mind that backchannel communications will begin almost immediately between the defense and the prosecution. The question is, what does the prosecution have to gain by plea dealing with Wes? Especially, when they have a smoking gun like they do with that video? And they have tremendous media pressure on their shoulders, as well. So why would they give this piece of crap a sweetheart deal? What’s in it for them? Because usually the only reason that prosecutors give deals anyways is because of docket management. They want to keep the number of trials down to a minimum because trials tie up resources and they also tend to drag on and on. Very seldom, if ever, does a trial happen at the appointed time. Continuances tend to bog down the process. In fact, there are all sorts of dilatory tactics – from both sides – that can be used if either side is not prepared to move forward.
At the end of the day, most criminal cases are resolved with plea deals. Those that are not are usually because defendants have overwhelming evidence to combat the state or federal charges. In this case the evidence would be most detrimental to the defendant, Wes Watson.
I’m sure that Wes’s attorney will do everything in his power to keep the video from being seen by the judge or jury. I’m sure he would like nothing more. I know I would like nothing more than to have a full head of hair again and have a gold toilet. Sadly for me that’s not going to happen. And sadly for Wes’s lawyer, he’s not going to get his way either with regards to the video. There is absolutely no way that he can stop the video from coming in. Especially since Wes used a portion of said video to try to deceive the public. He put the video out on his own social media platforms! He tried to use the video, or at least a clip of it, to exonerate himself in the world of public opinion. But all of that aside, the video comes in.
If the video comes in, the prosecution has a slam dunk case. Why on Earth would they not want to prosecute Wes? Why would any prosecutor want to look soft on crime? Why would any judge? That’s just not going to happen. Especially not with an individual that is tattooed up and down, that is an admitted prison shot caller, and who has made himself famous by glorifying prison life and a type of mentality that celebrates violence and intimidation. If anything, I could see the court making an example here.
There is no doubt in my mind that Watson will try to plea deal. If he takes this case to trial not only will he lose but he will get the maximum sentence on both charges. That’s usually what happens when you have an egregious set of circumstances such as these and a defendant pushes for trial. In today’s criminal justice system, defendants that go the distance and seek a trial (either a bench trial or a jury trial) can expect to be punished for that. Although having a trial is your right, the system is not designed for every defendant to have their day in court. Plea deals are the way of the land. and especially in a case as open and shut as this one. If Watson ‘s lawyer wants to rack up fees I could see them going to trial, but only a moron would advise a client to take a case like this to trial with a video such as the one that is in the hands of the state.
And once the criminal trial is over, whatever comes out of it – you can rest assured that a guy that got a facial fracture and two black eyes and possibly psychological damage and maybe more physical damage than we are aware of at present, will most definitely be suing Wes and the gym. You know, the gym that tried to cover it up and present a false narrative as what really happened. You know, the gym that allowed Wes to call people out and lure them into the gym to then get assaulted by several people. The same gym that only read him the riot act after this event took place and who let him continue training people there for several days later until social media turned up the heat causing them to ban him from all of their locations. This case is by no means anywhere near over. This is just the beginning.
As always I want to leave the last word with you. I think you know where I stand on the matter. But what do you think will happen? Do you think Wes will see prison time? If found guilty of a felony, defendants don’t do their time in jail – it’s prison. What do you think Wes’s lawyer will get him with some kind of a deal that keeps him out of prison? What do you think will happen?
As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at IronMagazine. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. And be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It will definitely drum up some lively conversation.
