Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #7

[ethoma12002]

Haven't had time to read since yesterday, so I apologize if this is a redundant question:

How did the friend know SW missed her appt? Was the 'playdate' scheduled to be with the friend that contacted CW? I'm just trying to insert myself/my friends in the situation to understand what sparked alarm in her friend so immediately. If my friends didn't hear from me, they may contact my husband, but if he assured them I was okay and/or busy, they wouldn't think twice about it.

I think it had to do with her having the health conditions that she did. Maybe she told the friend, "Hey, I'm not feeling good. If you don't hear from me by xx time, come check on me." Or maybe she was asked to drive her to the appointment or meet her at the appointment. Then SW didn't show up.

 

[cottonweaver]

I was thinking about this mask idea, all those photos of him smiling, with his happy family photos on her social media. Not all husbands would agree to pose with matching micky mouse hats for photos on fb. Serious, introverted guys, perfectly legit businessmen, or even police officers, might feel that's just not their thing, "no thanks honey".

So possibly he really enjoyed putting on a mask and playing a part, like people do at Hallow'een, particularly when it got him what he wanted: initially, Shanann, a big house, then maybe becoming rich with this Thrive thing.

But then possibly he changed his mind. Met a woman he wanted, decided Thrive was a scam, so just didn't want to play that part anymore. And that's all it ever was to him, a part. But he quite enjoyed the idea of playing the part of a husband who's wife and children have disappeared, and having this secret of what he really did. Fooling everyone, and getting what he now wanted, to be free of the burden of his family.

Agreed to all that but just re BIB, someone recently linked to a SW post ( Instagram I think) where she was celebrating the high level he'd reached with Thrive and the car "allowance" he'd just made.
Wish I could find it again. Sounds like he'd been really part of the MLM thing.

( I saw that he was co hosting events with her too last year.)

Plus as @DaisyK has just said re his house price increase, can imagine he's really seen some new options and thought "stuff the thrive scam. " Maybe the new possibilities - cash in with the house profit - really motivated this crime. ( Caveat - no idea whether their new debts might suck all the profit out of that?)

 

[Satchie]

Sorry for quoting my own post:

Simply, who would be so ignorant with the forensic information available at their fingertips ... who would leave a sheet that matches your set at home? One of which is in your trash can at home unless it was 'meant' to be found with the DNA evidence you want to be on it?
Isn't that Forensics 101?

Who? Seriously could be that unintelligent? Unless it's part of his blaming Shanann ...

I guess he didn't want to create a To Do list, like I have to if I want to remember more than 3 things. Might have been incriminating: 'drop sheet off in dumpster'

 

[wildmala]

To answer your question, yes digging is difficult. I'm extremely strong (I box and lift weights more than most fit men can lift) 6-7 days a week. I wouldn't be able to dig a grave in a short amount of time here. The soil takes some work. Out in the fields I can't see it being an easy job by any means. We have rain almost daily in the afternoons, but I don't think that would help a lot. Colorado, or this area, usually has afternoon thunderstorms frequently in summer time

Agree. When you get that far east, a lot of the farm land is dryland farming - crops that don't need a lot of irrigation - or just grazing, so the soil is dryer. I've wondered if he maybe buried her in the berm surrounding the site as that would be a lot easier to dig into and they are large enough...

 

[Satchie]

I think it had to do with her having the health conditions that she did. Maybe she told the friend, "Hey, I'm not feeling good. If you don't hear from me by xx time, come check on me." Or maybe she was asked to drive her to the appointment or meet her at the appointment. Then SW didn't show up.

Or she knew her friend would text her about what the doctor said.

 

[MerryB]

forgot this bit Talisman ( screenshot detail)

That he left the bed sheet out in the field is another reason @MrsWatson would say he'd never have been eligible for Harvard.
( And what happened to that amazing photographic memory his old teacher spoke about? CW can't even remember to pick up the sheet before he drives away from the oil tanks. )

Do you think maybe he left the bed sheet as a marker to remember where SW was buried? Just a thought here, but let's imagine he had initially intended to put all 3 bodies in the oil tanks. However, he underestimated how difficult it would be to hoist SW's dead weight up and into the tank, despite his new buff physique. He had her wrapped in the sheet to aid in pulling her up, but he just couldn't do it. So he quickly improvised and buried her in a makeshift grave, then left the sheet there so he could come back later when he had more time and was better prepared to try to get her into a tank. Not the wisest move, but combine sheer panic and the fact that this site was so remote, maybe he thought it'd be OK. (??)

As for his IQ, there are many different kinds of intelligence. Perhaps he was very mechanically inclined, but not "book smart." Keep in mind the teacher saying this about CW taught students on the HS vocational track in a mechanics class. This wasn't AP physics.

