Gone Without a Trace: The Fateful Night in the Watts Household | True Crime Watch — Transcript
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- 0:00so we're just waiting for our Sergeant
- 0:01to come over and we'd like to go through
- 0:02your house are you okay with us
- 0:03searching through your house all right
- 0:05um we'll have you sign a consent form we
- 0:07just want to see if you left a note or
- 0:08anything inconspicuous something like
- 0:10that Christopher Watts received a call
- 0:12from a police officer that morning
- 0:14asking if he knew where his wife shanan
- 0:17Catherine rezuchek was two of his
- 0:19friends were outside his home
- 0:21stopping by to check on shenan she was
- 0:2315 weeks pregnant and had a doctor's
- 0:25appointment that morning and they knew
- 0:27she wasn't eating or feeling well last
- 0:29year Nicole yes okay what's going on so
- 0:32my friend um we were out of town for a
- 0:34business trip this weekend right and I
- 0:36dropped her off at two o'clock this
- 0:38morning she's 15 weeks pregnant she
- 0:40wasn't feeling well and she had a
- 0:42doctor's appointment this morning at
- 0:43nine and I told her to let me know if
- 0:44she needed me to take her she's got two
- 0:46little girls and
- 0:48um she was ready to straw over the
- 0:49weekend wasn't eating normally or
- 0:50drinking and we kept trying to force it
- 0:52on her because she's pregnant
- 0:53her husband and her supposedly are
- 0:56separating but she didn't know this she
- 0:57thought they were just having issues he
- 0:59disclosed that to me today because I
- 1:00called him and I was like have you
- 1:02talked or heard from shenan since you
- 1:03left for work this morning because I
- 1:04can't get a hold of her I called I
- 1:06texted her car's in the garage her shoes
- 1:09she wears every single day right in the
- 1:10front door she only has one vehicle no
- 1:13they only have the one vehicle on his
- 1:14work truck okay concerned the friends
- 1:16called the police who found all the
- 1:18doors were locked and that there was no
- 1:21sign of anyone there
- 1:25Chris said he had no idea where Shannon
- 1:27was and rushed back to his house to find
- 1:30the officer and two of his friends
- 1:31standing outside his home
- 1:33he opened the doors to let the officer
- 1:36and his friends inside to investigate
- 1:38their worries were confirmed when they
- 1:40found the house was completely empty
- 1:42[Music]
- 1:44[Applause]
- 1:49you checked upstairs he's not there I
- 1:52just want to make sure she's not passed
- 1:53out somewhere is she diabetic
- 2:00you mind if I look around go ahead
- 2:02Shannon was gone as well as her and
- 2:05Chris's two daughters nothing in the
- 2:07house seemed to be missing except for
- 2:08the daughter's blankets which they never
- 2:10left home without but what was stranger
- 2:13was what was found inside the house
- 2:15Shannon had left her phone there making
- 2:17it impossible to contact her she also
- 2:19left behind her wallet her ID as well as
- 2:22her wedding ring on top of a desk the
- 2:24officer asked Chris if his and Shannon's
- 2:26marriage was doing fine Chris admitted
- 2:27that they were getting ready to separate
- 2:29it was nothing official yet they were
- 2:31just figuring out how to sell the house
- 2:33and get things situated for themselves
- 2:35and their kids he admitted however that
- 2:38the two of them had an emotionally
- 2:39heated conversation last night at around
- 2:423 A.M
- 2:44weeks and we got back
- 2:46Monday or Tuesday and then she flew out
- 2:49to Arizona Friday Friday morning and
- 2:52then she got back last night about two
- 2:55and a half like I delayed left about 11
- 2:57she got here at two okay and I went to
- 3:00work this morning about 5 15 5 30. so
- 3:03Rick what time do you work
- 3:06usually
- 3:08once I get work like 6 30 to 3 30 4
- 3:11o'clock I usually work nights or days
- 3:14what time do you leave the day
- 3:16plus I'm gonna leave there come over
- 3:18here uh usually between 5 36 all right
- 3:21Shannon here then yes
- 3:25she usually wants the kids or you have
- 3:27daycare watch them she usually watch the
- 3:30kids at the high school okay if you guys
