The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has confirmed the 45-year federal prison sentence for Kendrick Watson, a 44-year-old from Memphis. Watson was convicted on charges related to drugs and firearms during a jury trial in February 2024 in Tennessee’s Western District. This announcement was made by Interim United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr.
Watson appealed his conviction, challenging several aspects such as the denial of his motions to suppress and dismiss, the adequacy of jury instructions, the sufficiency of evidence at trial, and the fairness of his sentence. However, on June 16, 2024, the appellate court upheld both his convictions and sentence entirely.
The court documents revealed that U.S. Postal Inspectors intercepted a package in Memphis containing one kilogram of cocaine under a search warrant. The parcel was delivered to an address where Watson retrieved it before law enforcement entered with another search warrant. Inside they found various items including five firearms, ammunition, cash totaling around $52,000, fentanyl, methamphetamine, digital scales, cell phones, and paperwork bearing Watson’s name.
Despite multiple pre-trial motions filed by Watson—two motions to suppress evidence and three motions to dismiss—the Sixth Circuit upheld their denial citing substantial probable cause for issuing warrants and insufficient legal backing for dismissal arguments.
Moreover, the court maintained Watson’s lengthy sentence which included a mandatory 25-year term due to a prior conviction involving gun possession during a violent crime as reasonable both procedurally and substantively.
This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service with support from agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gregory Allen and Naya Bedini managed prosecution duties including handling appeals for this case.
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