TRUE CRIME ROCKET SCIENCE

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

Month: June 2019 (Page 3 of 4)

OBLIVION has just been published!

June 10, 2019 / / 9 Comments

In ANNIHILATION it was firmly established and reinforced that the scenario of the crime Chris Watts gave his interrogators during the Second Confession was a lie. The Watts children weren’t killed after Shan’ann, and they weren’t murdered at the well site. The murder was more calculated and cunning than Watts has let on. It was premeditated.

If it’s clear Watts was lying yet again what remains to sift through in the Second Confession? What’s left to unravel? Just these three questions:

What truth IS there in the Second Confession?
Where does this truth take us?
When did the premeditation start, and what precisely started it?

OBLIVION does the difficult job of untying the knots and strands of veracity tied and tangled into all the lies. They’re there, it’s just a question of finding them, separating them, and figuring out what patterns they weave, and what the patterns mean.

With each successive book in the TWO FACE series, the analysis goes deeper and darker, the insights become sharper and more finely tuned. OBLIVION is a more complex, challenging and complicated analysis than ANNIHILATION, and all the preceding narratives in the series.

“It really is the most earth-shattering of the eight narratives, because what OBLIVION does is it finally completes the circle; the full circle means what is grasped is the full scale – the sheer dimensions – of the devastation of this tragedy.” 

Chris Watts and the Psychology of the Introvert [+ Test Yourself on the Introversion Scale]

June 10, 2019 / / 13 Comments

Chris Watts always seems like a fish out of water, doesn’t he? He doesn’t seem completely comfortable in many of those Thrive videos. He’s not comfortable in the Sermon on the Porch, although in his shorts and sandals, he’s trying his best to act casual. And in all his interrogations, he seems more focused on trying to appear normal, which of course makes him seem even weirder.

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Now that he’s in prison for the rest of his life, he appears – and sounds – more relaxed, and more comfortable than we’ve ever seen him. It’s as if an actual prison is a sort of natural psychological home for him, a place where he can truly be himself, not so much enjoy himself but just be himself.

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There’s a stereotype associated with true crime – not in all true crime, but some areas of it – where the quiet, nondescript neighbor that no one noticed before turns out to be the worst monster – a diabolical serial killer, mass shooter or serial rapist of some sort.

This stereotype exists because it’s often true. It’s the invisible introvert who’s capable of a much deeper, and richer inner world than the average person, and so when we translate that capacity to true crime, we get a much darker, and more depraved kind of crime. The Watts Family Murders are a lot like that when you think about it.

On this blog I don’t like to discuss psychology, not because it’s not my thing, but because that’s what the books do. That’s why there are already eight TWO FACE books on this case already [OBLIVION is out tomorrow].

One of the issues I’ve been itching to tackle in more detail is this seemingly unimportant issue of Watts’ personality. He’s an introvert. So what? Well, it’s a major personality type and a major defining trait of this particular murderer – whom no one can understand, and who did something no one can explain.  That’s really the final word on this case. No one knows why and no one will ever know.

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Rocket Science specializes in these kind of psychological conundrums. In order to prime you for what’s coming in OBLIVION, it’s important that you understand yourself on the introversion/extroversion scale. You may think you do, but this test will make it explicit.

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Feel free to share the results of this test, and if you feel the test isn’t an accurate reflection, tell us. If it is, tell us. If you found something out about yourself by taking the test, don’t be shy, don’t be an introvert – tell us!

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In the spirit of transparency and full disclosure, I’ll start first. I scored as a:

Public extrovert and private introvert.

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I’m not sure it’s true that I’m a wallflower at home [perhaps being an author means you automatically are], but I know in certain situations, public and private, I can be.

Personally I think the litmus test for extroversion/introversion has to do with how one deals with being alone. I have mixed feelings about it. I want my space but also feel lonely at times. Can you be an extrovert and an introvert at the same time? Clearly you can be.

Now in the Watts case, being alone does emerge as a kind of test. We see what Watts does when he’s left alone for five weeks. We see what he does when he’s not home. We also see how Shan’ann tolerates not being alone, as well as how she manages people.

And this is the value of spending some time personalizing these concepts. When we do not only do we get a much deeper grasp on these enigmatic true crime characters and personalities, we also see how and where we [hypothetically] fit into these myriad dynamics.

