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Chris Watts Had No Idea That His Neighbor's Nate CCTV Camera Would Expose His Biggest Mistake. — Transcript

by Dark Matters True Crime · 4,556 words · 825 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00At first I couldn't believe that
0:03they're missing.
0:04If they were, I couldn't really I didn't
0:06know at the time if they were missing or
0:08not.
0:09So basically what I did was went to my
0:11security camera footage, checked it out,
0:14went back to the police,
0:16and told them basically what I had, and
0:18they eventually wanted to come in and
0:19look at it.
0:22>> Chris Watts convicted of murdering his
0:24pregnant wife and two daughters.
0:25>> How well do you know your spouse?
0:27>> Time exclusive with his neighbor who
0:29handed over the video.
0:31>> Watch, I'll show you. [music]
0:32>> That led to his arrest.
0:34>> A pregnant mother, Shannan Watts, and
0:36her two daughters, CC and Bella, killed
0:40at the hands of her husband, their
0:41father, Chris Watts. Today, an exclusive
0:45interview with a neighbor close to the
0:47family who's now being called a hero for
0:49helping police put Chris Watts behind
0:51bars. What made a man most people
0:54thought was a loving husband and dad
0:57turn into a killer?
0:59>> This story shocked the world. A
1:02devastated father pleading for the
1:04return of his pregnant wife and their
1:06two small daughters who'd vanished after
1:09his wife returned from a weekend [music]
1:11business trip.
1:15If you're out there, [music] just come
1:16back. If somebody has her, just please
1:19bring her back.
1:20>> Welcome to Dark Matters, true crime, the
1:23channel where every [music] case drags
1:24you deeper into the unknown.
1:27Hit that subscribe button and join us as
1:29we explore the [music] darkest corners
1:31of the human mind.
1:32>> At first, I couldn't believe that they
1:34were missing. I didn't know at the time
1:36if they were missing or not.
1:38So basically what I did was went to my
1:41security camera footage, checked it out,
1:43went back to the police, and told them
1:45basically what I had, and they
1:47eventually wanted to come in and look at
1:49it. That is Nathan trying to stick,
1:52neighbor Nate, a man whose driveway
1:54security camera ended up cracking open
1:57one of the most disturbing missing
1:58persons cases in modern American
2:01history. How well do you know your
2:03spouse? This is the story of the footage
2:05that led to his arrest. On the quiet
2:08morning of August 13th, 2018, the
2:11neighborhood of Frederick, Colorado,
2:13looked like any other peaceful suburban
2:15street. The sun was rising slowly, soft
2:18light over rows of tidy homes and quiet
2:21driveways. But behind one of those
2:23doors, something had already gone
2:25terribly wrong. Next door to the Watts
2:28family lived Nate Trinastich. Like many
2:31homeowners, he had installed a security
2:33camera facing the street in his
2:35driveway. It was meant for safety, a way
2:38to keep an eye on the neighborhood. No
2:40one could have imagined that this simple
2:42camera would soon capture moments
2:44investigators would analyze again and
2:46again. That morning, while most of the
2:49neighborhood was still quiet, Nate's
2:51camera recorded unusual activity coming
2:54from the home of Chris and Shanann
2:55Watts. Later, when police arrived to
2:58investigate the sudden disappearance of
3:00Shanann and her daughters,
3:02Nate did something that would change
3:04everything.
3:05He invited officers inside his house to
3:07review the footage.
3:09What the camera showed was subtle,
3:12but strange.
3:14Chris Watts was seen backing his truck
3:16into the driveway early that morning.
3:19Something made immediately noticed was
3:20unusual. In that neighborhood, people
3:23normally parked on the street or kept
3:25their trucks in the garage.
3:26But that morning was different.
3:29As investigators watched the footage
3:31inside Nate's living room, the tension
3:33in the room began to rise.
3:36Even Nate himself started pointing
3:37things out as the video played.
3:40Small movements, suspicious timing,
3:42quiet details that didn't seem right.
3:45And in that moment, it became clear.
3:48Nate had seen something that might
3:49reveal the truth about what happened
3:51that morning.