- 3:33have any kind of issues Myrtle issues or
- 3:36whatever you are do you guys file yet or
- 3:40anything or just talking
- 3:42we're gonna sell the house
- 3:49it's going civil for the most harder
- 3:55yeah
- 3:58she tell you anything about leaving
- 4:00moving out not moving out I mean the
- 4:03last time I talked through was this
- 4:04morning she said she's gonna take the
- 4:06kids to a friend's house and then she
- 4:08asked where she was going to be and then
- 4:10I've texted her today and never heard
- 4:12anything but carbon cars here unless
- 4:17somebody came picked her up but the
- 4:19people that I know
- 4:21[Applause]
- 4:23he said he regretted some things he said
- 4:26especially since that was the last time
- 4:28he spoke to her the story of Shannon
- 4:30going missing with their two daughters
- 4:32was picked up by the news and spread
- 4:34like wildfire watts and her two
- 4:36daughters three-year-old Celeste and
- 4:38four-year-old Bella vanished on Monday
- 4:40their startling disappearance triggering
- 4:43a Statewide alert as police and the FBI
- 4:46focus on her home outside Denver where
- 4:49she was last seen Christopher Watts was
- 4:52interviewed as the father and husband
- 4:53who had lost everything and he kept
- 4:55saying he wished Shannon would come home
- 4:57with their kids
- 4:59it was easy to empathize with Chris and
- 5:02people from all over the state started
- 5:03looking for signs or clues of Shannon's
- 5:06whereabouts that she's somewhere safe
- 5:08right now and with the kids
- 5:11but I mean could she event because she
- 5:13just taken off I don't know but if
- 5:15somebody has her and they're not safe
- 5:17like I want them back now but for all
- 5:19the coverage and people searching there
- 5:21were no signs of Shannon anywhere she
- 5:24didn't have family that lived in the
- 5:25state
- 5:26and all her friends said they hadn't
- 5:28seen her it was as if she had completely
- 5:30vanished people began to wonder if
- 5:32Shannon had run off with their two
- 5:34daughters an unborn son
- 5:36she could have been hiding somewhere
- 5:38trying to keep the children away from
- 5:40their father on the surface this was the
- 5:42most obvious answer
- 5:44Shannon and her husband had gotten into
- 5:46a heated argument the night before and
- 5:48were planning on divorcing if she felt
- 5:51like she might be disadvantaged in a
- 5:53custody hearing that could have been a
- 5:55motivation for running away however this
- 5:58didn't seem to be what happened or at
- 6:00least not the full picture
- 6:01neighbors who knew Chris Wells said that
- 6:03he had been acting strange the past few
- 6:06days but even more so after Shannon's
- 6:08disappearance
- 6:09[Music]
- 6:15no
- 6:22[Applause]
- 6:26any other votes right
- 6:29[Applause]
- 6:34and it doesn't look like
- 6:36she came from down the street
- 6:43[Applause]
- 6:45and then the other thing that doesn't
- 6:46make sense is why would he pulled past
- 6:48this part
- 6:51you can see him play path
- 7:01you're able to record this
- 7:05I don't have to call Comcast but I can
- 7:07get him to do whatever but watch Justin
- 7:10get out and walk back and forth a couple
- 7:14times
- 7:21to be completely honest with you my wife
- 7:23and I are kind of wondering when she was
- 7:25on vacation if something happened
- 7:26because I've heard them pulled out
- 7:28scream
- 7:30scream over there tomorrow and then he
- 7:31gets crazy and that's pretty recently
- 7:33yeah
- 7:41this is kind of odd to me why would he
- 7:43pulled myself up right
- 7:47yeah I've never seen him hold back I've
- 7:50never seen him if he loads his stuff he
- 7:52normally just walks back and forth
- 7:53because I get him on camera what does he
- 7:56usually load up all he usually has is a
- 7:58lunch box
- 8:01book bag looks like a computer
- 8:05usually a water jump that's it
- 8:08the fact that he was in here and
- 8:09explaining to it over and over and over
- 8:12well um it doesn't it doesn't look
- 8:15worried
- 8:17he looks like he's trying to cover his
- 8:18traps
- 8:22you know what I'm saying right and if
- 8:25he's loading his stuff why isn't he
- 8:26walking back and forth