I also think it’s a spectrum. You’re born on one or the other side of the scale, but it’s a sliding scale, and it can change during the various stages and circumstances of your life.

We saw how Chris Watts seemed to become more extroverted in some ways, and Shan’ann as well. But it’s also a sort of default setting. Especially when things aren’t going the way we want them to. Watts’ introversion feeds into his identify, and without exception, we all default to our identities. In true crime this is especially true, which is why identity is absolutely key to why criminals do what they do.

Understanding identity also helps explain why we do the things we do, or why we feel the way we do about what we do and how we do it.

I love the first line of my result, about the horror of leaving others indifferent. I think Shan’ann also felt that a great deal. Ironically, Watts seemed to feel the opposite way during his Sermon on the Porch, and Confession #1 and 2. It’s as if he wanted people to feel indifferent.

Shan’ann and the kids have disappeared. I’m not sure where they went. But maybe it’s not a big deal…?

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Now, in conclusion: is the above test accurate? Was it for you? For me? Well, if you’re a full-time author, yes, you are all about changing hearts and influencing minds, especially in a genre as serious and epic as true crime. Leaving others unchanged or indifferent means your efforts have failed. You have failed. What I don’t like is this idea of needing to be validated externally. My work does, I don’t, but it’s easy to get sucked into OBLIVION [see what I did there…]

Now it’s your turn 😉

More: Introverts run the world — quietly

Raising An Introverted Child In An Extroverted World

“Chris Watts is a narcissistic psychopath”- now find out what YOU are

“I don’t think I’m a cold-hearted person. I just don’t show emotion as much as other people do. I process it differently.” – Chris Watts, February 18th interview

June 9, 2019 / / 10 Comments

It makes sense, the argument that Chris Watts is a heartless monster, that he’s psychopathic or sociopathic.  That he doesn’t feel the way many of us do. To our minds, it doesn’t make any sense if he murdered his family and he acted like he didn’t care, that he did care, and that he does have feelings.

But the temptation is to put Watts in a neat little box and call him a heartless monster. It’s comforting to say that because it separates him from us.

It’s the position of TCRS that this aspect is true, but at the same time, he’s not an empty vessel devoid of emotion.

It’s this aspect of true crime that makes it both fascinating and terrifying – the notion that Watts cared for his wife and children but killed them anyway. The notion that he felt bad about what he did, but tried to act innocent and nonchalant, and wasn’t particularly convincing.

In the final half hour of the Second Confession, Chris Watts speaks frankly about his emotions. Although we have to be careful taking anything he says as gospel, it’s worth reviewing how he sees his emotions, and the words he uses to describe his own inner world.

WATTS: It’s just weird how emotions process for me than for everybody else.

LEE: Hmmhmm.

WATTS: Like you said, like um—you lost your kids at a grocery store for five seconds, you’d be a mess, and then like…you know…for me…I-I-d be panicked, but I wouldn’t cry.  I’d be looking around trying to find them. But it’s just like, I just process it differently. I never knew why. Never know why. [Long pause]. I don’t think I’m a cold-hearted person, it’s just a matter of…I just don’t show it…show the emotions as much as other people do. 

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LEE: Your family doesn’t show emotion like that?

WATTS: Yeah, like you know…my dad couldn’t really speak at the sentencing hearing, because he said was kinda like…he said he was gonna lose it. Like that really hit me. Like, I’d never seen him like that.

LEE: Like, vulnerable?

WATTS: Mmhmm. I don’t think anybody’s seen me that way either.

The emotional aspect is a crucial aspect in true crime, and critical to understand this case. We can’t have it both ways. In the one scenario, Watts impulsively and spontaneously kills his wife and children, Shan’ann in a rage and his children seemingly for no reason at all. In this version Watts loses control over his emotions when he kills wife, and simply isn’t thinking afterwards. It’s not entirely unconvincing, because Watts seems capable of acting rashly and stupidly. His confessions to the cops also reinforce this impression.

In the other scenario, all the murders are premeditated. The premeditation scenario as a whole is an effort to hide not only the crime but the emotions, including the affair and the pregnancy.

One way to resolve the question of premeditation is to look at Watts’ behavior and psychology prior to the crimes and just after. After the crimes he has a checklist of things he needs to do and wastes no time doing it, even though he’s at work. He cancels his kids’ classes at Primrose, he calls the realtor, he even calls his bank.

