Chris Watts Unmasked Pt.4 - Mind of a Murderer: How an Apparent Family Man Became a Monster
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Why did Chris Watts appear as a perfect family man while planning murder?
The crime desk. Arresting podcasts.
The Watts murders happened eight years ago, but they remain a source of fascination. One element in particular may be the most chilling. If the dad next door can go from playing around with his kids on the lawn and doing yard work with a neighborly smile and wave. How can he also be capable of complete evil? How can he kill two children and a wife who adored him? If that guy can't be trusted, then who can? Watts feigned concern about his family's whereabouts. He suggested Shannan absconded with the girls in an impulsive act of anger. He actually told a TV crew that he was worried about them, but his face betrayed his words. Many people watching his behavior on camera in the crucial hours after the crime believed something was off.
And it was. But Chris Watts was, by all appearances, an average Joe, and that's how he was seen in his community and among family and friends. In this episode of our special trial USA series on Chris Watts, we attempt to make sense of why Watts did what he did. Daily Mail Crime Correspondent Rachel Sharp is rejoining me to discuss the psychology of it and to share her interview with clinical and forensic psychologist Gary Bruccato. He's analyzed the Watts case from the outside extensively, even though he was not involved. Dr. Bruccato did not seek to diagnose Watts, but he will walk us through the mindset of someone capable of committing these horrendous crimes. I'm Kayla Brantley and this is the Trial USA.
We'll be back in a moment.
I'm joined again by Rachel Sharp. Rachel has been following the Chris Watts case extensively for years. Rachel recently conducted expert interviews that we hope will give some insight into the killer's mindset. Rachel, thanks for being back with us. Thanks for having me. So let's just start by playing a bit of your interview with Doctor Bricado.
Firstly, to all of their family and friends, both Shinans and Chris's, there seems to be no warning here. His family, her family, neighbors, friends, all seem to say that, you know, they thought that he was this perfect father, this perfect husband. Is it surprising that someone who is giving that kind of outside image could go on to commit such an awful crime.
It's not surprising when we learn, as we did, that there was some trouble in paradise behind the scenes. Uh and um generally speaking, uh what what we find in these stories is that somebody has been living a kind of compartmentalized life where they were having a reaction um to dynamics with the partner uh that were affecting their self-esteem or their sense of freedom or at least. leading to anger. Uh, and then they go out and they perhaps initiate a new relationship with somebody where they feel more in control or more confident, more manly, and so forth. And um so that we see at first an attempt to fragment. And so it is not surprising at all that the people around the initial relationship would be fooled into believing that everything was terrific.
So is this a case of someone who, you know, managed to masquerade you know, and hide this almost double life that he had going under the surface. Cause obviously he comes across as very passive, very calm. that kind of very calm outward demeanour to then go on to commit such violence. So was it a case of him masquerading his true self, or is this someone who just snapped?
When we see an individual who commits a crime like this, we start to think to ourselves that it is possible one of two things went on. One possibility is that the person is himself not especially integrated and aware of how angry he truly is at a partner, for example, and is passive aggressively kind of playing it out by going out and, you know, talking to other women. Or building up his virility and so forth without confronting that he's actually feeling insecure or angry in the marriage. We see that type of person. The other type of person is blatantly lying and manipulating and living a double life. We see this in all kinds of offenders. Some have a little bit more of a kind of fragmented quality, and some are flat out lying.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Chris Watts appear as a perfect family man while planning murder?
0:02–6:54
2
What does Dr. Gary Brucato say about the mindset of family annihilators?
6:54–13:19
3
How did Watts’s feelings of emasculation and resentment fuel his violent plan?
13:19–18:48
4
What role did the affair with Nicole Kessinger play in the motive?
18:48–25:36
5
How did Watts’s physical transformation affect his self‑image and actions?
25:36–31:27
6
What body‑language clues reveal Watts’s deception in the TV interview?
31:27–36:59
7
How does Scott Rouse interpret the extra‑face and facial cues in Watts’s videos?
36:59–42:07
8
Why is Chris Watts classified as an ‘elimination murderer’ rather than a typical family killer?
42:07–49:22
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Trial: USA
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