3:53As the police sat inside Nate's living
3:55room, the atmosphere was tense.
3:57The television screen displayed the
3:59security footage from early that
4:00morning.
4:02Standing nearby was Chris Watts himself,
4:04watching the video alongside the
4:06officers.
4:08I just want to get everything back in.
4:12It'd be easier than lugging everything
4:14out there, all the tools I had to bring
4:15in.
4:51>> What else can I do with this?
4:55>> Um
4:58My detective just showed up.
5:00Um so he'll probably want to talk to
5:01you. He'll probably
5:03Like I said, he might have you call at
5:04the bank and see if there's any kind of
5:05activity.
5:06Um
5:08>> Cuz if there is any sort of action out
5:10there
5:10>> know if his camera is
5:11>> I would have gotten it.
5:12>> Like we had
5:13we had issues the other other week when
5:15people were coming for stealing stuff
5:16out of like garages and stuff like that.
5:19And I have car
5:20>> I have your car right here.
5:22>> So you saw see if anything
5:23>> I can see where someone tried to jimmy
5:24with a flathead screwdriver.
5:27>> Over there. And it was just like
5:29>> But if any action would have happened,
5:30any cars or anything left your house, I
5:32would
5:32>> Yeah, that would have been like right in
5:33that area. It would have picked I mean
5:35>> Oh, it'll pick up anything coming down
5:37the street this way.
5:39Oh, yeah.
5:41Watch, I'll show you.
5:43>> There's nothing on here. We've already
5:44watched that one.
5:46But I think you'll see this car.
5:50>> What's the security system you have?
5:52>> It's changed with time.
5:54You can see this car starting to back
5:56out of the street.
5:56>> That one.
5:57>> Oh.
5:59So you're saying it picked up all the
6:00way down there.
6:01>> That's cool.
6:02>> And he's next door.
6:04>> Can we go?
6:06>> I was talking about this bedroom.
6:09It'd be good for
6:10>> Cuz yeah, we can pick up cars coming
6:12this way. I get a new thing coming this
6:14way and making a left.
6:16So and usually at night I pick up the
6:18cars going the year trip.
6:20So unless they pull it right here, yeah,
6:23but I would have caught her walking out.
6:31>> Diesel.
6:32>> Pretty good.
6:35>> Yeah, I thought
6:36nothing.
6:38>> Nothing through the rest of the day?
6:40>> No, that's it.
6:45She's pregnant as well.
6:47>> How far along?
6:48>> 14 15 weeks.
6:55That's why her friend said it was
6:59low blood sugar.
7:00I see.
7:03I've got her friend leaving out here at
7:07you know, 2:00 in the morning, I
7:11I'll go back.
7:12My camera.
7:25Did you go check if anything was missing
7:27around in your house?
7:28>> There wasn't nothing.
7:29It was all the old blankets on the bed.
7:32In there.
7:33What are you doing in my room?
7:35The phone was still there.
8:09>> What time did she come in?
8:10>> She dropped her off at 1:00 in the
8:11morning, man.
8:12>> Uh she's got my doorbell set at 1:48.
8:15She came in.
8:16>> Okay.
8:34So this is her bedroom at 1:48.
8:46Cuz as soon as it picks up motion, it
8:48lights up. I know.
8:49>> Okay.
8:50>> I thought she was
8:53>> That was the start of the video?
8:55>> Yep.
8:56It started at 1:48
8:58in the morning.
9:05>> It didn't pick her up going into the
9:06house, though.
9:06>> It didn't.
9:10And I usually pick him up when he comes
9:12walking through here.
9:13>> Mhm.
9:14>> I pick him up.
9:16So it doesn't show her walking into the
9:18house.
9:31But she would have walked by where the
9:32dog was.
9:38That's fine. Okay.
9:40Yeah, they're gone.
9:45It's the only people coming in here that
9:47I know.
9:48>> Yeah.
9:54>> At first glance, the footage seemed
9:56ordinary.
9:58Chris's truck slowly backed into the
9:59driveway before sunrise.