The way he disposed of all three bodies also doesn’t speak of someone not in control, or not thinking. But the hiding of the bodies and the effort to make them disappear while sickening is also his effort to conceal feelings – like shame. He knows what he’s done is shameful and so he’s driven to dig holes and – taking a substantial risk – force the bodies of his children into the tanks to make them dissolve and disappear. He uses the word vanish immediately after the crime – that’s exactly what he wanted to happen. Fullscreen capture 20190609 155125

There’s emotion there, in that effort to hide away his disgraceful deeds. There are many crimes out there that are executed with blood and brutality, and the bodies are left in the open.

Counter-intuitively these speak of emotion but are probably more psychopathic than a crime committed in secret and hidden away.

Coming Soon! – Book 8 in the TWO FACE series…

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Chris Watts: The Plea Deal Document and the Second Confession Don’t Jibe

June 8, 2019 / / 4 Comments

It should be noted that the plea deal includes the legal prescripts AFTER DELIBERATION in three instances, all three relating to three separate counts of first degree murder. The document is explicit in explicating  deliberation as not only an intention to commit a crime but:

…the decision to commit the act has been made after the exercise of reflection and judgment concerning the act…[it is] never [an act] committed in a hasty of impulsive manner.

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During the sentencing hearing on November 19th, 2018, the district attorney stated clearly and categorically [listen at this link]:

“The evidence tells us this, the defendant coldly and deliberately ended four lives, not in a fit of rage, not by way of accident, but in a calculated and sickening manner…”

But Watts’ Second Confession however, which appears not to have been analyzed, criticized or second-guessed either by law enforcement, or the district attorney, or by Investigation Discovery’s Family Man, Family Murderer, or by the media, contradicts this version.

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In the Second Confession Watts says repeatedly he was in a rage and snapped when he killed Shan’ann. [CBI Report, page 8].

He had never been angry before and this was like the epitome of being angry. He had rage and lost his mind. [CBI Report, bottom of page 12].

He was shaking and didn’t know what had happened.[CBI Report, page 8].

He didn’t know what to do and didn’t know what he had done.[CBI Report, page 8].

He wasn’t in the right state of mind and wasn’t in control of his thoughts or actions. [CBI Report, page 8].

The original plea deal document is available at this link.

More: “Chris Watts Just Snapped” [October 4th, 2018]

Chris Watts describes the reason he killed Shan’ann Watts: “I just snapped” [AUDIO Part 1+2]

Chris Watts claims “Rage” was the operative emotion that made him wipe out his family. But this is what a genuine “Rage” Annihilation looks like…

A Critical Review of FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER

Why the Second Confession Scenario as Dramatized in FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER is full of crap

The murder of the Watts children at CERVI 319 as Dramatized in FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER

The murder of the Watts children at CERVI 319 as Dramatized in FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER

June 8, 2019 / / 5 Comments

Chris Watts was pretty clear that he didn’t want to talk about “this part” – the murders of his daughters, but in the end, he did talk about it. What he said wasn’t much, and it wasn’t convincing, although it seems many are convinced by it and accept it as genuine and true.

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In the same way that Shan’ann allowed herself to be killed without a fight, without screaming, without so much as a sound or a scuffle apparently, Ceecee and Bella seemed mute as first the one and then the other was strangled.

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It’s possible. Anything is possible. But when one studies these children in the dozens of videos, they seem quite skittish and anxious. Christmas Eve of 2017, for example, illustrates this where Bella is terrified of Santa Claus. A week before her death, Bella was afraid of the water at Myrtle Beach. On the night before her death she was afraid if she went to sleep, Ceecee would die in her sleep.

See, it’s hard to imagine she would sit by while her sister was strangled beside her, and do nothing, and say nothing. So why doesn’t FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER acknowledge that?

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More: There’s a reason Chris Watts can’t remember Bella’s Last Words

Overall it was a poor effort by Investigation Discovery. There was absolutely no attempt to study the dimensions of the thief hatches, or the autopsy reports, and no commentary on the openings of the hatches vis-a-vis the the children’s bodies. There was very little footage of the fracking tanks themselves, and no mention of the company Watts worked for.

In effect, the dramatization of the murder of the children was simply showing Watts saying what he said, and then showing him in his truck. That’s not true crime. While an actual dramatization using real models would have been disturbing, and even distasteful, instead of depicting this aspect it could have been examined, analysed and discussed, rather than simply running through Watts’ version of it superlightly, as if it was all 100% accurate.

