CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #11

[Bill Carson]

That is untrue. In CO, joint legal is standard. Joint physical - which is a legal term of art and isn't the same as parenting time- is also more likely than not.

But in a case of two small children with a mother who is more available due to her type of work as schedule and if that person was the primary caretaker during marriage (which it definitely appears to have been in this case), the mother is likely going to be deemed the primary custodial parent, will get vastly more parenting time and the other party is likely (depending on income) to pay more and/or receive less in support as a result of the unequal parenting time.

SBM

Actually, you are both right and wrong. (This is what I do for a living.)

With respect to decision-making, joint decision-making is favored unless the parents just can't get along. This is the right to make decisions for the child's health, education and welfare.

We don't use the term "custody" in Colorado, we use the term "parenting time." Colorado doesn't have a standard parenting time plan or possession order like some states. The parenting time is customized in each case depending on the facts and circumstances and the proximity of the parents to each other. The amount of parenting time is determined by counting the number of "overnights," that is, the number of nights the children sleep at each parents house.

Nowhere does the Colorado law specifically say 50/50 parenting time, but that is the customary practice through much of the state. Judges in Colorado don't like to hear contested cases about parenting time, so they often just split p-t 50/50 unless there is a really good reason not to. Sometimes this looks like week on/week off, where the child spends 7 uninterrupted days and nights with each parent. Sometimes it is a 4/3/3/4 plan; sometimes it is a 5/2/2/5 plan. Or one parent could get most of the time during the school year and the other parent gets more time during the summer and holidays. It gets complicated.

Judges are not supposed to "restrict" (this is another term of art) a parent's parenting time except under extreme circumstances, and the standard is endangerment to the child's physical health or mental wellbeing. What "restriction" means is debatable. Typically giving one parent weekdays and the other weekends is not considered restriction, but limiting one parent to every-other -weekend might be.

Now, all of the equal parenting time scenarios presented above assume both parents live close enough to each other and the children's school that equal time is workable. If they don't live close enough for it to be workable, then the court will necessarily have to make one parent or the other the "primary residential parent," and that parent will have the children during the school year, and then they will try to give the other parent as much time as possible during the summer and weekends. This is not considered restricted parenting time, so you don't have to show endangerment.

In this case, if the parties separated, I have presumed that the house would have to be sold, since neither party would have enough money to keep up house payments on one income. And then I presume that SW would most likely desire to move back to NC, which I believe she would. (CW might move back, too.) I think it is most likely that SW would be named primary residential parent in this case, although some judges will surprise you.

ETA: Colorado is also a no-fault divorce state, meaning that it doesn't matter who is at fault for the breakup of the marriage. You can't allege fault grounds as an alternative theory. This means that CW's affair is simply not relevant to the divorce or parenting time, and would not be discussed in the divorce case unless CW's paramour is somehow a dangerous person for the children to be around.

 

[kebdal23]

I have a question. Early on in the first thread(s), IIRC someone said there was a 48 hour hold on the autopsies requested by the defense. Did that ever turn out to be true, and if so - what kind of impact would that have on stomach content, etc? Why would a hold even be a viable option? I just don't want to go back and re-read all the earlier threads, I'm pretty sure my brain didn't pull this out of the air. I'm so anxious for the autopsy results to be released, if they will be.

 

[Bill Carson]

I'm so anxious for the autopsy results to be released, if they will be.

SBM.

In Colorado, the prosecution can block an autopsy from being released to the public, and this is common practice. I don't think there is any chance that these autopsies get released until trial.

ETA: I looked this up. The general rule is that autopsies are public record, subject to release. But there is a procedure by which the autopsy records may be withheld if it can be shown that disclosure would cause "substantial injury to the public interest." For example, the autopsies in the Columbine school shooting were not released to the public. The autopsy of Maggie Long has not been released to the public.

 

[Bluefield]

I think she did find it funny though. She followed the “don’t know what to think about this...” comment with a couple of crying laughing emojis, and like you say, she indicated in the comments that the girls had done it, saying “at least they had each other’s backs”

I don't think the photo means anything. It simply looks ominous now because of what happened to the kids.

 

[Iam Nana!]

Especially if that 5 week perfect interlude included a nightly tryst with a "new" woman. Hey a guy could get used to this. Back to reality.....an energetic high achieving partner with a pregnant body and 2 kids who won't eat their breakfast. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

Especially if that 5 week perfect interlude included a nightly tryst with a "new" woman. Hey a guy could get used to this. Back to reality.....an energetic high achieving partner with a pregnant body and 2 kids who won't eat their breakfast. THIS HAS GOT TO STOP.

 

[Iam Nana!]

If that were the case half of the women in America would have been killed by their low energy husbands,
me included!
JMO

 

[DAdvocate]

I don't think the photo means anything. It simply looks ominous now because of what happened to the kids.