10:02The neighborhood was quiet. The street
10:04empty. Nothing appeared obviously
10:06alarming.
10:08But as the video continued, Nate began
10:10pointing out details that didn't seem
10:12normal.
10:13Nate explained that Chris almost never
10:14parked his truck that way. Normally, he
10:17would park on the street or leave the
10:18truck in the garage.
10:20Backing it directly into the driveway
10:22was something Nate had rarely seen
10:24before.
10:25The camera showed Chris walking back and
10:27forth between the house and the truck
10:28several times.
10:30Each trip looked like he was loading
10:31something.
10:33Investigators watched closely as Chris
10:35moved quickly, occasionally glancing
10:37around.
10:38Some moments were hard to see clearly,
10:40but the repeated trips raised serious
10:42questions. Standing in the room, Chris
10:45appeared visibly nervous.
10:47His arms crossed tightly across his
10:48chest as he watched the screen.
10:51At one point, Nate later said he noticed
10:53Chris's behavior change as the footage
10:55played.
10:56It was almost as if Chris realized how
10:58much the camera had captured.
11:00Police officers quietly continued
11:02watching.
11:03To them, this wasn't just a neighbor's
11:05security recording anymore.
11:07Last known movements before Shannan
11:09Watts and her daughters disappeared.
11:12The footage didn't show everything
11:13clearly,
11:14but it showed enough to make
11:16investigators suspicious. And for Nate,
11:19the feeling in his gut grew stronger.
11:21Something about that morning wasn't
11:23right.
11:24As the footage continued playing, the
11:26room grew increasingly quiet. Officers
11:29focused on every second of the video.
11:31Beside them stood Chris Watts, arms
11:33folded, trying to appear calm. But Nate
11:36noticed something strange.
11:38From the start, it picks up motion.
11:41About 1:48 in the morning.
11:44It didn't pick her up going into the
11:45house, though. It didn't. And I usually
11:48pick him up when he comes walking
11:50through here.
11:51Nate explained the technical limits of
11:53the camera.
11:54How long it recorded.
11:56What it caught and what it missed.
11:59He mentioned something odd.
12:01His Vivint alarm system showed his own
12:04garage door had been left open at 5:27
12:07that morning.
12:08It might have been a sensor issue.
12:10Or it might not have been.
12:12As the video played, Chris didn't seem
12:15curious or concerned like someone whose
12:17family had just disappeared.
12:20Instead, he looked nervous.
12:22His body language seemed tense. And at
12:24times, he avoided looking directly at
12:26the screen.
12:27Then something happened that caught
12:29everyone's attention.
12:31In the footage, Chris was seen walking
12:33back and forth between his garage and
12:36his truck several times.
12:38Each trip lasted only a few seconds. But
12:41the pattern looked unusual.
12:43It seemed like he was loading things
12:44into the vehicle.
12:46Nate leaned forward and pointed at the
12:48screen.
12:49"That's not normal," he said.
12:51The officers looked closely.
12:54From the angle of the camera, some
12:55movements were difficult to see clearly.
12:58But the repeated trips were impossible
13:00to ignore.
13:02At one moment, a shadow appeared near
13:04the truck door. Something moving briefly
13:06before disappearing from view. It was
13:08unclear what it was, but the officers
13:11took note.
13:12Standing behind them, Chris shifted his
13:14weight uncomfortably.
13:16Nate later recalled having a strange
13:18feeling watching Chris react to the
13:20footage.
13:21Instead of explaining what they were
13:22seeing, Chris mostly stayed silent. For
13:26investigators, this video was beginning
13:28to establish something critical, a
13:30timeline.
13:31It showed that Chris had been active
13:33very early that morning, moving items
13:35between the house and his truck just
13:38hours before Shannan Watts and her
13:39daughters were reported missing. The
13:41evidence wasn't complete yet, but
13:43suspicion was growing quickly.
13:46As investigators continued reviewing the
13:47footage, their attention shifted between
13:50the screen and the man standing beside
13:52them.
13:53The video itself was already raising
13:55questions, but Chris's reactions were
13:57beginning to raise even more.