TCRS has maintained from the first book and blog post that:

  1. All four murders were premeditated.
  2. The children were murdered first, several hours before Shan’ann arrived home.

The position of the district attorney, the FBI and law enforcement following the First Confession appeared to be that the crimes were indeed premeditated [committed intentionally “after deliberation”] in spite of Watts’ latest “just snapped” version. In fact the plea deal itself confirms []and affirms] this.

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So if the plea deal contradicts Watts version, why the hop-skip to Watts’ version?

In theory, if Watts’ second version [below] is truly as palatable to prosecutors as it seems to be, he has a viable angle in defense, at least to do away with the “premeditated” aspect of the crime. This in turn has implications for mitigation, potentially minimizing the maximum sentence.

TCRS’ position isn’t that Watts’ sentenced should be reduced, but that the prosecutors and media be more forthright about where the facts and analysis of this case take us. And that the garbage below, from the Second Confession, is just that.

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Shan’ann Watts was deliberately hiding the fact that her marriage was in trouble

June 7, 2019 / / 26 Comments

According to Watts’ confessions, he told Shan’ann on the morning of the murders that he wanted a divorce separation. This was supposed to trigger the annihilation that followed. But this wasn’t the trigger, it couldn’t be, because Shan’ann already knew about the divorce, and had known for a long time.

Before drilling further into this question, we need to be clear about the difference between divorce and separation. The word divorce comes up 35 times in the Discovery Documents and just once in the CBI Report. Separation comes up 38 times in the discovery, and 8 times [“separate or separating”] in the CBI Report.

It’s clear from a thorough analysis of all the discovery and both “confessions” that Watts was trying to separate from his wife in the weeks and months before the murders, going back as far as a year [close to when Kessinger allegedly made that first Google search for “Shanann Watts”. And this seems to be the word he prefers to use.

However, at the same time he was telling Kessinger a slightly different story. To her he was in the midst of a divorce, and by the time of the murders the divorce was being finalized, and so was the sale of the house. In fact neither was true, divorce proceedings hadn’t even started as far as we know.

So we have two narratives:

  1. A milder separation narrative [to Shan’ann]
  2. A more assertive divorce narrative [to Kessinger].

And we know when Shan’ann returned from Phoenix that night she was still hoping to woo Watts back into the marriage, hence the planned trip to Aspen the following weekend, the love letter, the self-help book and the imminent gender reveal. Shan’ann thought – or hoped – the marriage was stuttering slightly. Meanwhile Kessinger thought the marriage was over.

 

It’s no mystery, the Watts marriage was in trouble long before Shan’ann received that critical credit card alert on Saturday night, proving Watts wasn’t at the Rockies Games, and suggesting he wasn’t eating alone.

As early as August 8th, Shan’ann confided in Cassie Rosenberg and Nickole Atkinson that her husband wanted a divorce [she didn’t], but not right away.

Kessinger says something to same effect, that Watts wanted to sell his home, but not right away. There is this notion of delay, postpone, string things out…

But besides the reference above, from page 2106 of the Discovery Discovery documents, we also know that Shan’ann herself was openly discussing the prospect of divorce as early as March or April 2018, at least a month before she fell pregnant.

 

Watts told Ann Meadows, the realtor, on the morning the disappearance that him and Shan’ann hadn’t gotten on “for over a year”.

This is not necessarily true, but it could be true.

The fact that Shan’ann was talking to a divorce lawyer about custody in April, three-and-a-half months before the murders, suggests there was a protracted period of unhappiness, and acknowledgement from both sides that things were falling apart. 

The fact that the self-help book was put in the trash and the wedding ring left on the bedside table aren’t incidental. They were Watts’ way of communicating to Kessinger what he just couldn’t do with Shan’ann.

So why didn’t Watts just get a divorce, like the district attorney said? Well, it may be because Shan’ann didn’t want to, and thought she could sort of control Watts into not going through with it. This narrative isn’t very nice, and not very popular. It paints Watts less a coward than as someone who was bullied into towing a line, until things got desperate.

There is content out there that confirms not only did Shan’ann know a split was on the cards, but her own family did too. When Watts visited the Hair Jazz salon in Aberdeen  where Sandi Rzucek worked, it was clear to the hairdressers [Sandi’s co-workers] that Watts wasn’t happy, and Sandi actually told them then [in early August 2018] that the marriage wasn’t working, and that the couple were separating.

