“OMG, much better...He told me he loved me back. We're going to keep this a secret until Monday_

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We are now just four days away from the murders.
August ninth is also the day this ominous image was
posted to Facebook with the words I don't know what
you think about this? I don't I still pass third
on I don't know Hello, and welcome to True Crime

(00:35):
Rocket Science. Well, Fate seemed to be reaching out to Sheanan,
asking her to stop and to think. So what was
she thinking about? Well, let's have a look. At page
twenty nine of the fifty page phone data review, Nan
told Sarah that Whats had agreed to go away next
weekend justus. Shenan said, a friend has agreed to watch

(00:56):
the kids. Now, what's important to note is it's not
the following weekend, it's the weekend after So Shanana's got
other plans, other priorities for the very next weekend. Then,
at thirteen forty four, Shannan asked, What's why did you
cancel your Facebook account? He did not respond. That's also
a critical issue. Why did she not follow that up?

(01:18):
Why did she not make sure? Fifteen oh seven, Shannan asked, Watts,
can you be there Monday to drop Bella off with
me for her first day of kindergarten? And that's in
a way testing him, trying to find out are you
still invested in our family? And so he says, I
can make that happen. Fifteen forty five, Shannan received a
confirmation from Amazon that a book titled Hold Me Tight,

(01:42):
Seven Conversations for a Lifetime of Love would be delivered
on August tenth, twenty eighteen. In other words, that book
would arrive after she'd left. And so this is how
Sheanan thinks she can sort out these serious problems in
a relationship, write a love letter and order a book.
That's what she would also spend the day doing writing

(02:02):
a love letter. Nineteen thirty seven, Wats told Troy McCoy
that he was taking tomorrow off and added, I will
meet up with you for the fire stick sometime tomorrow
if that's cool. McCoy said that was fine. Twenty seventeen hours,
Nan told Addie that she was talking with what's presently
currently texting. At the same time, Addie asked what the

(02:23):
gender of their child is, and Shannan said, if I
tell you, you can't tell anyone. He wants to announce
it Monday, August thirteen, twenty eighteen. Chanan added She's trying
to be accommodating. He's talking and kind of being Chris,
but is still very distant. Twenty forty five. What's logged
into Instagram? Twenty one oh seven? What search Google for

(02:46):
prices of an Audi Q seven? And I'm pretty sure
what's checked Instagram? To figure out is anything going on?
There is anything being communicated there, probably by Shanan twenty
one twelve hours Chanan told you often, Cassie, Chris wants
to move to Brighton. Shannan announced their son will be
named Niko Lee Watts. Shanan cautioned that they were not

(03:07):
going to tell anyone the name until Monday, and to
keep this a secret. Remember by Monday that the family
had been murdered. While that happened on Monday, Sheannan told
the woman the conversation shared with Watts this evening has
been the best talk yet. Twenty two to twenty seven hours.
Sarah Nud asked how the conversation with What's went. Shanan replied, oh,

(03:28):
my god, much better. We talked. He told me loved
me back, still cold, but not as cold. He even
kissed me before going to sleep in the basement, which
is the second kiss ince picking him up from the airport.
So bear in mind, although everything is all hunky dory,
Chris Watts still goes to sleep in the basement, is
not sleeping in the same bed even as Shanan, and

(03:49):
yet Schanan feels like everything has been sorted out. Sanan added,
I want to tell you the gender, but you have
to keep it a secret. He wants to wait till
I'm back to tell everyone. So Monday he agreed to counseling.
He agreed to read the book I ordered coming tomorrow
and write me a letter expressing his love for her.
We are going away next weekend just us. Do you

(04:12):
mind if I offer a criticism of Shenan? And if
I do that is that victim blaming? Is it okay?
If I offer suggestion here just in terms of the timeline,
and that is shouldn't Shannan at this point have been
thinking more critically about what is going on? Isn't her
husband telling her exactly what she wants to hear so

(04:35):
that she'll just go away the weekend so that he
can be with his mistress again this weekend. Shouldn't Shannan
have checked his phone and been a lot more circumspect
in what's going on because he's just told he wants
to divorce, he doesn't want the baby, and now suddenly
everything's fine again. Is that fair or do you think
I'm being really excessive in that criticism. Now, before we

(04:57):
get to the arrest of this analysis, if you haven't
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an additional analysis on Patreon. Also, if you want to

