As she said in the Denver Post interview, "We had just met. "I just don't understand why he keeps explaining himself over and over," says Trinastich. Pictures of her husband, 34 year old Christopher Watts, were captioned with loving and thankful words: Happy Husband Appreciation Day! }); While Chris's frustrations do not justify his actions in the least, one must understand that the murders weren't a direct result of madness, or evil, or psychopathy. Over 200 Million Downloads! He came home late that night. Watts then changed his story about his marriage and didn't show the kind of emotion one would expect from a man who can't find his family. No one knew that he had then walked upstairs to his daughters rooms andkilled them in their beds. We already know that Chris Watts Googled the lyrics to the Metallica song, "Battery," after disposing of the bodies of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and two daughters, Bella and Celeste, in large oil tanks on a site owned by his employer. The entire case was later featured in the 2020Netflix true crime documentary, American Murder: The Family Next Door, but it's safe to say that there are many strange details that didn't make it onto the streaming service. When the investigators asked Chris if he was hoping to speak to Kessinger one day, he replied, "Maybe once just to say, I'm sorry this all happened." However, the case soon became a murder investigation, in which Chris was the prime suspect and after failing a polygraph test, he would confess to murdering his family and disposing of their bodies. Cadle released a book about their letters titled Letters From Christopher in October 2019. But Watts had one more trick up his sleeve in a desperate attempt to stay in control. But what has them so enthralled? Searches of her phone revealed that she had been chatting with a close friend about their relationship troubles and had drafted out what she wanted to say to Christopher over text. Kessinger found out he'd been lying to her when she saw on the news that he was still married to a wife who had been pregnant. I don't know who he is." As well as Googling wedding dresses and the name of Chris Watts' wife, Nichol Kessinger also searched online for Amber Frey, the infamous mistress in another murder case. Roll credits.But that would be boring, wouldnt it? Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The documentarys director, Jenny Popplewell, said in an interview with Netflix that she wanted people to watch the film to understand how the narratives of the case shifted. A lawyer from the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender which represented Mr. Watts when he pleaded guilty to murder in November 2018 declined to comment on the documentary, which touched off a new wave of fascination with the grisly murders. She planned to ask him what he wanted to do. As author Cherlyn Cadle wrote in her book,Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders (via theDaily Mail), "After Christopher killed his family and drove away, Nikki texted him to look up the song by Metallica band called 'Battery.' I don't know the answer to it. Watts admitted to killing his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and two daughters, Bella (4) and Celeste (3) in 2018. They never would come home. I love you so much and so grateful you hung around when I tried pushing you away in the beginning! she wrote under one of the pictures. Disclaimer: The details of this case are extremely disturbing. A tuft of blonde hair was found in the entrance of the tank, Mr. Rourke said. One such incident was when Shanann had a fallout with Chris' parents after they served her children ice cream with peanut chips, despite knowing Celeste had a nut allergy. He was done with his wife as his narcissistic supply once he had a new Get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhyListen ad free with Wondery+. Available in the Wondery App. Laci was eight months pregnant when she disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002, and it wasn't until April 2003 that the bodies of Laci and her unborn child were found. Focusing on the Marketing activities most likely to generate sustainable revenue is not a new concept. Frank Rzucek Sr., left, and Frankie Rzucek, Shanann Wattss father and brother, in court in 2018. Their daughter Ashley Freeman, and Ashleys best friend Lauria Bible, who was sleeping over that night, were gone.Did you know you can get bonus content from Generation Why at: patreon.com/generationwhy ?Listen ad free with Wondery+. THIS IS TOTAL LEFT FIELD.". Ultimately, Watts strangled Shanann to death and said he wanted to be with Kessinger. }); "I'm not sure how they woke back up, but they did. His sentence also included 48 years for the unlawful termination of Ms. Wattss pregnancy and 36 years for the disposal of the victims bodies. All rights reserved. This is a scenario that he has built up, that he has the right to do this., She was referring to the cold and calculated way Watts made statements like this to our reporter: I mean, my kids are my life. There was a mini pool at the birthday party and his girls 'had an epic time.' Christopher expressed his concern and anxiety in interviews with the local news: I just want them home he desperately told reporters its like a nightmare. That made the act that much worse knowing I went to their rooms first and knowing I still took their lives at the location of the batteries.". ", The Most Bizarre Things About The Chris Watts Case. And it begins with that interview by Denver7 on Watts front porch. Once again, no one was buying the story. Emily Shiffer is a former digital web producer for Mens Health and Prevention, and is currently a freelancer writer specializing in health, weight loss, and fitness. In his first confession, he claimed that he was having an affair and had asked Shanann for a separation. And Watts showed his first sign of