13:59While the officers carefully analyzed
14:01the movements captured on camera, Chris
14:03seemed increasingly uncomfortable.
14:05He shifted his weight from foot to foot,
14:08crossed his arms tightly, avoided long
14:10eye contact with the screen.
14:12To Nate, something about the situation
14:14felt strange.
14:16Normally, if someone's family had
14:17suddenly vanished, they would be
14:19desperate for answers. They would watch
14:22the footage closely, hoping to see
14:24anything that could help find their
14:25loved ones.
14:27But Chris didn't react that way.
14:29Instead, Nate later recalled that Chris
14:31seemed tense, almost as if he already
14:33knew what the video might reveal.
14:35At one moment in the footage, Chris was
14:37seen standing beside his truck for
14:39several seconds before walking back into
14:41the garage again.
14:43The action was brief, but investigators
14:45paused the video and replayed it. Every
14:48detail mattered. According to the video,
14:50Chris had been loading items into his
14:51truck very early that morning, hours
14:54before anyone reported Shannan Watts and
14:56the children missing.
14:58The silence in the room became heavy.
15:00Even Nate began to feel uneasy watching
15:03everything unfold.
15:04He later described that moment as the
15:06first time he truly felt something
15:09serious might have happened.
15:10>> Summer's coming.
15:12Summer's coming and we're super excited.
15:15Um
15:16Bella, Bella.
15:18Come here for a second, baby.
15:20Um I'm really excited for summer because
15:23um, so much goes on in the summer here
15:25in Colorado. There's concerts every
15:26weekend.
15:28Um, Friday, Saturday nights, there's
15:29always some kind of concert going on.
15:32And uh,
15:34get together with friends, cookouts, and
15:36just um, enjoying life. And I'm really
15:40excited this summer because some of the
15:41amazing things that go on on the
15:43weekends are were when I was working um,
15:47for a company where I had to
15:49um,
15:50be in every weekends because that's the
15:53demand. The demands were always the
15:54weekends. They needed more [snorts]
15:55help. So, um,
15:58I I feel really blessed this summer. I'm
16:00going to San Diego with Chris. We're
16:03going um,
16:06June 22nd through the 26th.
16:09No, the 26th we come home
16:11at 1:30 in the morning. And then the
16:1326th that afternoon at 5:30 at night,
16:17Bella, Cece,
16:18Bella, Cece,
16:20and I and my dad are flying back to
16:22North Carolina for 6 weeks.
16:256 weeks we're going to be in North
16:26Carolina with Cece, right?
16:27And um,
16:30we're going to go spend time with our
16:31families
16:33um,
16:35and friends and everything else. And
16:38then we're going to come back August
16:407th.
16:42And then I fly to Scottsdale, Arizona on
16:44the 11th for
16:47a mini little retreat um, with my team.
16:51And we're going to have a little a lot
16:53of fun. What are you doing?
16:56This child does not sit still ever. Look
16:59at this.
17:01>> Huh?
17:04>> Bella, say hi.
17:08Bella, say hi.
17:09>> Cece,
17:11problem solved.
17:12>> And I really love the fact that I um,
17:16Careful, Cece, there's a table there.
17:17>> No, Cece. Go back there.
17:23Yeah, day in the life of Cece.
17:25And um just feel blessed that we can
17:29do that. We can travel the world. Um
17:33one day Chris can travel that long with
17:35us.
17:36Um
17:37But just to be the the time freedom with
17:40my family, my kids to enjoy them, and uh
17:45not have to worry, you know? You know, I
17:47used to not be able to take time off for
17:48vacations because all my time off was
17:51because my kids were sick. And when the
17:54kids are sick, that's priority over
17:55vacation.
17:56Um now I can do both. I can take time
17:58off Oh,
18:00I don't have to take time off from
18:01anything because
18:02um I do everything from my cell phone.
18:04Good morning, Sarah. I need to come back
18:06to Canada to see you.
18:08Um I need a long I Chris needs to come
18:10with us. So,
18:11um
18:12we'll find out where you are in Canada,
18:14and we'll come see you.
18:15But um the time freedom. I I feel really
18:19blessed to have
18:21Cece. Cece.