- 8:29I see what he's doing in the back of the
- 8:31truck because he's going to get up and
- 8:33he knows my camera's there oh
- 8:36but I thought it was kind of odd that he
- 8:38never parked in front of here or right
- 8:40here he said someone broke into his
- 8:42truck
- 8:44I have no idea
- 8:47hey that is so suspicious he's normally
- 8:51you can ask them he's normally quiet and
- 8:54we'll subdue he's over here telling them
- 8:56telling you three times what he took out
- 8:58what he did what he did
- 9:01[Applause]
- 9:04so the fact that he's over here blabbing
- 9:07his mouth makes me kind of suspicious
- 9:09the camera captured Chris coming home in
- 9:11his truck and leaving 50 minutes later
- 9:13on the night of the incident which lined
- 9:15up with his story
- 9:17but what didn't make sense was how Chris
- 9:20went in and out of the vehicle multiple
- 9:23times in those 50 minutes he wasn't
- 9:24inside arguing with Shannon like he said
- 9:27he was he was loading something onto his
- 9:29truck before driving away Christopher
- 9:31Watts was immediately taken in as a
- 9:34suspect for questions
- 9:35so
- 9:37sorry let's start around
- 9:40um she gets home late at night okay I'll
- 9:43start from that point okay so she got
- 9:45home about 2 A.M and were you already
- 9:47home hi Alice I was passed out okay yeah
- 9:50so like I could my cells were getting to
- 9:52bed tell them about it I thought for you
- 9:54know that's one of my alarm that's when
- 9:57my alarm went off to go to work okay so
- 9:59that's when I got ready and everything
- 10:00so she gets into two alarm goes off at
- 10:03four okay and you're sleeping that whole
- 10:05time oh yeah okay so the conversation
- 10:07hasn't started no okay so about when my
- 10:10alarm goes off that's when after I get
- 10:12ready for work I fall back in bed and
- 10:13had that conversation so you wake up at
- 10:16four from at four then what until you
- 10:20start the conversation uh get dressed
- 10:22get my get my clothes on brush my teeth
- 10:24deodorant all that kind of stuff okay
- 10:25shower
- 10:29I work in the oil and gas okay so then
- 10:33it doesn't matter if you go to work
- 10:34without a shower
- 10:35okay
- 10:36all right this is gonna be bad anyways
- 10:38yeah so then you wake up you get ready
- 10:41I'm sorry I interrupted you you're fun
- 10:44um so then sit in what time we're
- 10:47talking about when you're ready to talk
- 10:48with her about 4 15 or so okay and so
- 10:51she was asleep from the time she got in
- 10:53from two to four or four fifteen you
- 10:55wake up at four or four fifteen you're
- 10:57ready okay at 4 15. you start talking
- 11:00why do you talk at 4 15 in the morning I
- 11:03felt like I needed to talk to her face
- 11:05to face because like I wanted to say
- 11:08something much like when she was Arizona
- 11:10like I didn't want to do it through a
- 11:12text I didn't want to do it do a call I
- 11:14was like I got back in bed I was like I
- 11:16needed to I need a doctor about this
- 11:19because she told me
- 11:20she told me like when she was when she
- 11:22was gonna fly back that she wanted to
- 11:24get up with me so she could take a
- 11:26shower because she wouldn't get there
- 11:28what do you mean when she got back when
- 11:30she flew back in from Phoenix yeah okay
- 11:33she told you let's have a talk no she
- 11:36wanted to get up with me so she could
- 11:37take a shower to the airport off for her
- 11:39because she was like her flight was
- 11:40delayed oh okay because I was supposed
- 11:43to be getting 11 but I didn't mean to
- 11:4411. okay and so as you calling or did
- 11:46she texts you I think there was a call
- 11:48okay on that one all right and then so
- 11:51at 4 15 what happens that's when I crawl
- 11:53back in bed and I was kind of woke her
- 11:54up okay and then I proceeded to talk to
- 11:57her about how I was feeling about how I
- 12:00felt like
- 12:01what's been going on with us for the
- 12:03last what what she seemed like the last
- 12:06six weeks because we were she was in
- 12:07North Carolina and I was down there was
- 12:09the last league but from what
- 12:12just being a part and just like figuring
- 12:16out who people are like the best
