American Murder on Netflix

[happinessischocolate]

Has anyone else watched this? I've just finished it, and I'm in tears. Why, why would anyone do that.

Also when he came out with the wedding ring. I think he had it on him and then planted it in the bedroom or wherever he said he found it.

I know this won't be a popular view but I found the wife in her videos quite unlikeable. She did seem to want to be in control a lot and put all her 'perfect' life over social media. You just never know what goes on behind the 'perfect social media' image.

I haven't been able to get the case out of mind. It's just the image of those innocent children that love their dad and he betrays them in such a horrendous way.

I know what you mean roseyroserose. But I see the oversharing 'perfect' life on social media as a bit of an insecurity. I know someone like this. If you ask her whats going on in her life, everything is perfect, while the rest of us are whinging about our partners leaving the toilet seat up.

My unpopular opinion is his mum. Something just didn't sit right with me when she said she forgives him in her victim impact statement. I understand he is her son and she will love him, but I just thought it was heartless to publicly announce this at his sentencing. Especially as she didn't mention Shanann or her grandchildren.

I know what you mean @roseyroserose everything had to be documented on social media. Like when she was asking him to let her know when he was coming so she could record the kids. Though I guess she thought she was probably trying to cling on to the perfect family portrayal even though she knew deep down it was starting to slip.

Yes the MIL could've saved that for private chat. It was the most heinous crime. A mention of the children would've been more appropriate in a court room in front of the family, their son or not.

I watched this last night and couldn’t fall asleep for thinking of that poor girl saying “daddy no” 😢 just heartbreaking.

I remembered this happening and had read some articles at the time but didn’t know he hadn’t killed his children at home. It’s horrific to think about what they went through all so he could have a bee life with a different woman.

Personally I thought he seemed very different in her online videos to what he did in the photos with the OW. There was definitely an undercurrent of unhappiness when Shanann was filming him and he seemed to be performing for the camera when talking to his dds at the airport. It definitely wasn't a joyful happy reunion with his kids. I didn't particularly warm to Shanann in her videos, but my heart goes out to her family for what that monster did to her and her babies

But that video was taken after he had already spent the previous 5 weeks with his girlfriend. He probably didn’t want to be with his wife but I wonder if we’ll ever find out why he didn’t just divorce her

So I've read up a lot on the mistress and she was googling amber freys worth and how to get a book deal (amber frey was Scott Peterson's mistress) and how to marry a married man and lots of really odd things. I also think she was the one who supplied chris with the Oxy

@PerfidiousAlbion

Just awful.

I’ve never seen anyone be so emotionless and cold and having the balls to participate in the televised plea for his family to come home too, whilst knowing they were dead.

Top marks to the neighbour who clearly saw that Watts was acting strangely considering the circumstances.

Apparently, most family murders occur in August due to time spent together.

Yes, but this murder happened after they'd spent six weeks away from him, then a few days at home, and then Shanann was away for another few days, so that August theory doesn't work here.

I also think she was the one who supplied chris with the Oxy

Were they drugged, then?

I've just seen it and thought it was so powerful, particularly the backstory supplied only by the victim's videos.

One thing I couldn't understand is this. He killed his wife and then put her body on the floor of his car. He then put his (alive) children into the car and drove off to his workplace. He then killed the two girls and disposed of their bodies, and buried his wife.

But he left home at around 5.30 am (approx) - it was a 45 minute drive to work. His neighbour knew he left at that time - that's the time he checked on the CCTV. But how would Chris have time to do all that before anyone else got to work? If he normally got to work at 6.30 or so, surely others would be at work there, too?

I did think he probably killed the children in the house, when they discovered their mum was dead, which would mean he could kill them after his shift ended (as long as nobody saw them in the car) but he was pulled off shift, wasn't he, when the police arrived?

Or was there an extra day involved somehow? Shanann arrived home at 2 am, he left for work after 5 am, and she was reported missing by her friend that same day - is that right or was it the next day?

@HollowTalk no apparently (from the research and details from when it happened) chris gave her oxy to induce a miscarriage as he and his mistress wanted her to give him his first boy.

Ugh how awful.

I've just looked it up and it did all happen on the same day, as I'd thought. Can you imagine how he worked that day, after killing his wife and two children and disposing of their bodies?

@HollowTalk

Ugh how awful.

I've just looked it up and it did all happen on the same day, as I'd thought. Can you imagine how he worked that day, after killing his wife and two children and disposing of their bodies?

And phones the school to disenrole the kids, and phones a real estate agent to get the house on the market.