The final minute of the video posted at this link [an extended version of the clip above] is very insightful in this regard.

We also know there was a lot of anger and bitterness, especially from Shan’ann’s side, over Nut Gate.

And yet we know while this was happening Shan’ann still wanted to do a gender reveal. We also know that in the weeks prior Shan’ann was setting her husband up in her Thrive spiels as a great father and perfect husband and “the best thing that has ever happened to her“. She was making it very difficult for him to go through with a divorce.

She was making it very difficult to admit to an affair. And by recording him, for example, reacting to news of the third pregnancy and posting it on Facebook, it was becoming almost impossible to get out of it. But what made it so difficult to interrupt the happy family fairy tale? Was it weakness on his part or hers? Shan’ann’s job and income depended on selling the idea of Thriving. They were facing financial ruin and so, to admit they weren’t thriving meant a further lose of income. That’s what was so difficult to get out of.

Shanann Watts Chris Watts family
https://www.facebook.com/ShanannWatts/photos
Credit: Shanann Watts/Facebook

Why the Second Confession Scenario as Dramatized in FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER is full of crap

June 6, 2019 / / 7 Comments

There’s zero analysis, zero interpretation, zero insight in FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER’s version of the Watts Family Murders. They simply repeat Watts’ dodgy second version – verbatim – and dramatize it as if his words are gospel. They use the Second Confession as-is as their script.

This is very useful for us because we get to see an illustrated version for why it’s full of crap.

This won’t be a thorough analysis, and I won’t even do a decent statement analysis here; this will be a very light skip-through of the obvious details. Once we’re done, we’ll do something similar with the version of the murders at CERVI 319.

Worth playing for?

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So it starts off with Watts basically admitting that he’s not a confrontational guy. This is accurate. He’s an introvert and he likes to stay under the radar and “go with the flow”. Of course the way he murders Shan’ann in his version isn’t go-with-the-flow, is it? Go-with-the-flow would be her arriving home late, sleeping, and him going-with-the-flow of letting her sleep and dealing with issues in the morning or after work.

We know from Watts’ first interviews with the Feds that he doesn’t just tell the truth. He fudges, he minimizes, he misdirects. When interrogated, he also goes-with-the-flow. That’s one reason he did the polygraph, he was just going-with-the-flow. He doesn’t volunteer anything if he doesn’t have to…

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What’s wrong with this scenario? Well, it’s silent. Watts’ feels something, and it seems to be dark, and nothing is actually said. They have wordless sex. Really? Do you think Shan’ann would return from her trip and not say anything, not even greet him, and just have sex? She’s been distraught and felt ill the whole weekend, but that’s all behind her. And afterwards, do they both just fall asleep?

Maybe.

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Maybe not.

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For Watts to wake up later in the morning it means he has sex at around 02:00 and then, despite the huge shadow hanging over the bedroom, they both sleep soundly for two hours. Neither of them struggles to sleep or confronts the other or talks to the other. Shan’ann doesn’t even consult the baby monitors. She comes back from her trip, has sex and falls asleep.

In this version, they’ve been together for some hours now, in the same bed, and haven’t apparently spoken about anything. In this version all Shan’ann is is a dark shadowy sensation that still hasn’t washed either after her arrival from the airport, or after sex. For Shan’ann all this is very unlikely.

What’s also missing, and it’s an oversight from the interrogators, is how Shan’ann ended up in her shirt [not the one she was wearing when she returned from the airport]. So when did that happen?

In the Second Confession there are 4 references to shirts. Here they are:

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Also, in the dramatization, the bedside light on the right is on. Was a light on? Did neighbors see a light on? Does Watts mention anything about a light being on?

After having sex, Watts doesn’t go with the flow, he breaks the flow and fesses up. He doesn’t want to, but he does. He’s just that kind of honest, straight-up guy. Really?Fullscreen capture 20190604 020755Fullscreen capture 20190604 020757Fullscreen capture 20190604 020759Fullscreen capture 20190604 020802Fullscreen capture 20190604 020804Fullscreen capture 20190604 020806

Mm-hmm?

This version makes it sound like they spoke quietly about whether he was having an affair. They’d had flat-our screaming matches, but now they’re going to talk quietly about the end of their worlds?