- 12:18honestly like the best way for people to
- 12:19really find out who they are is to spend
- 12:21time apart I agree and just kind of just
- 12:24like you need to see yourself
- 12:26well and then on the last week that's
- 12:29when I went back to North Carolina and I
- 12:31was there forever last week there and
- 12:34when we were together we could feel like
- 12:36it was it wasn't there that spark and I
- 12:39was kind of we say let that spark wasn't
- 12:41there anymore and
- 12:44on that night I told that morning early
- 12:47that morning and I sort of like the
- 12:48disconnection is it's better like it's
- 12:51not going away like the connection we
- 12:53had
- 12:54in the beginning
- 12:56it's not there anymore it's like I don't
- 12:59feel like the love we have is there
- 13:01anymore
- 13:02[Music]
- 13:04and it's just like I don't feel like
- 13:06I mean if we want to stay together for
- 13:08the kids I'm not sure if that's going to
- 13:10work and like bringing us what you told
- 13:12him yeah okay like having another baby
- 13:15bring us in this relationship do you
- 13:16think this is going to work with us
- 13:18being together or separation I think is
- 13:22going to be the best possible route for
- 13:24us and that's when like all the crime
- 13:26and everything proceeded and
- 13:28it was just it was very hard just just
- 13:31to talk talk about that but I needed to
- 13:34do it face to face okay and I needed
- 13:36like I needed to see her face like wow
- 13:40whatever I needed to be face to face and
- 13:44be able to see her and know that
- 13:47see what's going to be at least
- 13:48reciprocating back to me so what did she
- 13:51say
- 13:52she said that it was I mean it was she
- 13:55once she wanted to kind of work on it
- 13:57but
- 13:59if that's the way I was feeling then she
- 14:01respects that okay and she said that
- 14:04most of the time
- 14:06when you have kids and you have a
- 14:08relationship where people like you know
- 14:10they'll love each other more they fall
- 14:12out of love disconnection that
- 14:15having kids even bringing a new baby
- 14:17into the into the equation
- 14:20doesn't always work as well as keeping
- 14:23like you know a couple happy and if it's
- 14:26happy it's like it almost is like better
- 14:27if you're actually worse I'm Different
- 14:30Different Vibes yeah you don't want to
- 14:32spend your whole marriage disliking each
- 14:34other and faking for the kids yeah so
- 14:36that's that's one thing okay
- 14:39that isn't accurate that's that's
- 14:41totally accurate okay I mean you don't
- 14:43want to be it you don't want to be the
- 14:44people parading around with like a mask
- 14:46on when the kids are around and then
- 14:48when the kids go to sleep you just go to
- 14:49seven boys yeah it's like that's what I
- 14:51don't want okay and that's why that's
- 14:54why we talk that's why we're talking
- 14:55about that separation that night okay
- 14:57and that's why that's why I got so
- 14:59emotional right there okay
- 15:02emotional for you too oh yeah I was
- 15:04bawling my eyes out
- 15:07um
- 15:09so then as a result I said then how long
- 15:12did that conversation last
- 15:13it left so about 4 15 we started did we
- 15:16talked about the house as well okay let
- 15:18me say about that like we needed to sell
- 15:20the house like there's no way like we
- 15:22can stay in this house and have another
- 15:24kid and be able to just
- 15:28keep everything afloat
- 15:30and she's like well where do you want to
- 15:32move to I was like well we can move to
- 15:34Brighton we can move nothing with the
- 15:37area okay so we moved to Brighton we can
- 15:40move on lot we can move like you know
- 15:42wherever someone that's cheaper okay
- 15:44and just like well because she had
- 15:46already contacted
- 15:48the uh realtor the week before through
- 15:51an email oh to see like what she thought
- 15:55and that's when like I actually
- 15:57contacted Ann that day like a little
- 15:58like pretty much probably about eight
- 16:01o'clock that day who's in the realtor oh
- 16:03okay yeah and after you know like if we
- 16:06can get the ball rolling like see what
