The Family Next Door

The Family Next Door

Based On A True Story |TRENDING ON NETFLIX

American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)

82 min | Documentary, Crime 

 

American Murder: The Family Next Door is an American true crime documentary movie directed by Jenny Popplewell. The film explains the story of the 2018 Watts family homicides, which took place in Frederick, Colorado. It uses archival footage containing social media posts, law enforcement recordings, text messages, and home video footage to illustrate the incidents that happened.

 

Chris Watts

 

On August 13, 2018, Shanann Watts's friend Nickole Atkinson dropped her off at her Frederick, Colorado residence following a business trip they had joined together.

 

However, when Nickole attempted to get in touch with Shanann later that day, she couldn't reach her. After Shanann missed a hospital meeting, she grew worried and chose to call Chris and the police.

 

That afternoon, the police completed an investigation of the Watts' residence, and although they found no indications of foul play, they did find Shanann's car and all of her private belongings.

 

The second day, Shanann and the girls were officially announced missing, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) released Endangered Missing Person warns for them.

 

Originally, Chris denied he knew what had occurred, and appeared on camera to beg for the comfortable return of his pregnant spouse and their two young daughters.

 

However, when the corpses of his family were found, Chris unexpectedly changed his story. He told that it was Shanann who murdered the girls and when he found her doing this, he panicked out and murdered her.

 

But then he failed a lie detector test and admitted to brutally murdering his entire family.

 

Later in 2018, Chris Watts was sentenced to three continuous life sentences without chance of parole. He pleads guilty to the murder of his 34-year-old pregnant spouse Shanann and their daughters.

 

Confession 

 

Although Chris had pleaded guilty to all three homicides, he hadn't yet told the whole story of what occurred on the morning of August 13, 2018.

 

However, in a five-hour follow-up meeting with detectives from prison, which took place in February 2019, Chris disclosed the truth.

 

After fighting with Shanann that morning about his desire to separate, Chris strangled her to death.

 

While he was struggling to bring his wife's corpse downstairs, he told, Bella and Celeste woke up and appeared to ask him what was happening.

 

He then loaded the girls and their mother's body into his truck, drove to the oil location, and murdered them one by one before disposing of the three corpses.

 

Chris also shared the chilling facts with author Cherilyn Cadle, which she published as letters in her book Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders.

 

Why Did Chris Kill his wife and daughters?

 

On August 13, 2018, Colorado dad Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts (she was carrying their son, Nico), and their two daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. At the time, Watts was having a relationship with their girlfriend Nichol Kessinger.

 

Watts told the reason!

 

He did reveal more about his intention to Cherilyn Cadle, a woman he started corresponding with while in prison. Cadle published a book about their letters titled Letters From Christopher in October 2019.

 

Watts admitted that he poisoned Shanann with the painkiller Oxycodone, wishing to cause her to miscarry, according to The Daily Mail. "I believed it would be clearer to be with Nichol if Shanann wasn't pregnant," he clarified.

 

Eventually, Watts strangled Shanann to death and told them he wanted to be with Kessinger.

 

"I realized if I took my hands off of her, she would still protect me from Nikki [Nichol]," he penned in one of the letters.

 

However, in a talk with police, Kessinger said that she didn't understand the affair was the motivation for the murders, but it may have "quickened the procedure," published in The Daily Mail.

 

 Chris Watts now?

 

Chris is imprisoned at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he's been for almost two years. He was shifted there due to safety reasons.

 

He is serving many life sentences without the chance of parole.

 

After giving Chris Watts three life sentences, the presiding judge announced that this was the most “vicious and inhumane” offense he had ever handled.

 

Killing a family for a girlfriend is the worst crime.