18:23It's just a dog.
18:25Um I feel really blessed to have the
18:27time freedom to
18:29um enjoy my kids and still travel with
18:32them and have time off.
18:34Um cuz I don't have to take time off
18:36from anything. I love what I do. Like
18:38every single day, like I don't consider
18:41it work because
18:42I literally truly love helping people
18:44feel better and changing lives and
18:48making um giving someone some you know,
18:50their happy back, their mom back, their
18:53mood support. Whatever it is that you're
18:54doing, don't mind my hair. I don't even
18:56know what's going on with it today. Um
18:58whatever you're doing, like I truly
19:00don't consider it work because I love
19:02what I do.
19:03And if you love what you do, it's not
19:05work. It's you have fun. Like yesterday
19:09my day consisted of meeting with a new
19:11promoter. We met for breakfast. Then I
19:14met with another one of my friends who
19:16promotes with Level
19:18for lunch and we kind of hung out and
19:20worked a little bit and then we had a
19:22playdate last night with the kids.
19:25Mom and I worked. We chatted and while
19:28the kids played the dads hung out
19:31um
19:31and it's it's just fun. Like that's fun.
19:33I want to be able to bring my kids to
19:35work and enjoy them and you know, while
19:39they're having fun and having a
19:40playdate, mommy can do what mommy loves
19:43to do. Watch them and help people.
19:46So, that's how simple this is.
19:49You know, I fit my business into my day.
19:52I fit it into my schedule.
19:54I can listen to calls while I give my
19:56kids a bath. It's it's just
19:59I love the time freedom. And if you are
20:01a Level brand promoter and you What is
20:03your favorite part? Do you love the the
20:05time freedom that we have? Like
20:07the joy of being able to enjoy your
20:09family, take care of whatever it is that
20:11you enjoy to do every day and squeeze in
20:14making a phone call and helping someone
20:15feel better.
20:17Like that's what I truly enjoy. I love
20:20the time freedom.
20:21Um
20:24Just watch it like sitting here. Like
20:25I'm doing a live because
20:27I'm doing a live.
20:29But I'm watching my kids have fun. Like
20:31look. Hi beautiful.
20:34They're sitting there playing with daddy
20:36with jewelry cuz
20:38that's what they love.
20:39And
20:42But yeah, so it's the time
20:44>> As the footage ended, the officers
20:46thanked Nate for sharing the recording.
20:48Appreciate your time.
20:50Yeah, no problem.
20:52Hopefully something comes up here.
20:55After the officers stepped outside, Nate
20:57had more to say.
20:59This time, alone with the detective.
21:02What does that look like to you?
21:04He never backs his truck into the
21:06garage, ever.
21:08And it doesn't look like he came from
21:09back here.
21:11It looks like he came from down the
21:12street.
21:13And then the other thing that doesn't
21:14make sense is why did he pull past the
21:17car?
21:18You can see him pull past.
21:20They left the house with more questions
21:22than answers. While Chris tried to
21:24appear cooperative, investigators were
21:27beginning to form a troubling suspicion.
21:30The neighbor's camera had captured
21:31something important.
21:33Something that might soon reveal the
21:35truth about that morning.
21:37By the time investigators left Nate's
21:39home, they knew the security footage was
21:42more important than it first appeared.
21:44I watched him get out and then walked
21:46back in four or five times.
21:49And then Nate offered something else.
21:51Something unrelated to the camera, but
21:53impossible to ignore.
21:55To be completely honest with you, my
21:57wife and I were kind of wondering when
21:58she was on vacation if something
22:00happened. Because I heard them full out
22:02screaming at each other at the top of
22:04their lungs.
22:05It gets crazy.
22:07And that's pretty recently?
22:09Yeah. I'm guessing that's why she went
22:11and visited people because she wanted to
22:13get away from the situation.
22:15A neighbor.
22:16Close enough to hear arguments through
22:18the walls.
22:19Close enough to know that Shannan's
22:21recent trip out of town may not have
22:23only been about a work conference.
22:25Nate kept going.