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There’s still no screaming, it’s all still very-measured. And Shan’ann doesn’t fight back. She sees him coming, sees him getting onto her, faces him, sees his intent and just LETS him strangle her.Fullscreen capture 20190604 020828Fullscreen capture 20190604 020849Fullscreen capture 20190604 020851Fullscreen capture 20190604 020856

There’s no premeditation, and no trigger.

There was something on my mind…but I had no control. And it takes about 5 minutes to strangle someone to death. That’s a long time to have no control. You can have no control for 5 seconds, or 10, but try not having control for an entire minute, then another minute, then another…

He “just snapped”?

While this is happening she makes it worse, and she’s still talking. No shouting. No fighting. No struggling. He’s facing her and she’s facing him and she just lies there. And he’s allowed to continue. And no blood is found in the sheets, no semen – is any DNA found?*

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The trigger for Watts is Shan’nn saying these terrifying words:

You’re never gonna see your kids again.

Watts had been away from his own children for 5 weeks and this suited him just fine while he was embroiled in his affair, having hot sex several times a day. We don’t get a sense that he missed them, or that they missed him much. Even when he arrived at the airport Bella apparently ran away from him, screaming.

But now he’s gutted that he’ll never see his children again? [He’s so gutted about this that he later kills them too!]

But one of the biggest clues to why this scenario doesn’t work is also one of the most subtle.

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After killing her, Shan’ann’s suddenly facing the other way in bed. Now she’s face down. How did she get face down? Why’s she face down? In an authentic scenario it makes sense that he’d strangle her with her facing the other way. It also makes sense why neither of them have defensive wounds.

*Shan’ann did inflict a wound – to Watts’ neck.

A Red-Brown Stain on the Central Porch Cushion – and why we need to take a closer look at those Weatherproof Outdoor Cushions

June 6, 2019 / / 9 Comments

We’ve discussed the porch cushions before, and the pendulum has swung from a supposedly suspicious pattern-interrupting-arrangement on the porch to the realization that the cushions were arranged like that anyway when Shan’ann arrived home.

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But we’re still left with what appeared – and sounded like – interest from the cadaver dog when the dog ventured into that area. The interest was such the handler lifted the central cushion.

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You can watch that moment here.

Or listen here.

Now, in fairness, nothing is mentioned in the discovery about alerts on the porch. What is mentioned is the odor of cleaning chemicals, and the fact that Watts had placed his daughters’ shoes on the back porch. These were subsequently used to scent off, weren’t they?

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It struck me as odd that the shoes were wet and that Watts said he had put them outside to dry.  At the same time Watts had done the laundry and seemed to have vacuumed his home overnight too. Although the report claims shoes were used to scent off, it’s not specified which shoes. Were the shoes outside used or shoes from their wardrobe?

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Now, we know for a fact that there was at least one cadaver in the truck, and from an investigative perspective, it’s reassuring that the dogs showed interest in this area. This confirms where there is interest [where there’s smoke] there was something suspicious, and probably a cadaver [there’s fire].

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It’s for this reason that Rocket Science finds the interest on the porch significant. Just because the arrangement isn’t different doesn’t suddenly make the interest on the porch go away.

In a video posted recently, the cushion scenario was dismissed within a perspective where Shan’ann was killed first, and thus, if the cushions were already outside then, and the pattern unchanged, then why would they be relevant?

But in a scenario where the children were killed first in the home, we can see how and why the cushions might be used. They’re in the basement as it is, they’re weatherproof and waterproof, and easy to clean and wipe down. And we know Watts was cleaning. Since he put wet shoes on the back porch to dry, why wouldn’t he do the same with wet, newly washed cushions on the front porch?

The cadaver traces or bodily fluids in this scenario come from the children.

Something else I noticed simply by paying more attention to the Sermon on the Porch, was what appeared to be a slight, translucent red-brown stain on the middle cushion. When I zoomed in it didn’t appear to be an Armchair Detective-ism.

Do you see it?

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Look closer.

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Were the cushions ever tested for blood or DNA? Perhaps they should have been.

Chris Watts: What’s YOUR theory?

June 5, 2019 / / 31 Comments

Is there a place for amateur sleuths in true crime? Absolutely there is. In fact, the Watts case is a prime example of ordinary citizens – like Nickole and Nicolas Atkinson – going the extra mile, using their gut and making breakthroughs. Nickole’s quick assessment that something was wrong and calling 911 in this case was a game-changing moment.

