In a chilling attempt to rewrite history, convicted killer Chris Watts continues to point fingers at everyone but himself for the brutal murders of his pregnant wife and two young daughters in August 2018. From his small cell at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin, Watts, now 39, has penned a series of handwritten letters that reveal a man desperate to deflect blame for his heinous crimes.
In these letters, Watts refers to his late wife, Shanann, as a “control freak,” portraying her as the cause of his misery. He claims he sought solace in the arms of his mistress, Nichol Kessinger, who, according to Watts, was “everything my wife wasn’t like with me.” This twisted narrative attempts to paint himself as a victim of circumstance, rather than the cold-blooded murderer he has proven to be.
For those unfamiliar with the case, Watts admitted to strangling Shanann, 34, in their Colorado home on August 13, 2018. He then loaded her lifeless body into his truck, with his two daughters—Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3—still alive and in tow. In a horrifying act of evil, Watts drove to a remote job site where he worked, and after disposing of Shanann’s body, he suffocated his daughters as they pleaded for their lives. He callously dumped their small bodies into oil drums, a crime so vile that it shocked the nation.
Watts’ alleged motive? He wanted to start a new life with Kessinger, his mistress. Despite this, he continues to portray himself as a man led astray rather than a calculated killer. In his letters, Watts confides in fellow inmate Dylan Tallman, revealing his deep dissatisfaction with his marriage. He complains that Shanann was “really busy with her job,” forcing him into the role of primary caregiver for their daughters.
Watts recounts how, after losing weight and gaining attention from women, he was drawn to Kessinger. He describes their relationship as one of mutual respect and shared decision-making, starkly contrasting it with his marriage. But his tone shifts when discussing Kessinger’s role in his downfall, labeling her as “the death of me” and using biblical language to cast her as a “harlot” and “jezebel” who led him into temptation.
In a particularly disturbing letter from March 2020, Watts wrote a prayer of confession in which he blames Kessinger’s “flattering speech” for leading him to destruction. “The words of a harlot have brought me low,” he writes, continuing his pattern of evading responsibility.
This latest glimpse into the mind of Chris Watts is nothing short of appalling. His attempt to rewrite his own story, casting himself as a victim rather than the perpetrator of one of the most horrific family murders in recent memory, is a grotesque distortion of reality. Watts’ refusal to fully accept responsibility for his actions only adds to the horror of his crimes.
As he serves his life sentence, Watts remains isolated in a small cell, a fitting punishment for a man who has caused immeasurable pain and suffering. His letters serve as a grim reminder that even in the face of overwhelming evidence, some individuals will go to great lengths to avoid confronting the truth of their own actions. Chris Watts may continue to blame others, but the world knows the truth—he alone is responsible for the monstrous acts that destroyed his family.