- 16:08you thought so you said your wife called
- 16:11a week before to the realtor and emailed
- 16:13her okay so then this conversation early
- 16:15in the morning wasn't a shock to either
- 16:17of you with a surprise it was the next
- 16:19step yeah in the long conversation you
- 16:22have to have leading up to okay well
- 16:23this was not like a it's like we have
- 16:26like a Big Bang Theory and everything it
- 16:28was just like this was okay it was
- 16:30that's why it was just an emotional
- 16:32conversation like because it wasn't just
- 16:34like like come out of nowhere with left
- 16:36field type of thing like we knew like
- 16:38something wasn't we knew about we want
- 16:39to do with the house we knew like what
- 16:43what's going on with it like we knew
- 16:44something
- 16:48so when I worked investigations like
- 16:50this I have to keep an open mind on
- 16:52everything okay
- 16:56and part of keeping it open mind is
- 16:59listening to you talk about your wife
- 17:01and your marriage
- 17:03and
- 17:04the day she goes missing is the day that
- 17:07you guys have Merrell this quarter
- 17:08okay
- 17:11so you can understand I don't want to
- 17:13think about you yeah
- 17:15what do you think about that a
- 17:17connection system my stomach honestly
- 17:19like I know like I've talked to a few of
- 17:22my friends who's like you know this does
- 17:23not look good on you I'm like I know
- 17:25it's like people that if people knew
- 17:28that we were having marital issues
- 17:30they're gonna look at me
- 17:32especially with the way everything looks
- 17:34it honestly just makes me sick to my
- 17:36stomach because this is something that I
- 17:38would never do
- 17:39[Music]
- 17:41however
- 17:45are you telling me the truth
- 17:50why should I believe you because I had a
- 17:53very trustworthy person and the people
- 17:55that do know me they know how I'm a calm
- 17:58person I am not an argumentative person
- 18:01I am a person who is
- 18:04that's never going to be abusive or
- 18:06physical in any kind of relationship I
- 18:09would never harm my kids I would never
- 18:11harm my wife he was connected to a
- 18:13polygraph test and given a series of
- 18:15questions to determine what he really
- 18:16knew about his family's disappearance
- 18:19regarding shenan's disappearance do you
- 18:21intend to answer all the questions
- 18:22truthfully yes
- 18:25were you born in 1985 yes before 2018
- 18:29did you ever see anything out of anger
- 18:31to a loved one yes no
- 18:33do you know where shenan is now no
- 18:37are you now in the state of Colorado yes
- 18:40before 2018 have you ever wanted to hurt
- 18:42someone to get even with them no
- 18:45did you physically cause shenan's
- 18:47disappearance no
- 18:49it's your first name Christopher
- 18:51yes before 2018 did you ever lose your
- 18:55temper with someone you cared about no
- 18:57are you lying about the last time you
- 18:59saw shenan no
- 19:01partial the test is complete please
- 19:03remain still I take the instrument out
- 19:04of operation during the questioning
- 19:06Christopher was asked if he knew where
- 19:07Shannon was
- 19:09he replied that he did not know where
- 19:11she was which came out as a lie on the
- 19:13machine this escalated suspicions around
- 19:16Chris Watts he was being deceptive in
- 19:18some way and kept refusing to tell
- 19:20police the truth about what happened
- 19:22even when they told Chris he failed the
- 19:25polygraph test he promised he wasn't
- 19:27lying
- 19:28so it was completely clear that you were
- 19:31not on this during the testing and I
- 19:33think you already know that
- 19:34he did not pass the polygraph test okay
- 19:37so now we need to talk about what
- 19:40actually happened
- 19:41I feel like you're probably ready to do
- 19:43that
- 19:44I didn't I didn't lie to you on that
- 19:46polygraph with a dire situation that
- 19:48needed answers police brought in Chris's
- 19:51dad Ronnie watts to help get him through
- 19:53the difficult time
- 19:59[Music]
- 20:03failed it failed Americans there's too
- 20:07much emotions it's
- 20:10so I mean there
- 20:13not gonna let me go
- 20:15anything else you won't tell me what's
