What are people thinking of 'American Murder: The Family Next Door' on Netflix? *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

[Monk9306]

Watched it tonight with my partner and was left absolutely heartbroken and feeling very shocked! What did other people think?

When I watch things like this programme, my overriding feeling is that some humans are simply broken.

Not evil, or anything like that, just malfunctioning on a very basic level. God help anyone who comes inside their sphere of influence.

The police and FBI knew it was him right from the off. The bed was stripped and the flat sheet was in the kitchen bin, with a matching fitted sheet left at the site he disposed of them. They'd already sent a drone over there because they could see from his GPS that's where he'd been and they saw the sheet and also an area of earth that had been disturbed. They knew very early on that it was a body search.

Even the fact he made them wait for him to gain entry to the house. If there's a suspicion that she might be passed out inside you'd surely instruct them to bust the door down? He was also inside the house for over a minute before opening the door to let them in. No idea what he was doing in there because he certainly didn't cover his tracks.

He definitely didn't think the alarm would be raised so soon. What a great friend Shannan had. Did he not know she had a prenatal check up that day?

He's given more detail since his incarceration, like how he smothered the children before killing Shannan but they "woke up" which made him angry. And he knew when he tucked them in the night before that it would be the last time he did that. He's said that he killed Shannan as she was drifting off to sleep, so not in the heat of an argument as he previously stated. He made plans over text with his co worker to be at that site alone on the morning of the 13th, telling his co-worker not to bother going. Completely premeditated.

I can't get the case out of my head. It's terrifying that a seemingly normal man with no previous issues with violence or anger could do something like that.

If you're interesting in watching more there are three episodes on the JCS Criminal Psychology YouTube channel. He explains some of the psychological tactics used by the FBI agents and it's quite interesting.

Horrific

Horrific! I have no words but believe that Nicole is more involved than has been made clear... Anyone else think that too?

@altheathoon - the JCS youtube channel is so fascinating!

There's a book "letters from christopher" as well as the released FBI interview with Chris in prison after his conviction that have way more information than this documentary, if anyone is interested.

The mistress was/is very cunning. I don't think she is without blame although, ultimately, Chris did it...

@hotpotlover

Does anyone also think the mistress has something to do with? Surprised the police didn't investigate her further.

I was wondering this. She was on her phone in the police interview - a really obvious avoidance tactic. My first thought was that she is still under investigation, which is why the documentary didn't pursue anything, but it does seem like it's a bit too late down the line for anything to happen.

I'd vaguely heard of the case but didn't know just how horrific it was.

It's incredible how much video footage and text message data there was too, which made it feel even more 'real' and affecting. I guess that will increasingly be the case with true crime as we document more and more.

One thing I would say, which I need to phrase carefully as obviously Shanann was 100% the victim of a monster and did nothing to deserve what happened to her, was that I thought there was something a little 'disconnected' about her. She seemed obsessed with filming everything and creating a perfect family image, which I guess goes hand in hand with the whole MLM thing. It was interesting how preoccupied she was with filming big moments like telling Chris she was pregnant or him being reunited with the children after their trip. It seemed to be an attempt to mask an emotional distance between them, but also maybe increased it too. He didn't always seem 100% comfortable with being filmed and sometimes filming all those moments makes them less 'real'. Though obviously, that is in no way an excuse for what he did and doesn't mean she was in any way to blame. Just something that occured to me as I watched.

Something about the location that he left the girls in just made it more disturbing than if he'd buried them.

I thought this too. I know it's not the most incomprehensible or disturbing thing by any stretch, but the difference struck me as very odd. His burial of Shannan was almost ritualistic, with the huge 'S', and then he just dumped the two girls. Why did he not bury them with her?

@3ormorecharacters I thought that was odd too but dh reminded me that when one of my relatives was heavily into MLM we all became part of a soap opera it was very very uncomfortable at the time.

@SquishyFishy: No, he came back from work. He killed them during the night and then drove to his work site to dispose of the bodies. He then worked normally and only came back home when her friend Nikki and the police were at their home. I don't think he anticipated anyone looking for her that early. His plan was probably to dispose of more evidence in the house and then report her missing, making it seem like she left with the kids after they talked about separating.

Absolutely horrifying. Especially the little girls

I couldn’t get past the fact that there was no emotion at all from him until he realised he had been caught. No regret at all for his actions right until the end.

