Dec. 15, 2020
By Maya Malizia
Staff Writer
“American Murder: The Family Next Door” is a riveting Netflix true-crime documentary film set in Federick, Colorado. The documentary starts when one of Shanann Watts’ close friends had not heard back from Shanann since dropping her off at home a couple of hours earlier. The police are called, the family’s house is searched and Shanann as well as her two daughters are determined to be missing.
When viewers first meet husband and father Chris Watts, he seems slightly off. They later learn that is because he is trying to cover up for what he had done to his family. Chris conceals his story well. He even texts Shanann asking her where she went.
Eight years earlier, Chris and Shanann met on Facebook, where Shanann overshared and documented her whole life. At the time of her disappearance, Shanann was pregnant with a baby boy. This part pulls at the heartstrings because the film includes footage of Shanann telling Chris she is pregnant. In the video, it seems as though Chris is not too excited about this.
This powerful, dramatic thriller unfolds Chris’ truths and disgraceful lies. It is scary to think that the film depicted real events, and it reminds viewers to be cautious when meeting new people on social media.
As the film continues, the Watts’ neighbor tells the police about his suspicions towards Chris. This neighbor bravely assists the police by offering information about Chris’ normal behaviors, which are in stark contrast to his talkative, jittery nature after the crime. A couple of days later, Chris is brought to the police station to be questioned. Chris agrees to take a lie detector test that ultimately determines his fate. Chris knows what he did but offers to take the test because he does not want to confess to cheating on his wife. Chris’ girlfriend, Nichol Kessinger, even goes to the station to disclose her suspicions about Chris. She tells the police that they were in a relationship and that he told her he was in the process of getting a divorce.
His daughter regarded her dad as a hero, and he still killed her, which reveals how deranged he was and how justified his prison sentence is.
At this point in the film, the police are sure Chris was involved with his wife and daughters’ disappearance. It is disgusting to see that Chris sheds no tears. In fact, he even tries to hide a smile in some television interviews. Furthermore, it appears that Nichol might have known or been involved in the murder plot since she and Chris spoke on the phone for 111 minutes on the night of the murders.
Chris winds up confessing that he killed Shanann, but he blames his children’s murder on her. He explains to the police that Shanann killed the children and that he killed her to get revenge. Viewers will be horrified when finding out what Chris had done to his precious daughters and wife.
In the end, the complete truth is revealed. Chris admits that he killed his wife in the morning after having been intimate with her just the night before. After murdering them, he took his daughters’ and Shanann’s bodies to his workplace where he put the two girls in an oil tank and buried Shanann in the field. Chris did all of this just so that he could begin a new life with Nichol.
Convicted in November 2018, Watts is currently serving five life sentences in prison. This is a justified punishment for Chris because of what he did to the people who loved him. To this day, there are those in Frederick who believe Shanann instigated Chris to commit murder, but that is maniacal theory. Chris killed his family for his benefit. His daughter regarded her dad as a hero, and he still killed her, which reveals how deranged he was and how justified his prison sentence is.
The ending of this documentary really hits people in the heart. It is painful to know that some people are capable of committing such heinous crimes. With an important message and a gripping storyline, this film is not to be missed.
