Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *CW GUILTY* #47

[Madison418]

Yes, and also how he didn't think about the fact that NAU would have known about her appointment or have been concerned. It's as if he doesn't understand basic human emotions. Talking about how empty and lonely the house felt without them, like he thought that's what a normal person thinks, although he had just been without them for 5 weeks.

Frankly all of it was so illogical IMO.

 

[Tortoise]

Thanks, I was wondering if they found evidence of domestic abuse in addition to her murder.

No, it's a murder classification.

 

[Zella]

I think LE are trained and experienced in determining whether or not a person is being deceitful. From the beginning I felt if they were so sure they had good reason to be. But it was the evidence, his behavior and his words that convinced me he was lying. Many comments were made in previous threads that behavior is not evidence, but to me it is important. Of course they needed solid evidence to prove that he was guilty, but from so many comments pointing out what they noticed in his interviews, what he said, trying to figure out if the events could have happened like he described, it's obvious that behavior plays a big role. Jmo

I go back and forth on the behavior issue. I think odd behavior on its own isn't necessarily a telltale sign of guilt. It really depends on the person. I'd probably fail one of those tests because I'm fairly unemotional myself.

However, with CW, he just had so many combined issues, and it was the specific way his behavior was off that I think did him in. To act sort of "weird" is one thing--not crying, seeming uncomfortable, being inarticulate--and could be caused by many things, from shock to medical reasons to personality differences. But preening on camera and using evasive weasel words when discussing your missing family? That's damning and hard to explain as anything other than what it was.

 

[Steelhead]

Prior to CW's guilty plea I was open to the idea that he was telling the truth. I was 99% sure he was responsible, but I was still open to it until I had more information. Now that he's plead guilty I'm completely embarrassed and to be honest, I'm not sure I'll ever be so open to other possibilities again. Has anyone else followed a thread and gone down this road before?

For what it's worth, I think you did an excellent job going down the wrong path.

 

[MsBetsy]

He was in a tough spot theoretically - if you look at it from his perspective - he knew his AP would be watching and didn't want to piss her off by sobbing about his family that had walked out on him (or flown out the windows). His need to fall into her lap all pleased with his new single status possibly trumped his media appeal.

Maybe.

I didn't even think about that! Could explain why he talked mostly about the girls and avoided mentioning his wife. If he deleted his FB account so the AP didn't know what was going on, he may have been thinking about her during the interview, too. Jmo

 

[mtnlites]

Obviously NUA is the hero here.

But I also think massive credit is due to Law Enforcement too. They didn’t wait. They obviously realised the seriousness of the situation immediately, and the ball started rolling very quickly. I would say from start to finish, the actions of LE are very, very impressive.

Edit: sorry I quoted a reply not the original message, which was in reference to the thought he would have been shocked by Police, FBI, dogs being involved almost immediately.

I also think LE deserves a lot of credit here. They jumped on this VERY quickly and that is not always the case. My brother-in-law publicly threatened to kill my pregnant sister and the next day she disappeared with her toddler son. LE wouldn't let us file a missing person's report until 24 hours later and they offered no assistance until 3 days had passed. The reasoning was that she was an adult and the child was not endangered since he was with her. Since then, I've met other families who have had the same outcome.

Point being, LE could've dragged their heels on this and they didn't. That could very well have been what solved this case. If CW had been given an extra 24 hours, much less 48 hours, there's no telling what could've happened.

I foresee CW still casting the blame on SW. I think he'll admit to killing everyone, but somehow insinuate that it was her fault. That she somehow "drove" him to it. And the people who are CW apologists will continue to do the same. It's not fair, and it's not right, but I don't think that will change.

The good thing is that the SW supporters will outnumber the rest, her memory will continue to shine, and he will be locked up. The unfairness of it all will continue to exist, but at least he'll be punished.

 

[MsBetsy]

I go back and forth on the behavior issue. I think odd behavior on its own isn't necessarily a telltale sign of guilt. It really depends on the person. I'd probably fail one of those tests because I'm fairly unemotional myself.

However, with CW, he just had so many combined issues, and it was the specific way his behavior was off that I think did him in. To act sort of "weird" is one thing--not crying, seeming uncomfortable, being inarticulate--and could be caused by many things, from shock to medical reasons to personality differences. But preening on camera and using evasive weasel words when discussing your missing family? That's damning and hard to explain as anything other than what it was.

Yes, I think it was the combination as opposed to any one thing on its own.

 

[Tippy Lynn]

For what it's worth, I think you did an excellent job going down the wrong path.

Awww....thank you! It was a bumpy path

 

[Serena Angelique]

I can’t help but think Shanann’s family may have the most insight there. She was clearly very close to them. I can’t imagine she could have spent 5-6 weeks with them and not mentioned if things were rocky. Especially after his visit, if he was acting distant.