Her son Nicolas entering the crime scene and finding Shan’ann’s phone and iWatch buried in the couch was too, even though technically it was contaminating the scene.  But they were both watching Watts like a hawk, and because of that, he got caught. Simple observation is crucial, as long as we’re seeing things as they are and not as we want them to be.

After the hurl-worthy documentary this Sunday, I think it’s time that we be clear on our theories on what happened. Since Family Man, Family Murderer provided a version – do you agree with it? Why not? I’ll do a separate post on the version [Shan’ann’s murder] in Family Man, Family Murderer, which is essential an uncritical repetition of Watts’ version, but in the meantime, have a look at this one.

A few interesting observations from this YouTuber – Jayde – are the observations about the cushions, and the messiness of the office and shoe closet behind it.

It does make sense that the bedding was removed in a quick, single movement – in a rush. This was done after Watts arrived home and wanted to show that Shan’ann had made it to bed when she hadn’t. Even so, Family Man, Family Murderer’s version is that Shan’ann was murdered in her bed. Do you think that’s true?

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Was the plea deal coerced? The biggest revelation from FAMILY MAN, FAMILY MURDERER

June 4, 2019 / / 5 Comments

The kindgarten-level of true crime reporting and true crime analysis in Family Man, Family Murder – which aired on Investigation Discovery on Sunday night [June 2nd, 2019]  – was shocking.

This is a channel that specializes in true crime, so they do know how to do better.  It’s not a case of laziness or recklessness. The episode is meant to be exactly as it is.

Jenn H. left an excellent comment on the review post comparing the speed at which the prosecution put everything in a box and tied it with a neat bow to the documentary doing the same thing.

The documentary is narrated entirely from a prosecutorial perspective. We literally see two prosecutors doing all the heavy lifting and not really anyone else. There are zero witnesses, and virtually nothing new in the episode. No parents are interviewed, nor any of the public defenders. Virtually no new faces, besides those of a few reporters, appear. No prison guards, no friends of Watts or Shan’ann, no co-workers. From beginning to end the word ANADARKO is left out, though Thrive and Le-Vel are mentioned once or twice. It’s really an incredible achievement.

But before we throw the baby out with the bathwater, let’s have a look at something that may – may – be revelatory. It’s this:

It appears to be an email written to Steve Wrenn regarding the most crucial aspect of this case – the plea deal. That the prosecutors would simply hand this snippet of information over is interesting. Perhaps they don’t want to be caught with their pants down, and perhaps like the episode itself [coming out in early June] it’s another attempt to pop the balloon that is the Watts case, and control – that is, suppress – the narrative.

This case had all the ingredients to become the most high-profile trial in America’s true crime history [and still does]. While that’s unlikely now, if this email is genuine and not simply staged along with the other dramatizations [and it might be] then we can see just how quickly the screws were tightened on the Watts case.

The email is dated August 26th, 2018 at 11:58. The email reads:

To: Steve Wrenn

Subject: Chris Watts

Dear Detective Wrenn

The defendant, Christopher Watts, is willing to agree to waive his right to be indicted and to plead guilty to all charges of first degree murder charges if our office is willing to remove the possibility of the death penalty.

Best

John Walsch

To be honest I thought the “our” in “our office” was a typo. Shouldn’t it have been “your” office. Of course the public defender and the public prosecutor’s office is theoretically the same legal apparatus. It’s just a little strange, isn’t it?. Imagine Jodi Arias’ lawyer or Casey Anthony’s lawyer contacting the prosecutor and making suggestions for what “our office” might be willing to do?

Since the interview with Wrenn [detective Wrenn?] is held within his office, and the email seems to be pointed out on a laptop or iPad, it’s implied that Wrenn is simply pointing it out.

Well, why not be more explicit about it?

Many pundits, TCRS included, felt the Watts case was rushed even when the case was basically over by November 19th, barely three months after the incident. But according to this email, the case was over within two weeks.

Had the news of the plea deal been released then, there would have been overwhelming outrage. Justifiably. Wasn’t that why it’s been staged the way it has, to allow the public to calm down and the outrage over the crime to blow over? A year later, has it blown over?

