He was left to die alone for three hours before police could reach Constable Watt after having commandeered a heavily armored vehicle from Rockhampton jail was summoned to recover his body. Watt was pronounced dead at 3.47am on July 21. The suspect, Cooper Alton Downs, 58, an air force officer, was hiding in bushes in the front yard of his property when he shot Watt.
On may 22, 2003, after a week of evidence the Supreme Court heard Cooper had been drinking and was on medication. The court was told before Cooper fired shots, he had become upset and recalled he had been given a white feather as a sign of cowardice while a peacekeeper years before. The twelve member jury took almost five hours to find Cooper guilty for the murder of Senior Constable Norman Watt. Justice Peter Dutney sentenced Cooper to life in prison.
