Chris Watts, an oil field operator from Frederick, Colorado, did something unimaginably horrific on August 13, 2018. He killed his pregnant wife Shanann and their two little girls, Bella and Celeste. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant and was strangled, while Bella and Celeste were smothered.
After taking their life, Chris buried Shanann near an oil facility and dumped his daughters’ bodies in oil tanks. He tried to appear innocent initially and claimed his family was missing, but the truth ultimately came out through the investigation.
Lies and Surveillance: The Watts Family Tragedy
The investigation into the disappearance of Shanann and the two kids began when one of Shanann’s friends got worried after she went MIA and didn’t reply to any of the texts. Since she did not show up for appointments, either, her friend reported her missing.
Chris Watts showed full cooperation with the police and even did emotional interviews pleading for the return of his family. However, things soon fell apart for him when security footage and lie detector tests didn’t match up with the story he told. Eventually, he cracked under pressure and confessed to the murders after failing a lie detector test. He revealed all the shocking details of the murders, where he had disposed of the bodies, and the fake story he had constructed.
In November 2018, Watts sought to dodge the death penalty by taking a plea deal. He admitted to first-degree murder and unlawfully ending Shanann’s pregnancy. Chris received five life sentences with no chance of parole, plus additional years for tampering with deceased bodies and unlawful termination of pregnancy.
Chris Watts Had a Secret Affair: Who Was His Girlfriend?
Chris Watts’ girlfriend was Nichol Kessinger, a co-worker at Anadarko Petroleum in Colorado. They started dating in May or June of 2018, just a few months before Watts took the life of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, in August 2018.
Kessinger thought Watts and his wife were no longer together and that they were trying to get a divorce. She was completely oblivious to what his true intentions were and all the horrific crimes he was about to commit. When the killings became public, Watts’ girlfriend offered her full cooperation to law enforcement, handing out significant information about her relationship with her boyfriend. She said she could not believe the things her partner did and expressed shock and horror when she learned of his actions.
Was Nichol Kessinger Involved in the Watts Family Murders?
Nichol Kessinger’s involvement in the Chris Watts case is a bit suspicious, given her actions and statement don’t necessarily align with someone who is only supposed to be a mistress. She claimed she was not aware that Chris was still in a marital relationship when they started dating, but evidence suggests she often visited Shanann’s Facebook page, where it couldn’t be more obvious that her boyfriend was married and expecting a child. Many reckon her internet searches about Shanann and marriage-related topics make it hard to believe she was completely ignorant.
There are more suspicions when you look at her behavior around the time Chris slaughtered his family. On the fateful night of the tragedy, Kessinger and Watts talked on the phone for a really long time, but she could not later recall what they talked about. Additionally, her phone was pinging near the Watts’ house on the morning of the murders, even though she lived like 25 minutes away. If that was not sketchy enough, she tried to delete texts and even destroy her SIM card before giving her phone to the authorities.
Nichol has tried her best to disappear from the whole situation. She got rid of all her social media platforms, quit her job, and possibly entered witness protection. All of these point to the possibility that she might have been involved in everything that went down way more than she’s letting on.
