North Texas murder suspect out on bond arrested, accused in Denton robbery
An Arlington homicide suspect who had been on the run on a bond violation was back in jail Thursday after being arrested in Denton and accused of robbery, according to jail records.
Darian Watts, 21, of Grand Prairie, is accused of killing a man over a water bottle in April 2018 at an Arlington apartment complex.
Watts was awaiting trial when he was released on $50,000 bond in September 2019.
An arrest warrant was issued in January after Watts failed a drug test, according to Tarrant County court records.
The Grand Prairie man was booked into the Denton City Jail on Wednesday, according to jail records.
Watts is accused of being one of two robbers who broke into a Denton apartment early Wednesday and stole electronics and credit cards.
He also was being held on the bond violation.
Watts is accused of stabbing 25-year-old Drew Jones to death in April 2018 in the parking lot of an Arlington apartment complex. The fight that led to the killing started over a water bottle, according to Jones’ family.
Arlington police officers responded to a disturbance call about 9 p.m. on April 11, 2018, in the 1700 block of West Randol Mill Road.
“This group of people called Drew names,” Jones’ mother, Jill Thompson, said in a telephone interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in April 2019. “They wanted to fight, but Drew didn’t do anything.”
At about 6 p.m. on April 12, 2018, Drew Jones and his brother went back over to the apartment complex on West Randol Mill Road to visit friends. That same group of people were there.
“He (Drew) accidentally knocked over a water bottle, and one guy yelled at him,” Thompson said. “A girl pushed Drew and then Drew starts getting punched by a person behind the girl.”
Thompson said she knows this happened because her other son witnessed the attack.
At some point, Thompson said, her son was stabbed in his left chest, but continued to fight another man in the attack. Everyone scattered when Arlington police arrived.
Watts was arrested in connection with the stabbing and booked into jail. In April 2019, Watts was released on $25,000 bond..
But a warrant was issued a few days later for Watts over bond violations. Details of those violations were not available on Thursday.
Watts was arrested and booked into the Tarrant County Jail on April 29, 2019, but he was released on Sept. 26, 2019, after posting $50,000 bond.