22:27Why would he pull the truck up and go in
22:29the garage? I've never seen him pull
22:31that. I've never seen him if he loads
22:33his stuff, he normally just walks back
22:35and forth, but I get him on camera. All
22:38he usually has is a lunchbox and a book
22:40bag. Looks like a computer and usually a
22:43water jug. That's it. He doesn't look
22:45worried. He looks like he's trying to
22:47cover his tracks. You know what I'm
22:49saying?
22:50The detective asked what else Nate had
22:52noticed. But if he's loading his stuff,
22:54why isn't he walking back and forth? I
22:57can't see what he's doing in the back of
22:58the truck because he pulls into the
23:00garage.
23:02But he knows my camera's there.
23:06That last detail sat heavy in the room.
23:09He knows my camera's there.
23:12A neighbor who understood instinctively
23:15that something about the morning's
23:16choreography had been built around
23:19avoiding exactly the kind of footage
23:21that was now sitting on his own
23:23television screen.
23:25The video didn't show everything
23:27clearly,
23:28but it provided something crucial.
23:31A timeline.
23:32It showed Chris Watts moving back and
23:35forth between his home and his truck
23:37very early that morning.
23:40The repeated trips,
23:42the unusual parking position of the
23:43truck,
23:45the timing,
23:46all of it raised serious questions for
23:48investigators.
23:50Soon after, officers began comparing the
23:53footage with other evidence they were
23:54gathering in the case.
23:57Phone records, witness statements,
23:59Chris's own explanations. Piece by
24:02piece, the timeline of that morning
24:04started coming together.
24:06For Nate, the realization was
24:08unsettling.
24:09The small security camera he had
24:11installed simply to watch over his
24:13driveway had accidentally captured some
24:16of the most important clues in the
24:17investigation.
24:19Nate had more still to share with the
24:20detective that day.
24:22Patterns from the weeks before that, in
24:25hindsight, mattered just as much as the
24:27morning itself.
24:29The other thing was odd.
24:30While she was gone, he kept parking his
24:33truck and her car over here.
24:35I used to see him walk out of the top
24:37driveway.
24:38The car was parked over there for a long
24:40time, like a couple days.
24:42It was when she was gone for the 6
24:44weeks. I thought it was kind of odd that
24:46he never parked in front of here or back
24:48here.
24:49He said someone broke into his truck
24:51when he parked over here.
24:53And then Nate said the thing that stuck
24:55with the detectives most.
24:56Hey, that was totally suspicious. He's
24:59normally, you can ask them, he's
25:01normally quiet, won't say boo.
25:03He's over here telling you three times
25:05what he took out, what he did, what he
25:07did, what he did. He never talks. So,
25:10the fact that he's over here blabbing
25:11his mouth makes me kind of suspicious."
25:14The detective offered the obvious
25:16counterpoint.
25:17"Put yourself in his situation. They
25:19don't know what to do."
25:22It was a fair point. Grief and fear do
25:24strange things to people.
25:27Innocent people behave oddly under
25:28pressure all the time.
25:31But, Nate pushed back gently on the
25:33explanation.
25:35"I'm just saying the way he told you
25:37three times what he brought with him.
25:39Why is he telling you exactly what he
25:41brought with him instead of saying, 'Oh,
25:44they didn't see anybody out here.' Why
25:46is he so worried about you knowing what
25:47he's carrying out?"
25:50It was a small observation,
25:52but it was precise.
25:54A man who rarely spoke had become
25:56suddenly a man who could not stop
25:58narrating his own innocence.
26:01Unprompted.
26:02In detail.
26:04Three times over.
26:06Investigators went back inside the Watts
26:08home. They walked through it with Chris,
26:11looking at small details.
26:13A locked door to the children's
26:14bathroom.
26:16Whether Shannan normally made the beds.
26:18Ordinary domestic questions that in the
26:20middle of a missing person's
26:21investigation carried a different
26:23weight.
26:25And then later that day, Chris agreed to
26:27an interview.
26:28Standing in front of his own home, in
26:30front of a television camera, he was
26:32asked directly what was going through
26:34his mind.
