Overview
- Police say Brenda Elizabeth Gillett went to her rental home early Sunday after a 2 a.m. call about tenant problems, Ring camera footage showed her entering the backyard and she was later reported missing.
- Prosecutors say 41-year-old tenant Robert Watkins was arrested, confessed to the killing, and was booked on a first‑degree murder charge at the San Diego County Jail.
- Court documents allege Watkins beat Gillett with a hammer, dismembered her body, and that remains were found in a suitcase at Paseo del Rey Park and in the water near the USS Midway with cameras showing bags thrown from a pier.
- Investigators reported finding blood‑stained evidence inside and outside the house and observed scratch marks on Watkins and blood on his shoes, and they say he initially refused to say where the remains were hidden.
- Gillett’s family has publicly identified her as 56‑year‑old Brenda Gillett, an Army veteran, and her loved ones are planning a funeral while Watkins’ arraignment has been delayed and is now scheduled for June 1.