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Five disturbing details missing from Netflix's Chris Watts murder documentary
Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door tells the real-life story of how one man brutally murdered his wife and children, before dumping their bodies in the most callous way. However, some key details were omitted
Netflix is known for its regularly updated stream of gripping and shocking true crime content, but one documentary remains one of the most horrifying.
Viewers were left so deeply disturbed by Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, they were 'sick to their stomach' when it was first added to the streaming platform. The show told the story of a father who brutally murdered his pregnant wife and children.
On August 13, 2018, Chris Watts, 35, strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, 34, to death and then killed his two daughters, Bella, four, and Celeste, three, in Colorado, where the family lived. Shanann's body was found on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum, one of the US's largest oil and gas drillers in Colorado, where Watts worked as an operator. Investigators found the bodies of Bella and Celeste nearby in an oil tank.
Watts pleaded guilty to nine charges, including murder and the unlawful termination of a pregnancy. He is currently serving a life sentence without parole in Wisconsin.
The Netflix documentary, which was aired in 2020, followed the tragic turn of events. From showing how Chris and Shannan met and began their romance to the aftermath of her and their daughters' murder, the documentary also used real-life footage to bring Watts' crimes to life.
As seen on the doc, he eventually confessed to the triple murder, but some details from the story were omitted. Here, the Mirror looks at the five chilling details that were missing from the documentary, as reported by US news site
1. 'Evil' mother-in-law
Shannan isn't thought to have had a good relationship with Chris Watts' parents and branded her mother-in-law, Cindy Watts, "evil". She believed Cindy endangered their youngest daughter, Celeste, by serving her ice cream with peanut chips, despite her severe nut allergy, Daily Mail reported.
'You should call your dad and tell him you did not appreciate your mom putting your daughter at risk today,' she told her husband in a furious message. 'She's evil and willing to risk your daughter's life just to get under my skin.'
Tensions escalated to the point where Watts' parents reportedly blocked Shanann on Facebook and skipped Celeste's birthday party entirely. They hadn't even attended their son's wedding.
As the doc showed, devastated Cindy vowed in court to continue to support her son despite his despicable crimes, which included the deaths of his young daughters.
2. Marriage obsession
American Murder: The Family Next Door depicted Watts as having an affair with coworker Nichol Kessinger, but it didn't reveal that the illicit romance was a full-blown relationship and Kessinger had hopes of marrying Watts, reports Daily Mail.
Just nine days before the murders, on August 4, 2018, Kessinger searched Google for over two hours, looking at wedding dresses. She also browsed topics related to 'marrying your mistress,' according to Business Insider.
After discovering Watts had lied to her, Kessinger is said to have later filed to change her name in Jefferson County, Colorado.
3. Alleged affairs
Amanda McMahon claimed she had a one-night stand with Watts in March 2018 after meeting him on Tinder. 'It got really fast and aggressive,' she said of the encounter.
She told the police that she had to physically fight Watts off her after he turned violent, putting his hands around her throat and trying to initiate anal sex despite her reluctance. He also reportedly revealed details of his "rape fantasy" to her in extreme detail.
And a few months after the murders, The Mirror spoke to the gay escort Trent Bolte, who claimed he had a 10-month affair with Watts in 2018. However, Watts denied any involvement. 'I've never been with a guy,' he told police.
4. Female prison visitor
According to an 'Inmate Visitation History' document dated January 6, 2020, a woman named Anna Nowak was approved to see Watts and made 31 visits between March and December 2019.
The document shows that she was once turned away after exceeding the maximum visits for a single day.
5. Plans for romantic getaway
The documentary hinted at marriage troubles - using Shanann's own text messages, but she also made serious efforts to save the relationship - because she loved her husband and she didn't want a broken home for her two daughters who doted on their father,
The Daily Mail reported that the unsuspecting spouse was looking for travel deals on Groupon and had also arranged childcare for Bella and Celeste so she and her future killer could holiday together.
To the outside world, the Watts looked like any family next door - a loving couple and two adorable children living a happy, normal life together. But behind closed doors, it was a very different and horrifying story.