(05:17):
show your appreciation for this analysis, please do hit the
thanks button and let's get started. What do I want
to achieve by doing this series is really to help
you in your relationship think more critical about it, so
that it's genuine, so that what's going on is real,
and so we are not going to think critically about

(05:38):
this part of the timeline. So this selfie would be
Shenan's second last post before her death. Look closely at
this final self portrait when you bet at two am.
Up at five point fifteen am, two loads of laundry, dusted,
the whole house, cleaned out, fridge and pantry, and restocked
two grocery stores with kids. So let's doctor appointment. Emptied

(06:01):
seven suitcases, three backpacks and put them away, fed kids
a million times, We all showered. We know this is
a win, went through six weeks of mail, wash kitchen floor,
cleaned up kid's disaster, repacked my suitcase for Arizona. This Friday,
they literally said we're going to bed and put themselves
to bed, rain machines on and all. They are obviously

(06:23):
exhausted from traveling and playing. I'm over here knocking everything
out and it's only noon. The old me would live
out of a suitcase for one to two weeks till
it was empty again. All while four months prego loved
my Thrive experience hashtag doctor approved. But while Sinan's loving
her Thrive experience, she's actually facing a growing catastrophe at home.

(06:45):
Her husband wants an abortion. She thinks he's cheating on her,
and he is. He won't have sex with her, and
they're up to their eyeballs in serious debt. Do you
agree that the last thing she can afford to be
doing right now is traveling anywhere else. So in the
midst of this, Shenan's priority is to hold a gender reveal. Now,
over the years while covering this case, I've heard all

(07:08):
of the various theories and permutations of theories, and one
of the most persistent is that Kessinger knew all along
that Chanan was pregnant. I suspect that she figured this
out sometime during her relationship, and when she questioned what's
about it? He lied to her, He manipulated her, and
with Sheannan out of state for several weeks, it was
actually easier to believe that that was the case. You know,

(07:31):
that Schanan was pursuing some other man and some other relationship,
because why on earth would a mother take her kids
and be somewhere else for weeks on end. But it
was also what Kessinger wanted to believe, so she also
needed to think more critically about what is going on. Now.
I realized this explanation makes Kessinger less evil than many

(07:53):
out there wanted to be. But it really is the
explanation that makes the most sense. I think people confinus
use their own levels of social media activity and looking
on other people's profiles thinking everyone else is the same.
Kessinger didn't even have a Facebook account. She just wasn't
really that type of person, and I think that's partially

(08:14):
what's liked her. I'm not saying she didn't look on
Channan's Facebook, but I think that in combination of what
he told her made her believe what she believed. Now,
if you examine the timeline dispassionately, you see the murders
happen just as the gender reveal was about to happen,
in fact, on the same day. I don't think that's
a coincidence. I think there's a connection because it's the

(08:37):
one factor, the biggest factor that could and shoot torpedo
a genuine loved relationship. Well, that is finding out that
your partner isn't as separated or divorced as they've been
telling you. They haven't made plans, things aren't underway, not nearly.
You know, at that point, Chris Wats really wasn't separated

(08:57):
from Shenan at all. This suggestion to me that it's
not a question of whether Kessinger knew about the pregnancy,
but did she know a that Watts was the father,
because he would be present and performing in that gender reveal,
and then Kessinger would know for sure the true situation.
I mean if this gender reveal was done, and obviously

(09:17):
it would be posted onto Facebook, and what would happen?
Then she would get cold feet and he knew it,
and then b the gender reveal would also be a
kind of symbolic message that al was fine with the
Watts family, that they were still together, and that would
that would also be at odds with the lies What's
had been telling his mistress, and so that would give

(09:38):
her cold feet as well. I think there's an additional
dimension where if Shenan suspected there's a mistress out there,
Shenan probably suspected that mistress was watching her social media
and this gender reveal would be a way of nixing
her interest as well. Remember the two biggest moves What's
made prior to the murders were attempting to murder the

(09:59):
baby and is about to do that again and then
murdering his Facebook account. The only way to shut down
Chernane's was to shut her down, and ee he did
that really at the last moment. Why did Chanan make
a U turn just as she was about to figure
out that he was having an affair, well partly due
to his gas lighting. You know, it may be that