26:36"I just I don't know.
26:38I don't know where my kids are. I don't
26:40know where Shannan is. It's not
26:42something I could ever fathom would
26:43happen in my lifetime, and I have no
26:45inclination of where she is.
26:47My heart's racing a mile a minute.
26:49Everything that's happening in the last
26:51few days is earth-shattering right now.
26:55It's like my world's been turned upside
26:57down. To many people watching this
26:59footage when it aired, the words sounded
27:01like grief.
27:03But Nathan Trinastich had already seen
27:05something different. Two days earlier,
27:07on a small security recording on his own
27:09television set.
27:11A man backing his truck into a driveway
27:13he never backed into.
27:14Walking the same path four or five times
27:16before sunrise.
27:18Narrating his own innocence to a
27:19neighbor unprompted in detail three
27:22times over.
27:24What seemed like an ordinary suburban
27:25morning was now part of a case that
27:27would soon capture national attention.
27:30As the investigation continued, the
27:32evidence began pointing more strongly in
27:34one direction.
27:36Detectives revisited the footage again
27:37and again. Analyzing every moment.
27:40Comparing it to Chris's statements.
27:43And slowly the truth began to surface.
27:46On August 15th, 2018, Chris Watts was
27:49arrested.
27:50He had failed a polygraph. He had been
27:52confronted with the inconsistencies the
27:54neighbor's camera had helped reveal.
27:57And under continued questioning, he led
27:59investigators to the Cervi 319 oil field
28:02site. Where Shannan Watts had been
28:04buried in a shallow grave.
28:06And where Bella and Celeste had been
28:07placed inside two separate crude oil
28:09tanks.
28:11Chris Watts pleaded guilty on November
28:136th, 2018.
28:15He was sentenced to five consecutive
28:18life terms without the possibility of
28:20parole.
28:21He is incarcerated at Dodge Correctional
28:23Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin.
28:27For many people following the case,
28:29Nate's footage became one of the most
28:31unforgettable details. Not because it
28:33was dramatic. It wasn't. It was quiet.
28:36Grainy. A truck backing into a driveway
28:39before sunrise. A man walking back and
28:42forth in the dark.
28:43But it showed how sometimes the smallest
28:45pieces of evidence can reveal the
28:47biggest truths.
28:49A neighbor's camera, a quiet street, and
28:52a man who knew, even as he stood
28:54narrating his innocence, that the camera
28:56was there.
28:58Shanann Watts was 34 years old. She was
29:0115 weeks pregnant. She came home from a
29:03work trip trusting the man waiting for
29:05her.
29:06Bella was four. Celeste was three. Nico
29:09never got the chance to be born. None of
29:12them ever saw the camera across the
29:13street, but it saw enough.
29:16Enough to start unraveling a lie before
29:18the sun had fully risen on August 13th,
29:212018.
29:23Before we go, drop a comment, right?
29:26Tell me, where in the world are you
29:28watching from?
29:29UK, US, Canada, Australia, South Africa,
29:33Nigeria, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, New
29:37Zealand. Wherever you are, drop it in
29:39the comments.
29:40This community is global, and I love
29:43every one of you for being here.
29:45And while you are down there, tell me
29:47which detail from the neighbor's footage
29:49stood out to you most. Was it the truck
29:52backed into the driveway for the first
29:54time ever? Was it Nate noticing Chris
29:56narrating his own innocence unprompted
29:59three times over?
30:01Was it learning that Nate had heard the
30:02couple screaming at each other in the
30:04weeks before?
30:05Was it he knows my camera's there?
30:08Drop it in the comments.
30:10I read every single one.
30:12Like and subscribe to Dark Matters True
30:14Crime so you never miss a story like
30:16this one.
30:18Every case we cover is handled with the
30:20same accuracy, the same care for the
30:22victims, and the same commitment to
30:24letting the evidence speak.
30:26Not for views, for Shanann, for Bella,
30:30for Celeste, for Nico. Ring the
30:32notification bell so you never miss an
30:34upload. Share this video if someone
30:36needs to hear it.
30:38And we will see you in the next one.

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