Death row inmate suspected to have died from natural causes

A death row inmate serving time at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center when he was pronounced dead Sept. 23 is suspected to have died from natural causes, according to a spokesperson from the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to Justin Norton, operations manager at the office, John Watson, 84, had been under medical care for a terminal illness prior to his death.

The official cause and manner of Watson’s death are not yet finalized, pending additional laboratory testing, according to Norton.

Watson, a retired high school math teacher, was convicted of first-degree kidnapping and murder in 2010.