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?

He only came up with that story because the FBI agents put it in his mind as an alternative situation, one which is viewed as being morally superior to the truth. They knew he'd done it. They appealed to the "good guy" image he likes to portray, suggesting that perhaps he was "cleaning up" for what Shannan did. Not long after this was suggested, he confessed to that exact scenario. He's admitted what really happened since.

@MrsGulDukat I think it was a very clever tactic of the investigators to sow in his mind the idea of blaming the girls' death on Shanann as a way of getting him to make his initial confession. The female investigator was the one who actually suggested that maybe that was what happened. It was much easier for him to confess to that, then once he had made that step the rest later unravelled.

Can anyone point me in the direction of the thread mentioned up post that has more details on the case?

I read a piece on it yesterday that he smothered the girls before killing his wife, but it didn't work so he strangled them after. It was horrific.

medium.com/honestly-yours/what-netflixs-american-murder-didn-t-tell-you-about-chris-and-shanann-watts-2a90a9a88745

The friend who was at the house and called the police, she knew from the off something had happened. I thought if I'd not heard from a friend that I'd just think they were busy, that she went to the house to check, just felt like she was already worried that something might happen.

@RosieLemonade

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/streamed_tv/4040123-American-Murder-The-Family-Next-Door

I think this might be it

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

I agree. So many people film and document every part of their lives, even the most personal moments. Everyone is trying to be a influencer or YouTube star and making life seem perfect.
It’s very upsetting to think she filmed it all to look like the perfect family but instead it was used in a documentary about her murder. Poor woman and her poor babies killed the so called ‘man’ who should have loved and cherished her.

Her letters to him were the saddest part. Why should you have to thank your partner for letting you hold them, that’s just what relationships are about. It’s as though she had to cherish every bit of physical contact with him in the end. I think she thought giving him the son he wanted would mend their marriage. What a cold, calculating selfish man, she deserved so much better.

Absolutely heartbreaking

I Mean you could see how much those girls loved their dad and he betrayed them in the worst way possible

@hotpotlover
The mistress gave the police crucial evidence, she thought he was divorcing his wife. She’s now in witness protection.

It also struck me how intense her friendships were. She shared a lot about her relationship, minute by minute accounts of their sex life at certain points, with her friends in those text messages. Also, the fact that her friend had rung the police by lunchtime the day after dropping her off at 2am because Shanann hadn't replied to text messages and wasn't at home? I have some quite good friends, but I can't imagine that with them, I would just assume they hadn't got round to replying for whatever reason, these women were obviously in constant contact. The friend who initially called the police was also heavily involved in the MLM I think, it all seems very tight!

In the end it was what caught Chris out, because as others have said, he clearly wasn't expecting the police to be on the scene so quickly and was expecting to be able to orchestrate the police involvement himself. He doesn't come across as the sharpest tool, so would still probably have been caught quite quickly though I guess.

I followed this case from the beginning - was pregnant and got a bit obsessed, desperately wanted Shanann and the girls to be found.

I'm not one to go for the easy option of calling people "evil" or "monsters" because I get that fairly ordinary people can do atrocious things, and we shouldn't mask that with hyperbole. And I won't use those terms now.

But I will say that Chris Watts reminds me of nothing more than a black void walking around in a human skin, pretending to pass as normal.

[quote SBTLove]@hotpotlover
The mistress gave the police crucial evidence, she thought he was divorcing his wife. She’s now in witness protection.[/quote]
I heard speculation she is still writing to him in prison but there is no proof.

I was really shocked at how he could remain so calm for so long It was very disturbing

That her friends alerted the police so quickly seemed strange did she know that he wasn’t what he seemed to be

That there appears to be no history of aggression or abuse is very unusual too

I've become a bit too invested in this after watching the netflix, I've watched lots of YouTube videos about it and I really do think that NK had something to do with it. The bikini photos Chris took of her you can see on the side, in the bathroom I think it is, white lines where it looks like they've had coke or something similar. She was apparently near the house on the day of the murders too according to cellphone data. Doesn't make any sense that the police didn't pursue her in the investigation? At least Chris is in the right place!

I've also become far too invested in this case EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide. I've wasted hours watching and reading up about it.

I personally don't agree that NK had anything to do with it. The FBI studied phone records and internet searches. I just don't think they would have let it go if there was genuine evidence of her involvement. Instead, she went into witness protection.

He's said that he'll never reveal where he got the medication that he gave Shannan in an attempt to induce a miscarriage so I do wonder whether NK supplied that and he's protecting her. But as far as the murders go, I think that was all him.

Hmmm, I was thinking maybe his mother gave him those drugs to induce the miscarriage, and that's why he said he'd take it to his grave.

What are the patches that she always seemed to have on her arm? She seemed keen to make them visible so I'm guessing it was something to do with the MLM scheme

Hmmm, I was thinking maybe his mother gave him those drugs to induce the miscarriage, and that's why he said he'd take it to his grave

I hadn't considered that. It's definitely a possibility. I guess we'll never know.

[quote MrsGulDukat]@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.[/quote]
His mother stood up in court after he was sentenced and said she forgave him

@SquishyFishy

What are the patches that she always seemed to have on her arm? She seemed keen to make them visible so I'm guessing it was something to do with the MLM scheme

Yes, Le-Vel Thrive. MLM. I think they're nutrient patches or something.

His mother stood up in court after he was sentenced and said she forgave him

A single sentence that goes a very long way towards explaining how he became what he is.

His mother stood up in court after he was sentenced and said she forgave him

She's also said in subsequent interviews that she wants to know the truth. She made mention to the plea deal, saying that people are never given the death sentence in the state anymore so he should have taken his chances. I get the impression that she believes that Shannan killed the children. Probably because it's easier to believe that.

Part of me was so convinced he didn’t do it in the beginning. He just seemed so calm etc. In fact at one point I wondered whether his mother had anything to do with it.

When he asked for his Dad to come into the interview room, when he told him lies about Shanann, awful.

Turns my stomach to think what those girls went through and I really do hope they knew nothing about their final resting place, although because of all the lies he’s told I really do have my doubts, I hope I’m wrong though. Absolutely heartbreaking.

SBTLove
@hotpotlover
The mistress gave the police crucial evidence, she thought he was divorcing his wife. She’s now in witness protection.
I heard speculation she is still writing to him in prison but there is no proof.

I can’t imagine anyone a woman who wrote to a man who put his own innocent babies in an oil tank?!!! Mean you never know , she would have to sick to and if she ever had kids they shouldn’t be her at all. In fact take the babies off her straight away, she would be very dangerous around kids. I do wonder if she wrote to him To ask why he did that? Why didn’t he just leave? He is psychotic and I think he will live the rest of his days living the nightmare over and over again

His calmness made him look guilty to me. You'd imagine he'd be a bit more frantic if his family really were missing. He was so calm when he talked if the possibility of them not being safe. Even if he genuinely believed they'd gone to a friend's, the fact if her not taking necessary medication and phone etc would surely have rung alarm bells.