 

[cottonweaver]

I guess he didn't want to create a To Do list, like I have to if I want to remember more than 3 things. Might have been incriminating: 'drop sheet off in dumpster'

Surprised that this dope didn't leave his murder To Do list in the trash along with every other thing he messed up.

 

[Nikynoo]

What are the chances he got the mistress pregnant too? I've been thinking about that and wondering...

me too!

 

[Jinkasaurus]

Mary Ellen O'Toole shares insights into case (it seems she hasn't heard that he was having an affair at the time she did this interview)

 

[Chloe_ee]

CW was a field operator for Anadarko. You can go to their website and read the job description. Basically, he was responsible for maintenance of the field equipment. So he drove to different oil fields and worked as a mechanic, more or less.
Interesting because his alleged mistress is quite educated and has a higher level position than he.

IIRC SW put the money down on their 1st home, I am not sure if its the home included in the bk ... but clearly when the new wife (SW) is putting the downpayment down on the house, the husband thinks she's going to continue to provide .. we know how that ended up, them in bankruptcy and maybe or maybe not losing the house (soon).

CW's new GF could have been a major bread winner for him..and hmm, how to keep all of her money and his money for himself, get rid of SW and her kids..

 

[cottonweaver]

Do you think maybe he left the bed sheet as a marker to remember where SW was buried? Just a thought here, but let's imagine he had initially intended to put all 3 bodies in the oil tanks. However, he underestimated how difficult it would be to hoist SW's dead weight up and into the tank, despite his new buff physique. He had her wrapped in the sheet to aid in pulling her up, but he just couldn't do it. So he quickly improvised and buried her in a makeshift grave, then left the sheet there so he could come back later when he had more time and was better prepared to try to get her into a tank. Not the wisest move, but combine sheer panic and the fact that this site was so remote, maybe he thought it'd be OK. (??)

As for his IQ, there are many different kinds of intelligence. Perhaps he was very mechanically inclined, but not "book smart." Keep in mind the teacher saying this about CW taught students on the HS vocational track in a mechanics class. This wasn't AP physics.

I can't work it out Merry - I think he has forgotten to take it back somehow! Think it's a really good question but IDK.
I know it's fairly remote but it's such a risk to use that as a marker.

Leaving that there is screaming - "come arrest me!" so surely it has to be a mistake. ( maybe he was really panicking by 7am* , could it have blown around the tank whilst he was busy digging so he didn't see it when he got ready to leave the location?)

On the auto skills -SW's earliest Insta photos are of his car that he's showing at a local car show - looks pristine under the bonnet.

* a poster previously calculated the journey minutes to the location. Time must have been a real issue.

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Not doubting NU-A's statement, but how can anyone let alone her son who I assume is young, see the car seats in the car (backseat) from outside the garage with no side window on garage exterior and the only windows into the garage are at the top of the garage door and they are very small. It would be difficult to get a clear view inside the garage let alone the car from that outside angle with it being light outside and dark inside the garage ~ it would be like looking into a tunnel because each pane of glass is narrow both in width and height . If the car was driven in front wards inside the garage, it would be even harder to see inside the vehicle especially into the back seat to see car seats. Plus, if the vehicle had tinted windows even harder.

If you look at the front of the house, there are two garage doors. You can easily look in Sideways from one garage door if the car is parked on the other side to see if their car seats. But in listening to the above interview that someone so kindly has just posted, she says the car seats were usually in the car. She did not say that she saw the car seats in the car at that time. She just said her son saw the car.

 

[cattlekate]

What are the chances he got the mistress pregnant too? I've been thinking about that and wondering...

So far, all we know is that they had around $1500 in delinquency to the HOA. A delinquency which can lead to foreclosure in Colorado.

Since they had a mortgage, and did not pay cash for the house, the onus to pay property taxes and homeowner’s insurance is usually on the mortgage company via an escrow account.

 

[CM0709]

Jnol

Someone asked before if he had the app to see who is at his door. I watched one of the 2 interviews with Chris and he said he saw Nichole at his door on his phone. So the wife would have had it too mostly likely.

I can't work it out Merry - I think he has forgotten to take it back somehow! Think it's a really good question but IDK.
I know it's fairly remote but it's such a risk to use that as a marker.

Leaving that there is screaming - "come arrest me!" so surely it has to be a mistake. ( maybe he was really panicking by 7am* , could it have blown around the tank whilst he was busy digging so he didn't see it when he got ready to leave the location?)

On the auto skills -SW's earliest Insta photos are of his car that he's showing at a local car show - looks pristine under the bonnet.