Her family have said so little but I wonder if one day they will release a statement?

I think her visit back to NC was critical here - during that time he completely detached from her and his children, and probably preferred life without them.

I’m sure her family knew things before that they couldn’t disclose. Her brother posted a very angry diatribe against CW BEFORE his arrest after the video tape of him pleading for their return surfaced. And prior to her death, SW was probably playing her own cards close to her chest in the weeks that led up to her return to CO. She was pregnant. That sort of takes precedence over everything else for a lot of people and that’s what she wanted to focus on.

Since so many people viewed them as the “ideal” American family and failed to pick up on any of their potential internal conflicts, it makes sense that she probably believed that whatever problems they were having weren’t insurmountable. She strikes me as having been a very determined type and she also kept herself so busy that she likely was able to keep reservations and fears for her marriage at bay. He may have checked out emotionally and physically but she still wouldn’t have left those little girls alone with him had she felt they were endangered. She may have even thought that it was a great chance for him to reconnect with them after their absence over the summer, and once he realized how important his family was to him, he’d have a change of heart and things would all fall into place. She’s not different than many women in that respect and she constantly focused on “the positive” in her own words.

There is simply something so dark and menacing about CW’s character in that he was able to deceive so many people. However, he doesn’t like to be perceived as a bad guy or monster—he wants pity and I believe that what has yet to be revealed was not going to bode well for him on any level. His actions have all been those of a wholly selfish man (particularly after he blamed his murdered wife for killing their children and casting doubt in some gullible people’s minds about her integrity and stability).

And yet there have been plenty of people who thought it was plausible that she might have really killed them. He thought that he could continue to exonerate himself through using her as a scapegoat, so it worked for all intents and purposes. Howver, fortunately there must be a trove of evidence that contradict his numerous lies and in the end, I feel he was able to be convinced to plead guilty ONLY because the evidence would have made him look even worse.

Even though pleading guilty has been the ONLY decent thing he has done since he viciously and heartlessly killed SW and the girls (and baby Nico) he’s still only thinking about himself and looking out for number one! IMO.

 

[Tortoise]

I didn't even think about that! Could explain why he talked mostly about the girls and avoided mentioning his wife. If he deleted his FB account so the AP didn't know what was going on, he may have been thinking about her during the interview, too. Jmo

If it is so - it has revealed his motive. Not that I have any doubts about his motive.

 

[MassGuy]

I go back and forth on the behavior issue. I think odd behavior on its own isn't necessarily a telltale sign of guilt. It really depends on the person. I'd probably fail one of those tests because I'm fairly unemotional myself.

However, with CW, he just had so many combined issues, and it was the specific way his behavior was off that I think did him in. To act sort of "weird" is one thing--not crying, seeming uncomfortable, being inarticulate--and could be caused by many things, from shock to medical reasons to personality differences. But preening on camera and using evasive weasel words when discussing your missing family? That's damning and hard to explain as anything other than what it was.

Yeah. It comes down to context. Some people are unemotional and have a flat affect, it’s just the way they are.

It was that he behaved this way during media interviews in which he gave an appeal to find his missing family, that made it so disturbing.

 

[mtnlites]

Prior to CW's guilty plea I was open to the idea that he was telling the truth. I was 99% sure he was responsible, but I was still open to it until I had more information. Now that he's plead guilty I'm completely embarrassed and to be honest, I'm not sure I'll ever be so open to other possibilities again. Has anyone else followed a thread and gone down this road before?

Yes. The Delphi thread. I was one of about 4 people (who actively posted anyway) who didn't think that the POI who was being discussed had anything to do with that crime. I believed he was a criminal, thought he should be locked up for the crimes he DID commit, but I didn't think he committed that particular crime. I felt completely out on my own there and kind of ganged up on but, for various reasons, I just didn't see it. Still don't. If it turns out that he DID have some kind of involvement then I'll probably have trouble returning to that board because I would be embarrassed. So I get it.

 

[MsBetsy]

I also think LE deserves a lot of credit here. They jumped on this VERY quickly and that is not always the case. My brother-in-law publicly threatened to kill my pregnant sister and the next day she disappeared with her toddler son. LE wouldn't let us file a missing person's report until 24 hours later and they offered no assistance until 3 days had passed. The reasoning was that she was an adult and the child was not endangered since he was with her. Since then, I've met other families who have had the same outcome.

Point being, LE could've dragged their heels on this and they didn't. That could very well have been what solved this case. If CW had been given an extra 24 hours, much less 48 hours, there's no telling what could've happened.

I foresee CW still casting the blame on SW. I think he'll admit to killing everyone, but somehow insinuate that it was her fault. That she somehow "drove" him to it. And the people who are CW apologists will continue to do the same. It's not fair, and it's not right, but I don't think that will change.

