Watts Up? (Chris Watts Family Murder)

The Watts story from the beginning.

In this very special episode I was joined by some incredible new friends and followers of the podcast. Thank you so much Romina, Faith, Drew, Erica, Susan and Marcy. It was great having you join!!!

Friendly reminder of the upcoming deadline of the Wattsup giveaway. The deadline to submit your entries is November 30th. Soon afterwards I will have a special episode where I will invite some of those who submitted their theories to join me in a zoom discussion where they can tell me why they think what they think.

Join the Wattsup giveaway. Very interested in your theories about the million dollar question; why on earth did Chris (or would anyone for that matter) kill their own children??? It is instinctual to protect our offspring. So what on earth could have caused this to go completely haywire? I have received several very interesting theories so far. Please keep them coming. Deadline to submit your theory is November 30th. After this I will choose one person at random and give them a prize. I also hope to invite a few onto a live zoom on the podcast to discuss further.

Part 2 of 2 Part Anniversary special commemorating the 3 years since the tragedy. Special guests join this episode where we discuss many aspects of this case and all aspects of this story.

Part 1 of 3 Year Anniversary Part 2 Will be Released tomorrow. This episode includes special guests and friends including a longtime friend who was an investigator for over 20 years and has incredible insight and experience with similar crimes. we do a general overall discussion of the case.

Please check out the upcoming 3 year anniversary episode to be released very soon. This is a very special and LONG episode where i have a few very special guests joining me in a very thorough conversation about the Watts case. This episode was initially meant to come out on August 13th to commemorate the anniversary of the Watts Tragedy, however there was a bit of a delay due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you for your patience. This will be released very soon!!!

Breakdown of the Lifetime episode of Cellmates Secrets featuring who else??? Watts, of course. The episode depicts the perspective of those who got to know him behind bars and a snapshot of the man behind this infamous tragedy. Does it make you like him more/less? Does it make you more sympathetic towards him? Humanize him? Have compassion for him? You decide.

There is a "5 page letter" circulating online which is allegedly writting by Chris. The recipient is unknown. The idea that any words, written or spoken by Chris are perceived as sacred or holy, as though he is unveiling some sort of great truth to be bestowed upon us makes me roll my eyes in the biggest way imagininable. In any case in this episode I discuss this letter and it's contents and give my two cents.

Had a great chat with Anita; another dedicated follower of the Watts case. We covered all the basics.

A quick thank you to listeners of the podcast.

When did Chris and Nicole first meet each other? We undersatnd the conventional story that they met through work in or around May/June 2018 so why is there an entry on the timeline search of NK's phone in 2017?

There was a recent article published by the Daily Mail where former inmate in the Dodge Correctional facility (now released) was friendly with Chris and Chris supposedly confided in him sharing all kinds of details about NK as well as the "the big WHY" (as in why'd he do it?). Whether you believe his credibility or that of the article is up to you. I break it down in this episode. You be the judge.

According to several sources the 35C (post conviction relief attempt) has been cancelled. It's over and done! Whats next???? For weeks there had been talk of a 35C and a team of people on Team Chris to expose "the truth" (whatever that is) and find out what REALLY happened and get Chris's some overdue justice??? Why was the 35C cancelled? What's the big news about to drop in the Watts case? Could it be the thing that followers have salivated over for the past 2.5 years???

I have heard people relentlessly go off on Nicole K. So much so that it almost felt as though people were more upset with her than Chris, who confessed (multiple times). Why??? Why is SHE perceived as somehow equally as bad, if not worse? Is she bad because people are certain she was involved and got off easy OR is it because they perceive her as a homewrecker or destroyed a family (even though Chris was the one cheating)? Or both???

There is an ongoing effort to get Chris a 35C (post conviction relief). Numerous parties are vigorously working towards this potential reality. Is this what the world wants, needs, can even fathom???

The majority of what I have seen, read and oberved points to clear and obvious pre-meditation, but I've never been certain of this. While I believe there was SOME plan ahead of time how far in advance this was seems somewhat debateable. On one hand all the signs point to a pre-set plan, but if that is indeed the case why such a mess???

The kids went to the upscale dayschool Primrose Academy and after a 6 week Summer break were scheduled to return the morning of August 13th. They never showed up. A few people called up the school to address this. This raised alarm bells. Who called the Primrose Academy that morning and why???

