The Horrendous Family Annihilation by Chris Watts

Chris Watts was a man on the surface who looked like he had it all. He had a beautiful wife, Shanann, two beautiful girls and a baby boy on the way. The couple lived in Frederick, Colorado, twenty-seven miles from Denver. He was an operator for Anadarko Petroleum; Shanann worked for a nutrition supplement company online.

Shanann documented the families life on social media; at first glance, they look like a well off, happy family. However, as we all know, Facebook is not real life. Behind the photos, friends reported that life might not be all it seems, but no one guessed murder would be the end.

How it started

The relationship started in 2010 when Chris sent Shanann a friend request on Facebook; she couldn't see the harm, thinking that she would never meet him. However, when she moved to North Carolina, they met up and fell in love. They were married on 3rd November 2012 and had their first daughter almost a year later. When Bella was born, the couple cherished her, none more so than her mother, who had been told she would never have children because of her Lupus diagnosis.

Eighteen months later, the couple had their second daughter and called her Celeste; Celeste had some allergies to food which would play a part in the story later on. Shanann spent every minute staying healthy, eating the right food and loving her family. However, everything was not as it seemed; the couple filed for bankruptcy in June 2015; a combination of credit card debt, student loans and medical bills had seen them spending over their budget.

The cracks start to appear.

In June 2018, Shanann surprised Chris that they expected their third child. She broke the news to him by wearing a t-shirt that stated, 'oops, we did it again.' The whole thing was filmed and placed on social media.

The same month Chris started talking with Nichol Kessinger, who worked in the environment department of the same company. One month later, they met out of the office. Chris told Nichol that he was separated from his wife.

In July 2018, Shanann took the children to visit family, which caused an argument between the couple. During a visit to Chris's parents, his mother had tried to feed Celeste the ice cream she was allergic to; a furious argument started between mother and daughter-in-law. Shanann demanded that Chris deal with his parents; it was the last time they saw their grandchildren.

During this time, Chris started a physical relationship with Nichol; they saw each other four to five times a week. He told her the divorce was almost final.

Chris flew out to join his family on the last week of the holiday, again Shanann filmed this. She also texted her friend to say that Chris had been cold with her all week, believing this was because of the argument she had with his parents.

Four days after the couple returned home on 9th August 2018, Shanann went away on a work conference. Chris took advantage of this and got a babysitter to go out with Nichol. However, he failed to cover his tracks this time and used the joint bank card to pay for dinner.

On the 13th, Shanann returned from her conference at 2 am. In the morning, she was given a lift by her friend Nickole Atkinson who dropped her off. The following day Chris woke Shanann up to tell her that the marriage was over and wanted a divorce. He states she told him he would never see the children again.

Murder

He snapped and strangled her to death, at which point Bella entered the room and asked if mum was okay? Chris wrapped Shanann in a blanket and placed her and the children in his truck, driving to his work location. He smothered Celeste first and then Bella. He put the two children in oil tankers and buried Shanann close by in a shallow grave.

Since then, we have found out two horrific details. First, Chris had already tried to smother both children whilst they slept; he was shocked when Bella appeared and was alive. When Bella saw what he did to her sister, this tiny little four-year-old girl tried to fight for her life against a daddy she had called her hero.

The investigation

The authorities were alerted to Shanann's disappearance by her friend Nickole. When the police investigate, they become suspicious of the missing story when they find both Shanann's phone and purse in the house. Chris told them that he got up early to leave for work. He then went as far as to make a plea on television for his family's safe return.

For a reason that he can only know, he agreed to take a polygraph test. Maybe he thought he could beat it; he failed it spectacularly. When the police questioned him further, he told them that Shanann had killed the children and, seeing what she had done, he killed her. He helped the police locate their bodies.

Trial and Life Now

On 21st August 2018, Chris Watts pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder, with two additional charges as the girls were both under twelve. He also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and tampering with dead bodies. The prosecution had agreed to take the death penalty off the table if he pleaded. Instead, he was given a sentence of life without parole.

Perhaps the most inhumane and vicious crime I have handled out of the thousands of cases that I have seen. - Judge Marcelo Kopcow

Since then, although an outcast amongst the prison population, he has become famous among many female admirers. He has also been linked to several gay relationships in prison before he murdered his family.

Although Nichol had thought he was separated, she was hounded by the media and other people. She eventually moved towns and changed her name to escape Chris's punishment heaped on her. Before you feel too sorry for her, though, it is thought that one of the females who write to Chris in prison regularly is his ex-mistress.