PREVIOUSLY:

• Hoopa Man Arrested for Murder After Fatally Stabbing His Uncle, Sheriff’s Office Says

###

A man accused of fatally stabbing his uncle was charged with murder today. 

31-year-old Travis Watson, a Hoopa resident, was charged with murder by the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. He additionally faces a special enhancement for use of a deadly weapon, a knife.

He pleaded not guilty in court today.

This follows his arrest Saturday. Watson called police after the stabbing, reporting he had been physically attacked by his uncle and in response, “a stabbing occurred,” according to a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim, 34-year-old James Luther Vernon Williams, died from his injuries at the scene, a residence on Pine Creek Road in Hoopa.

“Based on the investigation, including statements and physical evidence collected at the scene, Watson was arrested,” according to the sheriff’s office.

At his arraignment Wednesday afternoon, judge John Feeney read the charges levied against him. Watson pleaded not guilty to the murder charge and denied the enhancement.

Feeney set his bail at $1,000,000.

Humboldt County Conflict Counsel’s office was appointed to represent him. Defense attorney Meagan O’Connell requested a hearing for supervised release to coincide with the preliminary hearing, which was scheduled for May 15.

Watson was previously convicted of battery and child abuse, according to court records.

He was convicted of misdemeanor battery in 2025 and misdemeanor child abuse in 2017 in Humboldt County. Two domestic violence restraining orders filed against him include allegations of stalking, violence and threats, in late 2023 and early 2024.