One of the creepest and most talked about aspects of this bizarre tragedy is the video displayed on next door neighbor Nate's secruity camera. It was a video from the show American Horror Story (Apocolypse). Was this simply a coincidence or a message from the beyond?

Was Chris hiding a secret identity that no one was able to see? Why was it only AFTER the tragedy that there is the big reveal? Why is it no one came forward to say "knowing him one could have predicted this. There were obvious clues"? Was there ANY way for anyone within these families to have seen what was about to happen? Could anyone have intervened? Were there clues that went ignored? Or was he just an expert at presenting to the world a nice guy image so that this was just imperceptable and only AFTER the fact did things come clear?

This story seems to be a bottomless pit of theories, conspiracies, and scandal. There seems to be a new one born every day. One of these claims Chris is actually innocent and that the only person Chris murdered was Shanann, but did so heroically defending his kids from their mother who was supposedly "strung out on Oxy and booze". This NOT MY theory. This of course doesn't explain why he then took his beloved children he cared so deeply for and discarded their bodies by shoving them into oil tanks. But YOU decide what's true and what isn't.

I have talked about this story for over 2 years and have had bent the ears of friends and family and anyone willing to listen! Today I welcome a longtime friend who I can talk about ANYTHING with. She is smart, insightful, interesting and hilarious. In the 20+years we've known each other this is just one of many great conversations that we normally have privately but today we are happy to discuss the Watts case and share our collective insights with those following the podcast. Our initial idea was to chat for 40 minutes-an hour, but whenver me and Theresa talk these tend to be marathon conversations as we have so much fun talking. Happy to welcome her to the podcast.

Why do people sympathize with Chris? Even NOW? Why? Why are there those who give him the benefit of the doubt? Why are there those who know what he did and acknowledge it fully and still give him a bit of sympathy? Does he deserve this???

There are no shortage of conspiarcy theories in this country and surrounding this case. It seems as though this will likely drag on for decades. It's a game of Clue or a whodone it even though we all know who did it!!! If you take the bait you can believe just about anything, as long as the person telling you is persuasive enough. What do YOU believe???

From only a few short hours after the murders Chris NOW had to meet with the Frederick police already inside his house thanks to the quick action of Nicole (Shanann's good friend) who was deeply concerned she had not heard from her friend and was unresponsive. From this point onward Chris had to put on a major game face and try desperately to convence investigators, who at this point were only doing a wellness check and it had not yet evolved into a murder investigation that all was well, nothing was amiss and even if it were HE surely had nothing to do with it. While his poker face was not very good at all it is astonishing how he was able to maintain this for days.

What did Chris and Nicole talk about for almost 2 hours on that fateful night/morning??? More curious why doens't she remember what was discussed. Why does she refer to their conversation as less than memorable and instead explains it as "so much random stuff". To this I say really?

Shanann and NK could NOT be more different. One was glamorous, while the other was outdoorsy and seemingly unconcerned with trivial things like material goods. Chris found both women very appealing for different reasons. While NK seemed to project confidence was she simply jealous of Shanann?

This episode is not about Chris Watts, but just a quick thank you and shout out to everyone who has been kind enough to listen and all your feedback. It is sincerely appreciated. Thank you!!!

Was Chris a monster? Was it all about a financial meltdown?

Chris and Shanann HAD planned for a 3rd baby and both seemed very happy to be having a boy, though wanting something and then getting it can be two very different things. After learning his wife was expecting her 3rd child Chris realized his affair with Nicki would be in jeapardy. Was THIS the jenga piece that caused everything to come tumbling down?

Chris HAD to get into Shannan's Lexus even BEFORE he went into his house to pretend he was looking for his wife. WHAT was in her car? Why was it SOOOOO urgent that he made this TOP priority to do this immediately upon arriving home??? He did this in full view of the police though no one SAW what he retrieved from the car. What was it and why did he feel this above all else was something he simply HAD TO DO????

Both Sandi Rzucek and Nicole Atkinson both seemed to have a very strong intuition that something criminal had happened. HOW did they know this? Was it just mothers intuition or a friend being a great friend???

Would NK have gotten involved with Chris if her hadn't told her he and Shanann were separating? At which point, if any did she start to see through his lies?

Chris loads a red plastic container of gasoline into his truck the morning he is loading up his family into his truck. Why did he do this???