- 20:17what's going on or what might happen or
- 20:20anything but
- 20:23we had that conversation that morning it
- 20:26was
- 20:26[Music]
- 20:28you know as emotional and
- 20:31told her about separation and everything
- 20:33like that
- 20:37I mean I'll be downstairs
- 20:41[Music]
- 20:47protector what I don't want to protect
- 20:49her
- 20:51[Music]
- 20:53I don't know what else to say
- 20:56[Music]
- 21:01she heard him yeah
- 21:04[Music]
- 21:18that came back up
- 21:20they're gone
- 21:22I don't know like what else to say it's
- 21:24like
- 21:24[Music]
- 21:26I find out
- 21:29[Music]
- 21:35[Music]
- 21:38there
- 21:40they're blue
- 21:43yeah
- 21:45I forgot the same thing
- 21:49[Music]
- 21:56after that conversation Chris said that
- 21:58Shannon had found it more and more
- 22:00difficult to be a mother their marriage
- 22:01was in turmoil and she was trying to
- 22:04find ways to rekindle the love that they
- 22:06used to have because things were better
- 22:08between the two of them before having
- 22:10kids she started to be resentful toward
- 22:13their children Shannon would lash out at
- 22:15their daughters over small things and
- 22:18Chris said he'd have to step in to try
- 22:19and stop her
- 22:21tensions continue to grow and Chris said
- 22:24that on the night of Shannon's
- 22:25disappearance she finally snapped Chris
- 22:28told to Shannon that he wanted them to
- 22:30officially separate and finalize their
- 22:32divorce Chris said Shannon lost her
- 22:34temper at the news and ran upstairs to
- 22:36suffocate their daughters in retaliation
- 22:38holding pillows to their faces
- 22:41in a fit of anger Chris attacked Shannon
- 22:43to try and stop her strangling and
- 22:45killing her in the process
- 22:47Shannon had died but her damage was done
- 22:50both girls were dead by that point
- 22:52leaving Chris with his dead family in a
- 22:55panic and not wanting to draw suspicion
- 22:57Chris said he took the bodies and buried
- 22:59all three of them out in the middle of
- 23:01the desert despite their troubles and
- 23:03oncoming divorce Chris still cared about
- 23:05Shannon and said he felt some need to
- 23:08protect her
- 23:09he cleared out the bodies then pushed
- 23:11the narrative that she had run away and
- 23:13taken their children this still wasn't
- 23:16great for Shannon but it was much better
- 23:18than family side
- 23:20the case turned into an incident of a
- 23:22man protecting his ex-wife he still
- 23:24wanted what was best for her
- 23:30locations of Shannon and their
- 23:32daughter's bodies which allowed
- 23:33investigators to go retrieve them
- 23:35Shannon was buried in the ground while
- 23:37the girl's bodies were dumped into a
- 23:39crude oil tank the bodies were analyzed
- 23:41for evidence and it was concluded that
- 23:43these were the remains of the Watts
- 23:45family Shannon died of strangulation and
- 23:48the daughters of asphyxiation just like
- 23:50Chris had said
- 23:52the picture of what happened started to
- 23:54become clear and this was much closer to
- 23:56the truth of what happened but it still
- 23:58wasn't the full story
- 24:02Christopher watt's story was convenient
- 24:04for him it explained all the murders
- 24:06that had happened portraying Shannon as
- 24:08an unhinged killer and leaving him with
- 24:10a possibly justifiable homicide charge
- 24:13the truth however was slightly different
- 24:15than what Chris had initially told
- 24:17evidence continued to come forward and a
- 24:20new series of events started to take
- 24:22shape for one Chris had been having an
- 24:24affair with a younger woman nickel
- 24:26kessinger for several months before the
- 24:28incident
- 24:29in interviews Nicole said that she met
- 24:31Chris through work and he seemed nice at
- 24:34first he portrayed himself as a single
- 24:36man who seemed to really care about her
- 24:39but as the relationship continued Watts
- 24:42began revealing more truths about who he
- 24:44was he revealed that he was a father of
- 24:46two then later that he was still married
- 24:48but in the middle of a divorce
- 24:51Nicole quickly realized that Chris was a
- 24:53chronic liar someone who could easily