Even the discovery documents were handed over very quickly after the sentencing, and the folks associated with Watts washed their hands off the case. They weren’t going to talk about it again, it was over and done with.  But then a few niggly bits emerged in that massive tranche of mostly meaningless discovery. Like this:

When the media wanted to verify the date of Kessinger’s search – was it really September 2017 – the district attorney didn’t really want to talk about it. He’d moved on. The case was over as far as he was concerned.

NOVEMBER 28, 2018:

CrimeOnline reached records supervisor Amanda Purcell on Thursday after repeated inquiries made to multiple Colorado law enforcement agencies to confirm the accuracy of an entry in the Phone Data Review included in the discovery documents connected to the Chris Watts murder case, released by the Weld County District Attorney’s office late last month.

Asked if the entry in the Phone Data Review showing that Kessinger, who was involved in an affair with Chris Watts when he murdered his wife Shanann Watts and two young daughters, showing that Kessinger performed an internet search for “Shanann Watts” on her cell phone on September 1, 2017, was typographically correct, Purcell said it was a typo in the report.

Purcell was not able to provide additional clarification about another section of the phone data review that indicates Kessinger searched for Chris and/or Shanann Watts prior to beginning her relationship with Chris Watts in the spring of 2018, and referred our inquiry to the Weld County District Attorney’s office. CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.

DECEMBER 10, 2018

As the discovery documents and audio of a police interview with Kessinger show, the 30-year-old woman who reportedly met Watts at Anadarko Petroluem, where they both worked at the time, was aware Watts was married but believed he and his wife were headed for certain divorce. She told investigators she was unaware Shanann Watts was pregnant before the missing persons case made the news, and that she didn’t know Shanann’s name until a while after she became involved with Chris Watts.

The discovery documents released by the Weld County District Attorney’s office in late November include reports that indicate Kessinger may have been aware of Chris and/or Shanann Watts prior to when she is believed to have met Chris Watts at work.

CrimeOnline made repeated inquiries with the Weld County District Attorney’s office, the Greeley Police Department, and the Frederick Police Department for clarification about multiple entries in the “Phone Data Review,” included in the discovery documents, which show that Kessinger searched for Shanann Watts and Christopher Watts in 2017.

Following a series of email exchanges and phone calls with the Weld County District Attorney’s office regarding the reports, CrimeOnline spoke by phone to Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke on Monday. Rourke said that the reports reflect what was shown in the forensic analysis of Nichol Kessinger’s phone.

“The dates to which you are referring — in 2017 where it appears she Googled or otherwise searched Shannan — was data that came off her phone,” Rourke said.

“It’s not a typographical error in the report. [The detectives] are reporting what was contained in the data from her phone. I don’t know the answer to the question of why or how those dates ended up in her phone.”

Asked if the District Attorney’s office questioned or planned to question Kessinger about data suggesting she was aware of Chris and Shanann Watts for up to a year before the murders, Rourke said that Chris Watts’ guilty plea precluded any need to further probe the results of the forensic analysis of Kessinger’s phone.

Why is Kessinger’s first Google Search for “Shanann Watts” becoming a Shifting Goalpost? [UPDATED]

But now they’re back. And what they’re talking about is everything we already know, back to front.

The other aspect to note is if the date is right, and the plea deal was offered on August 26th, consider how long the media and public were strung along. The plea deal was only acknowledged in a surprise announcement on November 6th.

And Watts’ parents at the time complained that the deal was coerced, and that they didn’t have access to their son to talk him out of it.

Now, of course, several months later when it’s all done and dusted, Watts has communicated his intention to appeal his conviction. TCRS predicted this outcome way back in November, less than a week after the “shock announcement” of the plea deal.

Chris Watts Plea Deal – things aren’t what they seem!

Chris Watts Will Change his Mind about Pleading Guilty

So what are we really talking about? For starters, an argument could be made that the First Confession was coerced, in the sense that Watts was tricked [and to some extent placed under duress] into making admissions. Personally I have no problem with that, prosecutors have to play certain cards, and use card tricks, with slippery, tricksy criminals.

But a defense lawyer would have a lot to work with here. Others with less to work with – like Amanda Knox – have had a lot of success arguing coercion. Bear in mind at the time this email was apparently written, Watts had only admitted on tape to murdering his wife. So where did the enthusiasm arise to admit guilt on all charges?

What changed in 12 days?

Who was really pushing for a plea deal?

Who was really pulling the strings?

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