The Watt's had a bed in the basement of their house. Was Chris sleeping in this bed and why?

In his interview with FBI Special Agent Graham Coder, CBI Agent Tammy Lee and Frederick Police Department Detective Dave Baumhover Chris reveals one of THEE most chilling details of the crime.

Were Chris and Shanann headed for divorce? Was the trip to NC a trial separation or just a summer vacation?

Part 4 and final part of the summary of the Netflix Documentary

Part 3 of 4 part summary of Netflix Documentary

2nd of 3 part summary of the Netlfix Documentary. Of course the Netflix doc. was done in 1 piece, but for the sake of the podcast not being too long i divided up into 3 parts. I will post part 3 soon!

Part 1 of a 4 part summary of the Netflix documentary covering all the details.

Since day 1 people have insisted NK was not only involved, but was the mastermind, was there that night and made sure this all went down. Fact or fiction?

This is the alleged emotional conversation between Chris and Shanann after he woke her up just 2 hours after she got home and returned from her trip.

Poor Bella lovingly sings to her father who she considers her hero. Too Sad!

Shanann saw the writing on the wall. She suspected an affair, but was 15 weeks pregnant and did NOT want her marriage to crumble. She would do anything to save it and tried desperately to get through to him, but sadly he had already decided he was done and the wheels were in motion.

Chris actually said to he woke up that morning that something had been implanted, like he just knew it was going to happen and there was nothing he could have done to stop it from happening. Is this POSSIBLE??? As nuts as it sounds he genuinely appeared to not just love but absoutely adore his kids. So was he just faking all of that??? Even if was a bad drug trip, or roid rage, or whatever is it impossible to fathom that something had taken OVER him???

Chris asks his friend Jeremy if his teenage daughter, Mckenna can babysit the kids the saturday night before the murders.

Chris tried very hard to maintain that these murders were spontaneous and the result of rage triggered by witnessing Shanann murder his beloved children. But there are multiple examples of things that debunk this claim, one of THEE most peculiar is a photo of a doll that Chris texted Shanann which appeared to be an image of a female corpse with a sheet over it. Was this a sick joke or a warning?

While most people in the Watts orbit abandoned Chris early on, his friends Nick and Amanda Thayer faithfully stood by Chris and supported him. They just could NOT believe that the Chris they knew all that time was a killer. They were convinced it was just fake news and Chris was getting a raw deal. They even had him stay overnight in their house where their young daughter, who was good friends with Bella and Cece lived. This is how much they trusted him. Too sad for them and all involved.

Nicole Kessinger deleted all of her text messages, was on the phone with Chris 111 mintes the night of the murders but doesn't remember what they talked about for almost 2 hours and her phone pinged in Frederick, CO (where Chris lived) at 6:16am. Conspiracy or no is really THAT hard to imagine she had at least a slight involvement???

On February 18, 2019, Chris Watts, was paid a visit by FBI Special Agent Graham Coder, Frederick Police Department Detective Dave Baumhover, and CBI Agent Tammy Lee, who conducted the polygraph that Watts failed. Watts agreed to this interview and happily chatted with them for 5 hours giving the public a much awaited and highly detailed confession.

A woman named Kim has surfaced to do what she can to widely spread a counternarrative making the claim that Chris's original confession was the TRUE confession (that Shanann killed the kids, NOT Chris). She is not a lawyer, not a detective, but has aligned herself with the Watts family and done her best to circulate this OTHER story, the supposed REAL story (brought to you by the folks who also want to help OJ find "the real killers".

Chris supposedly a letter via snail mail to his family claiming "I would never hurt myself or the girls. If anything were to happen to us please investigate my wife" and dates it August 6th, 2018, 1 week before the murders. According to his family this letter backs up the idea that Chris was railroaded and this letter proves that Shanann was real killer.

Occam's razor. The simplest explanation is usually the right one. Bella saw Chris wrapping her dead mother in a sheet. Could it simply BE that Chris had not initially intended to kill the kids, but there was just no way for poor Bella to UNsee what she saw so she was collateral damage?

Either A. Nicole Kessinger simply is THEE most unlucky in love woman in history OR B. she was at least somehow involved. Which is it???

One of the most gruesome details (of many!!!) is how Bella commented to Chris on the ride to Cervi 319 how she smelled something foul. Was she smelling a skunk or could this been the scent of her own recently deceased mother??? Ughhh. Poor baby.