- 24:55lie about anything to make himself look
- 24:57better
- 24:59not wanting to be involved with someone
- 25:01like that she broke off the relationship
- 25:03only after Shannon's disappearance did
- 25:06Nicole learn that Chris's wife was 15
- 25:08weeks pregnant with their third child
- 25:11according to Nickel she started to grow
- 25:13concerned for Shannon and her well-being
- 25:15after reading the article
- 25:17knowing Chris the way she did nickel was
- 25:19concerned about Shannon's safety from
- 25:21her husband and was quick to contact
- 25:23authorities and address her concerns
- 25:25with photos of her and Chris together
- 25:27for months she proved to be a credible
- 25:30source to put pressure on Watts
- 25:32investigators continued to press
- 25:34Christopher for information
- 25:36only then did the truth finally come
- 25:38forward contrary to what Chris initially
- 25:40claimed Shannon was not resentful
- 25:42towards her daughters
- 25:43from her online presence it could be
- 25:46interpolated that she genuinely cared
- 25:48about her daughters on top of that close
- 25:51friends who regularly talked with
- 25:53Shannon did not see the same resentment
- 25:55towards her daughters that Chris claimed
- 25:58in fact they claimed Shannon loved her
- 26:00family and only wanted what was best for
- 26:03everyone this made it almost Unthinkable
- 26:05that she would then suffocate her
- 26:07daughters in a fit of anger like Chris
- 26:09claimed she did
- 26:13on the night of the incident Shannon had
- 26:15thought Chris's in her marriage was
- 26:16about to get better the two had spent
- 26:18that night together
- 26:20and she was hopeful about a recovery for
- 26:22their family
- 26:23then the truth came out Shannon had
- 26:26discovered Christopher Watts was having
- 26:27an affair for months without her
- 26:29knowledge while she was trying to repair
- 26:31their marriage Chris was widening the
- 26:33rift starting a new life with someone
- 26:35else this Revelation turned out to be
- 26:37the true start to the argument that
- 26:39evening
- 26:40Shannon and Christopher fought and in a
- 26:42fit of temper it was Christopher who
- 26:45made the first move strangling Shannon
- 26:47in their kitchen after Shannon was dead
- 26:50Chris saw that their two daughters had
- 26:51woken up they asked what was wrong with
- 26:54their mom and Chris told them she was
- 26:56just sick and that they would need to
- 26:58leave somewhere by then Chris had plans
- 27:01of what to do with his daughters they
- 27:02were Witnesses and could easily tell the
- 27:04police what they saw and what Chris had
- 27:06done in a panic Chris packed Shannon's
- 27:08body in digging supplies into his truck
- 27:11he then put his two daughters into the
- 27:13back seat before driving out to a cruise
- 27:15oil container in the middle of the
- 27:16desert
- 27:17Chris took a blanket and with his
- 27:19daughter's bucklet up and unable to
- 27:21movie he suffocated them one at a time
- 27:24this was the full story
- 27:26Christopher was no hero nor a victim of
- 27:29circumstance and Shannon wasn't the
- 27:31heartless monster he tried to make her
- 27:33seem
- 27:34Christopher Watts was the monster who
- 27:36had killed his entire family
- 27:38hoping that doing so would allow him to
- 27:40start over and have a new family
- 27:42maybe not with nickel kessinger but with
- 27:45someone else
- 27:46during the sentencing trial Chris sat
- 27:49and listened as his extended family one
- 27:52by one condemned him for his heinous
- 27:54crime just before this court today
- 27:56by my comments I'm not even going to try
- 27:59to express the horror the pain
- 28:02or the suffering that the defendant has
- 28:04caused to these families to this
- 28:06community and to all who are a part of
- 28:08this investigation
- 28:09however I do want to spend a few minutes
- 28:12sharing with the court the details of
- 28:14the crime and so far you've only had an
- 28:16opportunity to review the affidavit and
- 28:18a few facts here and there that have
- 28:20been offered to the court in the motions
- 28:21and pleadings that have been filed
- 28:25the questions that have screamed out to