emotion. One day after killing his pregnant wife and two daughters, Christopher Watts gave a TV interview from his porch in Frederick, Colo., begging them to come home. A few months into their affair, Chris was telling Nichole that he loved her and that he was looking to move out of his wifes house and start fresh with her. "Thats kind of keeping it together and hes trying to maintain control. Which leads us into the interrogation room at the Weld County Sheriffs office and the unraveling of a killers account. Once he had murdered his entire familyand disposed of them, he set the wheels in motion for what he believed would be his new life, his fresh start. Their financial issues were so bad that they filed for bankruptcy in 2014. That is why hes cryingbecause hes caught. Show more Show more Colorado murder home sits in When asked about her relationship with Chris Watts, his girlfriend, Nichol Kessinger, told interviewers that she believed the couples financial problems was one of the main stresses in the relationship and most likely the reason that Mr. Watts wanted a divorce. Vanished. I felt like I could kill anything and be justified for doing it." In turn, he killed Shanann in a fit of rage over her actions. Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if youre out there, just come back, Mr. Watts said, staring into the camera. An autopsy was performed but the cause of death has not yet been released (as I write this). It is thought the tanks of gas were used in an attempt to disguise the odor of decay. Yeah, I mean the paranoia just kind of grows like, 'I cant trust anybody.'. Chris Watts lies and ever-evolving story give both Flater and Nicoletti a very clear picture of who he is and why he saw murder as the best way to get what he wants. Like were banning together, instead of just feeling sorry for victims. When she realized her marriage was crumbling before her, she tried everything she could to save it. Along with Trinastich and officers of the Frederick, Colorado, police department, Watts watched himself on the TV screen loading large, bulky packages into his pickup truck. On August 13, 2018, Colorado dad Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts (she was carrying their son, Nico), and their two daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. They died from gunshot wounds to the head. If youre asking that, you probably have some kind of conscience, Flater said. It would seem that Chris' behavior toward Shanann became noticeably different, as she told her friend via text, "l told him last [night], I don't feel safe with him after what he said about the baby. Tuesday would be the gender reveal party, an event that friends and family were excited to attend. }); These Pregnant Celebrities Have Due Dates In 2023, Shop Amazons Massive Sale On Power Banks. ", Chris' parents also suggested that it was his marriage to Shanann that changed him. He later admitted to killing all three and disposing of their bodies. Wish I could have known her if only to thank her for her contagious enthusiasm. eventAction: 'click_image_ads' You didnt see emotion when his family was killed.. Michael J. Rourke, the Weld County district attorney, said Mr. Watts had smothered his daughters.. Like seriously! Thousands of documents pertaining to Watts' family's annihilation were released after the murder investigations were concluded. That is one evil man.. As Kessinger later told The Denver Post, "I just wanted to help With a pregnant woman and two children missing, I was going to do anything that I could. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Chris Watts is incarcerated at the maximum-security Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin. "He has changed. When Shanann Watts was killed on Aug. 13, 2018, she'd just returned from a business trip in the early hours of the morning. Soon after his arrest, he confessed to killing Shanann after failing a polygraph test. This is the first time you see emotion. }); Watts says Shanann became angry and strangled her daughters. Strangely, Chris also Googled, "What do you feel when someone tells you they love you," suggesting that he either didn't know or wanted to accurately react to any romantic declarations. ", The Reason True Crime Fans Are Obsessed With Chris Watts. https://wondery.app.link/generationwhy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Though Mr. Watts initially insisted that he had not killed his children, he said he had dumped their bodies in oil tanks and had buried his wife nearby. The story he told me that night, I believed it: The way he looked at me, the way he was crying, I believed it." I found this podcast just last year, and have been listening and catching up since! Although it seemed as though Shanann had walked out with the children following an argument with her husband, not one friend or family member had been in contact with her since. Chris' Google search indicated that the married man was moving quickly with Kessinger and was ready to take their relationship to the next level, despite already being married to someone else. She and her husband, Most notably, the tragic events have been covered by Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and ABC's 20/20, and they have been adapted into a Netflix documentary called American Murder: The Family Next Door, released in September 2020. "I thought it would be easier to be with Nichol if Shanann wasn't pregnant," he explained. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Chris Watts appeared on local interviews expressing how devastated he was and pleaded for his family to come home. As The Denver Post, with whom Kessinger gave her only press interview, later reported, "Kessinger was working in the environmental department with an Anadarko Petroleum contractor when the two met One day in the middle of June [2018], he walked into her office to introduce himself." They are used to being lied to.