It's really hard to comprehend what happened in his mind to do any of it
With no 'known' history.

I think Shannan was involved with some sort of mlm to earn money wasn’t she? That might explain why she was so active on social media.

She worked from home answering calls for a children's hospital, I think.

She was part of a MLM called "Thrive", and yes , the company wanted to see her out there on social media.

I watched this two nights ago and just found it harrowing. I have two DDs of a similar age and the little home videos of those beautiful children just really got to me. "Daddy no" and "what happened to mommy" will stay with me for a long time. That man is evil. The documentary is very well done but just so so upsetting. I was crying my eyes out at the end thinking of those children. Was also absolutely disgusted that he blamed her first of all. I thought the police handled it very well indeed.

Shanann was involved with an MLM so I do think she was projecting a perfect life on social media and clearly it wasn't reflecting her reality. I still would not have expected that level of violence to have occurred. He seemed like a bit of a pushover, which made it more chilling I felt. Just such a horrible crime and so unnecessary.

@HollowTalk

I've just seen it and thought it was so powerful, particularly the backstory supplied only by the victim's videos.

One thing I couldn't understand is this. He killed his wife and then put her body on the floor of his car. He then put his (alive) children into the car and drove off to his workplace. He then killed the two girls and disposed of their bodies, and buried his wife.

But he left home at around 5.30 am (approx) - it was a 45 minute drive to work. His neighbour knew he left at that time - that's the time he checked on the CCTV. But how would Chris have time to do all that before anyone else got to work? If he normally got to work at 6.30 or so, surely others would be at work there, too?

I did think he probably killed the children in the house, when they discovered their mum was dead, which would mean he could kill them after his shift ended (as long as nobody saw them in the car) but he was pulled off shift, wasn't he, when the police arrived?

Or was there an extra day involved somehow? Shanann arrived home at 2 am, he left for work after 5 am, and she was reported missing by her friend that same day - is that right or was it the next day?

I really struggled understanding the timeline as well. When he came back to the house when the police were there had he just buried Shannan's body? Also he said he and Shannan argued just before he killed her (I think she was really asleep though) so was this at about 4.30 am and then he left at 5.30 am with her body? So she had only been back two hours as she got back about 2.30 they slept together and then he killed her. I'm gathering that after he had buried Shannan and the children he hadn't had time to get back to the house before police arrived. This probably added to his agitation as he was checking he hadn't left any clues/ evidence lying around when the police and neighbour turned up unannounced.

I don't think there was anyone else at the workplace, as far as I know it was an oil rig out in the middle of nowhere ( one of many)

It was so awful. I had no idea his mistress was more involved. From last nights documentary it makes it seem that she approached the police with info.

I have wondered for a while if he had already dug Shananns grave prior to killing her.

It makes me sick that he put the babies in the oil drum. I wonder if they hadn’t woken up and seen mummy if they would still be alive. It’s so awful

I have wondered for a while if he had already dug Shananns grave prior to killing her.

From what I've read, there isnt anything to suggest he did that.
But what he did do, which led the police to believe this was premeditated murder, was he text the colleague the day before the murder.
A guy called Kodi is the only operator on that oil rig. He received a text the day before the murder from Chris saying he planned to come to the site the next day to do some testing.
By the time Kodi turned up to the site the next morning, Chris was already there.
Kodi and the boss said that at the time it wasn't suspicious, but it was unusual because the site didn't need testing.

It could be coincidence that Chris was going to this isolated oil rig. But im with the police on this one, that he was already planning the murders the day before

@minou123 oh I didn’t know this! Thanks for the info.

Yeah I’m sure it was premeditated. Which is why I thought he had prepared a grave beforehand. Every time I learn new information about this case it shocks me at what he was capable of.

How anyone can believe Shanann murdered the children, when he so callously disposed of their bodies, is beyond comprehension.

@roseyroserose You're right about his agitation, I think. It was her friend who called the police - he couldn't have expected that. It sounds as though he thought he'd have a lot more time to sort out the house. He was certainly acting agitated, wasn't he?

About the timing - I doubt very much that Shanann went to sleep that night. She arrived home at 2 am and he left around 5 am - in that time they had sex, an argument and he killed her.

Didn't anyone else think that Shanann had taken her own wedding ring off in the argument?

There's a book written about it - he spoke to the author and wrote to her. In his letters he said he'd thought he'd killed the girls before he killed Shanann, and then realised they weren't dead. Here. It does sound as if this had been planned.