(10:20):
when Channan went through the six weeks of mail, she
saw or remembered the summons from the Wyndham Hill Housing
estate and also reassessed reality. Now there's no way she
was going to survive as a single parent with three
kids in Colorado. She was going to have to work
with him. She needed to find a way to ease
what's back into the idea of being a dad, father

(10:42):
and most important provider for her and the kids. And
I think this change in her approach also got Watts
to think about manipulating her in more subtle ways as well.
It may also be that Watts was reassured that Sheernan
was at last seeing the light in terms of their
finances and now was prepared to listen to the idea
at least of moving and downsizing. Clearly, August ninth in

(11:06):
the timeline feels like there's some mutual reassurance. But is
it real? Was it sustainable? Was it authentic? This reassurance
prompted a u turn, possibly in Chnan's attitude and his attitude.
It was temporary, to be sure, but both seemed to
have second thoughts about everything. It was time she realized

(11:26):
to make an effort to get to her husband back
and just sort everything out. But it was also time
to renew her efforts and commitment to Thrive, So the
money issue was in a way, I think, what made
you think I need to attend this business conference. Sanan
was so confident in getting him back on board that
the next day she was onto an ex porty the

(11:49):
business trip to Arizona. She felt so justified that she
done enough, she just flew to Arizona as scheduled anyway,
But this, as we know, was a fatal calculation. If
Shannan thought a renewed focus on Thrive was going to
get them out of their financial mess, she was literally
dead wrong. Chanan didn't know that this was the worst

(12:10):
possible decision under the circumstances, because it wouldn't solve their
financial woes, it wouldn't solve their marital woes. Further, by
leaving when she did, she would leave her children vulnerable. Also,
while Sanan was away, her husband had actually the opportunity
to murder their children. And of course, by leaving when

(12:30):
she did, she made herself vulnerable because you know, when
she returned home very late from that trip, she was
the most vulnerable she'd ever been coming back to that
final selfie. We see Shannan in her kitchen, apparently healthy,
apparently happy, back home again. You know she's thriving, but
the picture we know now wasn't true or wasn't real?

(12:52):
Is Shenan really happy here? Her husband is wanting an abortion,
wanting a divorce, and she suspects he is cheating on
her and he is. So do you think the smile
is a genuine smile or a fake smile? And so?
I think part of what this addresses is this whole
pageant tree on social media that you can get so
caught up in it that you really lose track of

(13:14):
your real life and the real world. Look at her
slightly watery eyes. Look at what the point of the
picture is all about. Her varnished nails, point to the
thrive patch below her neck. Should that really be the priority?
Right now? She's about to travel again to Arizona for
a thrived session. Do you agree that leaving what's alone
for five weeks was a mistake? But now she's leaving

(13:38):
him again, this time knowing that their marriage is in
serious peril. Does she really think just like that everything's
been sorted out? Do you mind if I offer gentle
criticism here. If sh Nan wasn't so distracted and preoccupied
with the magical thinking the whole MLM maulstrom, would this
tragedy have happened. If her finger and her focus was

(14:00):
pointing somewhere else, anywhere else really than to her MLM concerns,
would this have happened? So I am suggesting here that
if Shannan didn't leave on that final trip, I'm not
sure if Wats would have found the game or the
guts or whatever you want to call it to do
the daceardly thing that he did. But of course, while
Shanan was away, what's got to get on the Kessinger

(14:23):
roller coaster one more time? And that seems to have
sealed it for him. He definitely wanted her and he
definitely wasn't going to lose this. And so what was
what's up to at the end of that night on
August ninth? Well, ever, look, twenty three hundred hours is
in the basement, is in the bed by himself, transferring

(14:43):
images of Kessinger, some semi nude into his secret calculator application.
And that, I think, at the end of the day
is the bottom line when it comes to relationships and
the test for whether they real or not is are
you keeping any secrets? And what probably felt quite clever,
he was fooling Shanan and by extension of friends, he

(15:06):
had a Facebook under control, certainly for now, and he
had also managed to fool his mistress. He was getting
quite good at this. He must have been thinking, well,
I'm not going to take it further than this. Enjoy
your weekend and look out for upcoming analysis on the
IDO for crime Scene. I'll be dealing with that in
an episode tomorrow that's on Sunday. Thank you for listening,

(15:29):
and I'll see you guys next time