John Watkins (attorney)

John Watkins is a Las Vegas-based criminal defense attorney. He has served as lead counsel in several high-profile cases, including State of Nevada v. Jessica Williams, in which exotic dancer Jessica Williams was sentenced to 18 to 48 years in prison after falling asleep behind the wheel of her minivan, drifting onto an median north of Las Vegas, and killing six teenage county workers. The case received national media exposure and has been called "one of the most prominent Nevada cases involving a marijuana DUI."
Background
Watkins graduated with a degree in Philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1977. He received his J.D. degree from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1980.
Noteworthy cases
Watkins litigated what has been called "one of the most prominent Nevada cases involving a marijuana DUI."
In State of Nevada v. Jessica Williams, six teenagers, serving as a county work crew picking up freeway trash, were killed when a minivan driven by 20-year-old exotic dancer Jessica Williams drifted onto the median and plowed through them. The victims, ages 14 to 16, had been convicted of minor offenses in juvenile court, and in lieu of jail time were assigned to county cleanup crews. However, Watkins argued that Williams was not under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash. While a jury found that Williams was not impaired and had simply fallen asleep, the "per se" law that allowed no detectable amount of marijuana in the body whatsoever forced a DUI conviction. Williams was found guilty of driving under the influence of marijuana and sentenced to 18 to 45 years in prison for each victim.
In October 2019, after 19 years in prison, Williams was granted parole and was released from prison.

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