He talked about that in the FBI interview in prison 3ormorecharacters. He said he hated being in the videos.

They were also in a lot of debt - behind in mortgage payments, maxed out credit cards, girls enrolled in an expensive school. I believe they'd filed for bankruptcy. There was a lot going on behind the perfect images put out on social media. MLMs have a lot to answer for.

But there's absolutely no justification for what he did and he's in the right place. I'm only glad that Shannan never had to know what he did to her babies.

I watched this yesterday and I also was really shocked that a seemingly normal man could do this. And I did think that his mistress came across a bit unhinged when she was interviewed, like quite trashy and hard? She did say she that him having wife and kids ruined it for her, or something like that, I wonder if she actually said that to him and his fucked up brain thought, right well I can sort that out.
Horrific. No one deserved that to happen to them, but those poor little ones, my heart breaks.

I watched this on Tuesday and it was so upsetting.

The little girls laying in each other’s laps on the journey broke my heart. He had them in the car for almost an hour, plenty of time to regret what he had done and let them live but he didn’t. The book other posters are referring to says that he thought he had killed the girls at home but they woke up with “bruised eyes looking traumatised”. How could he?

His burial of Shannan was almost ritualistic, with the huge 'S' I didn't think he'd marked her burial site with an 'S', but rather that's what he wrote on the picture to denote where she was. He knew that she wouldn't fit in the tank as the opening was only 8". He also said (in one of his letters I think) that he wanted to make sure the girls don't "come back* again as they had done after the first time he tried to smother them.

@AltheaThoon I must have got that wrong - memory's a strange thing sometimes.

One other thing I thought is that the woman who interviewed him did a fantastic job. She hit just the right balance of pressure and 'friendliness '.

What do we think the point of a program like this is? Not trying to be obnoxious! I watched the beginning but could tel it would be horrific and switched off. To raise awareness of family annihilation? To show we never know what goes on behind closed doors?

Watched this last night too. Horrific! His nonchalant attitude was even more shocking. Poor poor kids, especially Bella who watched it all and probably sensed what was coming.

What stuck with me as well was his mother. She reminded me of another documentary of a Christopher (think he was Foster who also killed his family) and his mother's comments (overly supportive, totally in denial of their son's actions, victim blaming etc). Not sure if it's denial about having raised a son capable of such an evil deed or whatever it is, but it's almost like she believes it was Shanann's fault!

I think there's a morbid fascination with programmes like this. I don't know why. I found the whole FBI interview part of it fascinating. How they worked to get a confession but didn't press so hard that he felt he needed a lawyer.

And yes JesusInTheCabbageVan, I thought both investigators were brilliant.

Brot64, yes, in the interview I've seen she seems to insinuate that Shannan wasn't totally innocent and wants the truth to come out. His parents have talked about Shannan being narcissistic, manipulative and bi-polar, as if any of that is a justification. And she described him going to jail as her losing a child too. It doesn't compare to what Shannan's family lost. I think her doing interviews was unwise.

I watched it and it was heartbreaking.

One thing that got me was that he claimed she killed the girls, then he killed her in an act of rage because of it.

But, after all this rage that is daughters were killed, we never see one iota of emotion when he talks about what happened. No tears for his daughters, not even anger.

Yet he wants us to believe he killed his pregnant wife in a rage because she killed their daughters. I just dont buy it.

She was desperate to save their family, I dont see her killing the girls that she clearly adored.

I think he's despicable for even laying the death of those girls on the woman who isnt around anymore to defend herself.

@MrsGulDukat he later admitted to killing the girls too and lying that Shanann did it.

@FastAndCurious. Thanks for the update. I never believed him and knew it would come out. I'm surprised he confessed though.

Wonder how his family feel now, knowing he killed his own children too.

@AltheaThoon yes I have just done a quick google search on the mother. Her giving any interviews was very unwise. It appears in her eyes Chris could have done no wrong and was in fact the victim and "hero" who wanted to avenge his children's deaths. She also claimed that he was in an abusive relationship. It's so strange how she's comfortable (or so she seems) to say these things clearly knowing what he has done.

I am fascinated with true crime shows, mainly because I wonder how a totally normal appearing person can suddenly turn evil. Like the interrogations too and how some shows go into the psychology of the person, their childhood behaviour, triggers, surroundings etc. I also wonder how on earth such people believe they can get away with their acts. Fascinating albeit very tragic.