Me and my special guest "Sidekick J" talk about the awesome Tammy Lee.

More details about Kim Kaufman's counternarrative she has tried to circulate claiming that Chris was railroaded. Although this makes you want to scream its hard to completely 100% look away. No matter how ludicrous, immoral or wrong you still think hmmm, maybe???

Tammy shakes down Chris and using a combo of expertise and brilliant comedy.

Chris talks about how he's found God in prison and the prison found Chris's underwear in another mans cell.

Of the 2 Nicoles in this story THIS is the Nicole we wished we had on our side. Her strong intuition and loyalty to her good friend Shanann was the KEY to getting this investigation kicked off almost IMMEDIATELY after the crime. Chris had ZERO time to cover his tracks. She rocked it!

We can ALL see her enter this house of horrors. We KNOW what is waiting for her. All you can think is how you want to scream DON'T GO INSIDE!!!!

Shannann's visit to her inlaws was a total disaster. Her mother in law had not taken the mandated precautions to protect Shananns kids from foods that would trigger their deadly allergies. Ironic. This triggered a massive fight and continued division within the families which some say was the final nail in the coffin.

Because of Shanann's delayed flight Chris had virtually no time and needed to get rid of 3 bodies. Did he dig this shallow grave THAT morning or did he do this beforehand?

Like Nicole Atkinson Nate was integral to this case. It was HIS security camera footage which also captured the Watt's driveway and him loading his truck that morning that ultimately sealed Chris's fate.

I would not call myself a True Crime afficionado. But there was something about this story that sucked me in. Everything about it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. It defies the laws of logic and reason. It is a reality show murder with no clearcut answers explaning why.

Nicole Atkinson was with Shanann all weekend. Did she know/did Shanann tell her their marriage was falling apart? Did she suspect it may even be unsafe for Shanann to go home that night. Is this why she was so alarmed that she called the police to check on her friend only after being out of touch a few hours?

Shanann and her mother in law, Cindy had a contentious relationship from the start. Each conflict between them if viewed from Shanann's point of view paints Cindy as a villain. If seen from Cindy's point of view Shanann was the villain. Is the good guy and bad guy ever as black and white/clear cut as we see in movies or are there 50 shades of grey?

Cindy and Shanan's relationship was a key driver of this story. It was almost like two dogs fighting over a bone (the bone, or bonehead being Chris). If not for their perpetual catfights it may not have been an 8 year grudge match where Chris had to decide where his loyalty was.

What makes us so fixated on stories like these? Why are we so fascinated by tragedy? This story is sort of the marriage between our fascination with reality shows, social media and true crime.

People want to believe that there are ONLY good guys and bad guys. No in between. Though people want to paint Cindy as the evil puppeteer who pulled Chris's strings and "created a monster"she too suffered a devastating loss. Like her or hate her is she worthy of compassion?

Chris knew Shanann monitored their credit card alerts and would SEE that he spent over 60 dollars on dinner. He knew she'd do the math and realize something was UP! He knew she'd see it and this would be the smoking gun. He could have paid cash, but sent a deliberate message to his wife gaslighting her.

Chris's best friend discussing what a "sweet guy" he always was.

How on earth Chris was able to kill his entire family, load them in his car, clean up the scene and drive to Cervi 319 and then discard all the bodies in 3.5 hours without breaking a sweat???

Cindy, Chris's mom wrote a book (allegedly) and tells HER point of view and how it was NOT Chris who was the bad guy, but Shanann! Does she have a point??? Too soon????

Chris utters a couple of very peculiar phrases "She wasn't supposed to be there" and "I don't want to protect her". WHO'S SHE??? Unclear and open to interpretation. Lets discuss.

Cindy reads a "victims impact statement" where it seems the key objective is letting her precious son know that he's completely forgiven, regardless. A member of Chris's legal team, Jean Powers also reads a statement claiming the Watts family acknowledged his guilt. But Cindy claims this was all fake news and she NEVER acknowledged this.

Continuation of Kim Kaufmans counter narrative (maybe Chris didn't do it???)

101 How to behave after killing your family so you don't look guilty?? I don't know if Chris thought to play it cool, try and act distraught or frantic or HOW he could make it SEEM as though he had nothing to do with it.