* a poster previously calculated the journey minutes to the location. Time must have been a real issue.

we all are assuming he he disposed of the bodies then went to work what if he went to work then disposed the bodies so maybe time wasn't as big of an issue until NU showed up on doorbell cam and he had to hurry to get home.

 

[MerryB]

I can't work it out Merry - I think he has forgotten to take it back somehow! Think it's a really good question but IDK.
I know it's fairly remote but it's such a risk to use that as a marker.

Leaving that there is screaming - "come arrest me!" so surely it has to be a mistake. ( maybe he was really panicking by 7am* , could it have blown around the tank whilst he was busy digging so he didn't see it when he got ready to leave the location?)

On the auto skills -SW's earliest Insta photos are of his car that he's showing at a local car show - looks pristine under the bonnet.

* a poster previously calculated the journey minutes to the location. Time must have been a real issue.

Yes, just throwing the idea of the marker out there. Another possibility would be maybe it blew out of the back of his truck as he was leaving & he didn't notice? Definitely ended up being a red herring. I'm guessing when investigators showed him photos from their drone search, he knew he was busted.

 

[Chloe_ee]

Surprised that this dope didn't leave his murder To Do list in the trash along with every other thing he messed up.

Isn't that how the Billionaire Boys Club founder, Joe Hunt, got caught, he literally left the Murder To-Do list on a desk at a murder crime scene..

 

[bluesneakers]

Jnol


we all are assuming he he disposed of the bodies then went to work what if he went to work then disposed the bodies so maybe time wasn't as big of an issue until NU showed up on doorbell cam and he had to hurry to get home.

Oh, good point!! Never even considered that.

 

[Satchie]

Do you think maybe he left the bed sheet as a marker to remember where SW was buried? Just a thought here, but let's imagine he had initially intended to put all 3 bodies in the oil tanks. However, he underestimated how difficult it would be to hoist SW's dead weight up and into the tank, despite his new buff physique. He had her wrapped in the sheet to aid in pulling her up, but he just couldn't do it. So he quickly improvised and buried her in a makeshift grave, then left the sheet there so he could come back later when he had more time and was better prepared to try to get her into a tank. Not the wisest move, but combine sheer panic and the fact that this site was so remote, maybe he thought it'd be OK. (??)

As for his IQ, there are many different kinds of intelligence. Perhaps he was very mechanically inclined, but not "book smart." Keep in mind the teacher saying this about CW taught students on the HS vocational track in a mechanics class. This wasn't AP physics.

Good idea about the sheet as a marker, particularly because he would probably be coming back after dark.

ETA, also agree, he assumed no one would be out there, why would they be?

 

[MerryB]

IIRC SW put the money down on their 1st home, I am not sure if its the home included in the bk ... but clearly when the new wife (SW) is putting the downpayment down on the house, the husband thinks she's going to continue to provide .. we know how that ended up, them in bankruptcy and maybe or maybe not losing the house (soon).

CW's new GF could have been a major bread winner for him..and hmm, how to keep all of her money and his money for himself, get rid of SW and her kids..

I think we've inferred that SW got the home in NC in the divorce from 1st husband King, and the sale of that house may have provided a down payment for the CO home she bought with CW. Does anyone know how much they bought that home for? The reason I ask is that they list it in their bankruptcy filing as owing $400,000 on it in 2015 (they bought it in 2013). Did they buy it for more than that?

Another possibility is that they used the downpayment to try to pay down their debt, before finally deciding to declare bankruptcy. Looking at their filing, it appears that there was student loan debt (not sure who that belonged to, maybe both), which isn't discharged in a bankruptcy, medical bills (which I assume were SW's), the house they bought in 2013, and miscellaneous credit card debt (Nordtrom, Macy's).

We know SW was very ill with Lupus at the time they met, and had either lost or had to quit her job because of it. Once they moved to CO, she worked at a call center at a hospital for several years until she began selling THRIVE.

I think she was actually ill, unemployed, and in debt when they met. She may have had the money for their downpayment (we probably can figure that out if we know how much they bought the house for in 2013, seeing as they owed $400K in 2015). But, I think CW was the breadwinner. At least at the beginning.

Just interesting to note. We know they were still having financial difficulties. And mistress had a good job and good education....

 

[cottonweaver]

Good idea about the sheet as a marker, particularly because he would probably be coming back after dark.

This case just gets more and more sinister
Isn't it murder 101 not to return to the crime scene however it's possible with CW.

So , if we take this as a possibility he would then report her missing the next day? ( because he still has so much clearing up & staging to do .)

Then he would have to send texts from her phone surely - imagining that SW would contact family & Level distributors at least once a day. ( thinking out loud)

BTW why is the phone found between cushions in the sofa in the loft area? He hid it or in a scuffle it got flung there?