True Crime Analysis, Breakthroughs, Insights & Discussions Hosted by Bestselling Author Nick van der Leek

“You let them learn for themselves!” – Shan’ann Watts, December 7th, 2016

Ironic.

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14 Comments

  1. Mustang Sally

    There is a big difference in the learning curve here vs. the learning curve when dealing with a deadly allergy. I don’t see the irony.

  2. sheis

    My take is that the situation was handled poorly by everyone, but grandma was wrong. There are a hundred ways Cindy could have made the situation right. Grandmas are supposed to spoil kids and leave the hard lessons for parents.

    Those poor kids.

  3. Maura

    Cindy’s behavior was cruel. SW posted to her private Facebook Allergy group that Cindy had asked her BEORE their visit what food to buy for them. When SW arrived Cindy hadn’t bought ANY of the snacks the kids could eat. Instead she had a bowl of nuts on a low table and served ice cream with nuts to a child too young to understand WHY she couldn’t eat the ice cream. Cindy didn’t like Shannan but she was willing to send her grandchild to the ER to prove a point?

    Chris should have backed up his wife and called his parents right away. This is another instance where he was a coward and too wrapped up in his affair to care about his own kids.

  4. Mustang Sally

    I’ll never understand how he could do what he did to his children. There is such a sweet gentleness so naturally evident in Bella and a vibrant sassiness so obvious in Celeste that, as a parent, I would do anything to preserve and nothing to destroy – yet he chooses to destroy this and them.

    • nickvdl

      I’ll never understand how he could do what he did>I don’t take that position. lf I did I probably wouldn’t write a single word, let alone any books or blogs on true crime. I believe we can understand, and come very close to knowing why. But it takes effort, and one has to put aside one’s own deprecating [aka judgmental] views and let the people who were involved speak for themselves.

  5. Mustang Sally

    I totally get that and your position. I’ll add that I’m not even certain I want to understand as I believe that means I’d have to go places in my mind I’ve never been before nor wish to go. If that’s judgmental, so be it. I don’t think I need to understand how he got to where he did, but because you are willing to go there, I’m interested in discovering what you find. It’s a safe way for me to learn without getting too hurt in the process. Without going into a long, drawn out explanation, I’m protecting myself. And would respect anyone else’s wish to do so as well. I admire those who can compartmentalize their thoughts so that they can use them at will – turn them on and off as necessary. If this makes sense at all, thank goodness! If not, I’m sorry I can’t explain it better!

  6. Sylvester

    I think being a police officer or an FBI agent would be a very tough job. You are looking at crime scenes, little children being beat up, blood guts and gore and as an FBI agent you are sitting right in the same room with a suspect trying to get inside his mind to get the truth. Takes alot of restraint and focus. As a true crime writer you are immersing yourself in the crime itself, digging up as much as you can to explain what happened and understand why it happened and put it together using timelines, research, background information, everything you can find and then writing about it in an interesting way (otherwise no one would read it). Look at us though – we’re obviously very interested in all things true crime or we wouldn’t be here, constantly thinking about it but I have to say I do love it. And there’s always more to know.

  7. Noneya

    There is nothing lacking in the cognitive function if you choose not to get your mind to go to dark places. Does not make you anymore of a critical thinker if you choose to try and explore that side. Maybe you have a interest into serial killers or murder mysteries, who knows. It comes off very dictatorship like when you believe everyone else can think the same way as you if they just tried and if they resist, you don’t mind forcing it on them. Oh well, that’s the beauty of different opinions and views. Someone’s belief is always up for debate.

  8. Marie

    Maybe Shannan was a controlling drama queen? That is my right to suggest it, if it bothers you , too bad.

  9. CDB

    This is a big difference. Getting water and maybe dying from an allergy? Not ironic.

    • nickvdl

      Well the irony is in the “teach them a lesson aspect”, and also in making sure everyone sees the lesson being learned on Facebook. So it’s a double lesson.

      • CDB

        Sorry, I don’t get it…

  10. coolgirlrocks

    I wish that Chris would just tell the truth. What really does he have to lose now? People already think he’s evil. Maybe he is. But why can’t he just open up now, tell us his thought processes, how he did it, why he did it, what he was thinking. It would be fascinating and so very educational for society.
    But killers never seem to have the balls to do this. Ted Bundy went to the electric chair without ever revealing the WHY and his inner thoughts. Is it shame that keeps them quiet? Fear?
    I sometimes feel if these killers were in a position where they felt they would not be judged, where they were allowed to tell the truth, it would help us understand.
    Chris, afterall, is a human. Just as I am. Just as you are. I actually don’t think he is a psychopath. He appears to love his children. But maybe he IS a psychopath. And if he is, well, he could help us understand psychopaths.
    I wish part of his plea deal required him to at least confess properly. Tell the frigging truth. I know her family didn’t want the death penalty, but it maybe should have been hung over his head as a carrot to get the truth.

  11. Marcie

    I question the peanut allergy assertion. The police video of the Watts’ pantry showed a jar of Jif peanut butter on a lower shelf. And Shan’ann put peanut butter in the Thrive Bites she made in one of the videos.

    Shanann’s rant on the allergy board was about tree nuts.

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