- 28:26anyone who will listen since August 13th
- 28:28of 2018 are why
- 28:31and how
- 28:33why did this have to happen
- 28:35How could a seemingly normal husband and
- 28:37father annihilate his entire family for
- 28:40what
- 28:42these are the questions that only one
- 28:44individual in this courtroom or on this
- 28:46planet knows the answers to or I'd like
- 28:49to say to the courts that
- 28:53Shannon Bella and Nico loving caring
- 28:57people
- 28:58they love life
- 29:00they love being around people who love
- 29:02him
- 29:04they also they always have good times
- 29:08this is the first time they went to the
- 29:10beach this year and they loved it
- 29:14but God only knows what happened that
- 29:17night
- 29:18life will never be the same without
- 29:19Shannon and Celeste and you go
- 29:24had all their lives to live
- 29:28they were taken by a heartless one
- 29:32this is the heartless one the evil
- 29:34monster
- 29:35who dare you take the lives of my
- 29:38daughter Shannon Bella Celeste and Nico
- 29:41I trusted you to take care of them not
- 29:43kill them
- 29:44and they also trusted you
- 29:47the heartless monster and then you take
- 29:51them out like trash
- 29:54you disgust me
- 29:56you went from being my brother my
- 29:58sister's protector one of the most loved
- 30:00people in my family to someone I will
- 30:02spend the rest of my life trying to
- 30:03understand
- 30:04what gave you the right to put your
- 30:06hands on a woman let alone my best
- 30:08friend my beloved sister your daughters
- 30:11and your son
- 30:12why weren't they enough for you marriage
- 30:14is about love trust and friendship and
- 30:16unity
- 30:18we marry for sickness and health to
- 30:20death to us part
- 30:21our daughter Shannon loved you with all
- 30:24of her heart your children loved you to
- 30:27the Moon and back
- 30:28Shannon's family was her world
- 30:31Shannon put a crown on your head
- 30:33but unfortunately
- 30:35the day that you took their life God
- 30:37removed that crown
- 30:39we love you like a son we trusted you
- 30:43your faithful wife trusted you
- 30:46your children adored you and they also
- 30:49trusted you
- 30:52your daughter Bella Marie sang a song
- 30:54proudly
- 30:55and I don't know if you got to see it
- 30:57but it was Daddy you're my hero
- 31:01I have no idea
- 31:03who gave you the right to take their
- 31:05lives
- 31:09at the end of the trial Christopher
- 31:11Watts was sentenced to five life
- 31:13sentences in prison with no chance for
- 31:15parole plus another 84 years in this
- 31:18case
- 31:20uh the Court's going to find that the
- 31:22plea agreement is fair and reasonable
- 31:24under the circumstances
- 31:27I want to
- 31:29acknowledge the rusich family
- 31:32as well as the Watts family that
- 31:35um
- 31:36showing
- 31:38Mercy on Mr Watts is understood
- 31:42and I respect that decision to request
- 31:46that the district attorney not seek the
- 31:48death penalty in this case and so the
- 31:50court is going to accept
- 31:53this plea bargain under the
- 31:54circumstances
- 31:57words that come to mind when I hear
- 32:01the evidence in this case are
- 32:04a senseless crime and
- 32:08the viciousness of the crime
- 32:11and equally aggravating in this Court's
- 32:15determination is the Despicable
- 32:19Act of disposing of the bodies in the
- 32:22manner in which they were
- 32:24done in this case
- 32:27I've been a Judicial officer now for
- 32:29starting my 17th year
- 32:32and I could
- 32:36objectively say that this is
- 32:40perhaps the most
- 32:43inhumane and vicious crime that I have
- 32:47handled out of the thousands of cases
- 32:49that I have seen
- 32:51and nothing less than a maximum sentence
- 32:57um
- 32:58would be appropriate and anything less
- 33:01than the maximum sentence would
- 33:03depreciate the seriousness of this
- 33:05offense
- 33:06there he remains to this day serving a
- 33:09sentence he has no hope of ever filling
- 33:11in his lifetime
- 33:12even the other prisoners have been harsh
- 33:14to Chris having no sympathy for a man
- 33:17cold enough to take the life of his wife
- 33:18kids and unborn child
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