I believe it was a sign. That maybe SW wasn't in a good place. IMO.

 

[ethoma12002]

We don't even know if he worked full time, do we? Where I live, no man who worked full time in the oil and gas industry would be only earning $60,000.

As a technician out in the field, $60,000 would be about right. Kind of on the low scale, but depends on location and job demand, etc. For example, my husband graduated college in 2004 and he was hired as a tech for an oil/gas company with a salary of a whopping $30,000! And he had to get up at 3:30 every morning and drive 1.5 hours to get to this job! If he would have stayed at that job title, I don't imagine, even about 15 years later, him making more than $60,000.

 

[Bluefield]

I believe it was a sign. That maybe SW wasn't in a good place. IMO.

I d

I believe it was a sign. That maybe SW wasn't in a good place. IMO.

I'm still not sure why you believe Shanann wasn't in a good place.

 

[Iam Nana!]

Sorry I am still on my first cup of !

 

[Harriet Vane]

I don't think the photo means anything. It simply looks ominous now because of what happened to the kids.

Exactly what I think, I could definitely see my kids (similar age) doing something like that, and me posting a similar post to Shanann’s. I think people are trying to read too much into it.

 

[DAdvocate]

I d

I'm still not sure why you believe Shanann wasn't in a good place.

I think it goes back to the Facebook video (the 30 minute one on her page). She appears as though she has been crying and appears down or depressed. IMO

 

[Starkville]

How about growing up with a mother who left out nuts for her grandchildren that she had been told that one of them was deadly allergic to, to prove her DIL wrong?

Can’t link because it’s on SM. But in Shanann’s own words, regarding the nuts at her MIL’s house:

“... I arrived and on the floor shelf of her center island was a bag of pistachios (big bad one). I removed...”

Before I saw this, based on the rumors I’d read on FB, it seemed that the MIL had left an open dish of nuts on a table where the kids could get them. Shanann’s post paints a slightly different picture. Even though the MIL didn’t comply with Shanann’s request to remove all nuts from her home (she should have moved them out of reach entirely, like in a plastic bin in the garage or something!), it doesn’t sound as malicious as FB commenters made it sound.

My point is that things get distorted in the telling.

 

[Bluefield]

I think it goes back to the Facebook video (the 30 minute one on her page). She appears as though she has been crying and appears down or depressed. IMO

I've only watched 2 videos of Shanann talking in length about her life, business, family. In both she appeared energized. Do you have a link to the video where she appears depressed?

 

[NothingClever]

I think it goes back to the Facebook video (the 30 minute one on her page). She appears as though she has been crying and appears down or depressed. IMO

One day, or incident, of crying doesn’t mean someone is depressed. Could be something as simple as allergies also. When mine flare up my eyes swell and water and there certainly isn’t anything sinister.

Maybe before that she was laughing so hard she was crying...also a daily occurance for me.

You’re reeeeaaaallllyyyy stretching being able to tell her mental state from that video. With as much as she tried to show a perfect life on SM for her job I highly doubt she went live or posted a video while puffy from crying. IMO.

 

[MimosaMornings]

That would be about the range for a Level I technician pay.
And probably was his base pay not including overtime or “on call” hours.

Plus the use of a company truck to drive to and from work - but with gps tracking it can’t be used for personal use. I know some managers review the location reports weekly to see if the truck is parked at your home in the middle of the day for an extended period of time.

Anyone know what his work history was while he lived in Belmont NC?

 

[The Saint]

I'm trying to catch up & I am still back on thread #10.

The tattoo on Chris' back is the logo of the band Metallica with added embellishment.

 

[LAborn]

I have a question. Early on in the first thread(s), IIRC someone said there was a 48 hour hold on the autopsies requested by the defense. Did that ever turn out to be true, and if so - what kind of impact would that have on stomach content, etc? Why would a hold even be a viable option? I just don't want to go back and re-read all the earlier threads, I'm pretty sure my brain didn't pull this out of the air. I'm so anxious for the autopsy results to be released, if they will be.

You can use the search tool to find the reference. I personally didn't hear about a hold, only the defense asked for the ME to swab for DNA on the girls' necks.

 

[Deleted member 134862]

I believe it was a sign. That maybe SW wasn't in a good place. IMO.

If you plan on doing this for the long haul...get better writers.

 

[NuttMegg]

SBM.

In Colorado, the prosecution can block an autopsy from being released to the public, and this is common practice. I don't think there is any chance that these autopsies get released until trial.

ETA: I looked this up. The general rule is that autopsies are public record, subject to release. But there is a procedure by which the autopsy records may be withheld if it can be shown that disclosure would cause "substantial injury to the public interest." For example, the autopsies in the Columbine school shooting were not released to the public. The autopsy of Maggie Long has not been released to the public.

I give up. SBM??