The good thing is that the SW supporters will outnumber the rest, her memory will continue to shine, and he will be locked up. The unfairness of it all will continue to exist, but at least he'll be punished.

I wonder if they suspected him the minute he pulled in the driveway, after he said the keypad wasn't working, and he said she was with a friend and didn't seem to know about her Drs. appt. Then he told the first officer he woke Shanann up at 5:00 and the second one at 4:00. And wasn't concerned until he realized police were on their way, etc, etc....

 

[mtnlites]

Yeah. It comes down to context. Some people are unemotional and have a flat affect, it’s just the way they are.

It was that he behaved this way during media interviews in which he gave an appeal to find his missing family, that made it so disturbing.

I did play around with the idea of his story being true. Some people laugh out of nervousness. I am one who is prone to inappropriate laughter. I know people who sway and wrap their arms around themselves when they do public speaking engagements because they just don't like to be on the spot like that. I tried looking at that interview through a different lens, tried seeing it as someone who was nervous, worried, and bemused by the attention he was getting.

But yeah. It still wasn't working for me. Out of context of everything else, I could explain some of the behavior in that interview but when taken in context with everything else, it wasn't something I could ignore. It wasn't just his behavior, but his words in general. He stumbled over them. The way he kept repeating the whole "are they safe" thing eventually became nonsensical. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

 

[mtnlites]

I wonder if they suspected him the minute he pulled in the driveway, after he said the keypad wasn't working, and he said she was with a friend and didn't seem to know about her Drs. appt. Then he told the first officer he woke Shanann up at 5:00 and the second one at 4:00. And wasn't concerned until he realized police were on their way, etc, etc....

I think so. I bet he threw up some signals as soon as they got to the house.

 

[Loveallmyhorsesdogsandcats]

Yes, I think it was the combination as opposed to any one thing on its own.

There is a good video of a FBI profiler talking about his interview. She cautioned that you have to look at demeanor in context of how they act on a day to day basis-shy-reserved etc. She did say it is unusual and takes in incredible amount of bravado and self importance to stand in front of the world and tell lies about your family you just killed , which is direct contrast to the many who see CW as a brow beaten husband who snapped and was driven to murdering his family. I tend to agree with the trained PHD with decades of experience.

 

[MsBetsy]

If it is so - it has revealed his motive. Not that I have any doubts about his motive.

I think it's part of it. I think he wanted them out of his life and it helped that he had something else lined up. Jmo

 

[BabyButterfly]

About the DA's presser Tuesday.
Probably asking a stupid question here, but I'm going to ask anyway.
At 10:50 a reporter asks about solitary confinement.
The DA answers, but he mentions "Wether or not he's transferred to another state".
Is it possible that part of CW plea is he gets to be transferred to NC?
Probably nothing, just thought I'd ask.

RAW VIDEO: DA addresses Chris Watts' guilty plea in the murder of his pregnant wife, two young daughters

I'm curious about this, too. We know it's life, but to make it easier on his family, can they move him to where they live? I would hate to think his family, after going through all this, would have to up and move to be close to him. He can have visitors, correct? @gitana1 ??

Ebm spelling

 

[Tigerlily75]

I think LE are trained and experienced in determining whether or not a person is being deceitful. From the beginning I felt if they were so sure they had good reason to be. But it was the evidence, his behavior and his words that convinced me he was lying. Many comments were made in previous threads that behavior is not evidence, but to me it is important. Of course they needed solid evidence to prove that he was guilty, but from so many comments pointing out what they noticed in his interviews, what he said, trying to figure out if the events could have happened like he described, it's obvious that behavior plays a big role. Jmo

Absolutely it does. In the Gerard Baden-Clay case, he woke up that morning to his wife “missing”. He reported it at about 7am (couldn’t wait to get started on his story and his new life!). By 8.30am or so, police were swarming the house, homicide detectives had been called. Why? She could have gone for a walk, gone to the supermarket, anything! No, it was his strange behavior, coupled with a suspicious scratch on his cheek he tried to pretend was a cut from shaving.

They knew.

Behavior is everything. LE will attend vigils and funerals specifically looking for suspicious behavior.

 

[MassGuy]

I wonder if they suspected him the minute he pulled in the driveway, after he said the keypad wasn't working, and he said she was with a friend and didn't seem to know about her Drs. appt. Then he told the first officer he woke Shanann up at 5:00 and the second one at 4:00. And wasn't concerned until he realized police were on their way, etc, etc....

My guess would be that their antennas went up at this point.

They probably weren’t sure what they were dealing with though, so until they got a clearer picture of something nefarious occurring, it’s just something they would have made a mental note of.

But once they realized that something very bad had happened, they were looking directly at him.

His interviews would have completely convinced them that he was responsible.