Warren Dale Watson, who is accused in the 2013 murder of a Lakewood attorney, sent a handwritten note to a judge Thursday morning saying he wanted to plead guilty in the case.
Appearing later in Jefferson County court, however, Watson expressed confusion and apprehension, and District Court Judge Philip McNulty said he would not take a plea.
Watson, 54, is being held on multiple felony charges, including three first-degree murder charges, in the death of Claudia Miller.
Watson, who was , had a first-time appointment March 5, 2013, with Miller, whose body was found in her office by a cleaning crew later that day. Watson .
During Thursday’s hearing Watson, dressed in dark gray jail garb, told McNulty that he has been taking medications, including a pain reliever, as well as Depakote, a mood disorder drug.
“I’m thinking less clearly,” Watson told McNulty, as the judge asked him direct questions about medications and Watson’s mental state.
“I become confused a lot easier,” Watson said. “Before I could grasp things a lot better. I have a problem now. I can’t do it.”
With Miller’s family in the gallery, Watson told the court that he sought to enter a plea so he could “move forward” and eventually “prevail” in the case.
Watson, who is represented by the Colorado Public Defender’s office, came short of formally entering a plea and by hearing’s end McNulty ruled that he would “not take any type of plea.”
A pre-trial hearing is scheduled April 1, with Watson’s trial scheduled to begin April 24.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, knicholson@denverpost.com or twitter.com/kierannicholson
