The seemingly idyllic life of the Watts family masked a dark reality that culminated in the August 2018 murders of wife Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste. Forensic psychologist Dr. Gary Brucato suggests that Chris Watts's actions stemmed from deep-seated insecurities and a desire to project a more dominant persona, which he pursued through an affair with a colleague, Nichol Kessinger.
Dr. Brucato explained that individuals like Watts can compartmentalize their lives, presenting one image to the public while harboring a hidden reality. The affair, he posits, was not primarily about the new partner but about fulfilling Watts's need to feel more confident, in control, and "manly" – feelings he apparently lacked in his relationship with Shanann. This external validation allowed Watts to "masquerade as the dominant man that he had always wanted to be."
Obstacles to a New Identity
According to Dr. Brucato, Shanann and the children became perceived obstacles to Watts's pursuit of this idealized self. "You feel justified to eliminate the now inconvenient family that you had with a person who doesn't make you feel that way," he stated, characterizing this as "elimination murder." This phenomenon can be driven by emotional immaturity or psychopathy, Brucato noted, with the latter involving a lack of compassion masked by charm.
While the exact sequence of events remains somewhat opaque due to Watts's guilty plea and varying accounts, Dr. Brucato believes the murders were both "simultaneously premeditated and impulsive." He suggests Watts likely decided to eliminate his family for freedom but was triggered by a catalyst, such as an argument, that set the plan in motion.
Different Methods, Different Motives
Watts initially feigned ignorance and concern after his family's disappearance, even appearing on television to appeal for their return. The truth emerged days later: he had strangled Shanann in their home. He then transported his wife's body and his two daughters to an oil field where he worked. There, he smothered Bella and Celeste one by one, placing their bodies in an oil tank, and buried Shanann in a shallow grave.
Dr. Brucato suggests the differing methods of murder point to distinct motives. Strangling Shanann, he explained, is an intimate act requiring close physical contact and demonstrating intense emotion, often associated with rage or a desire for control. In contrast, smothering the children, while he covered their faces, suggests an effort to avoid looking at them during the act. "He might not have wanted to look in their faces during the smothering act," Brucato said. He characterized the primary hostility as being directed toward his wife, with the children being "collateral damage."
However, the act of driving the children to the murder site with their mother's body indicates a level of calculated callousness. "There is the horrifying process of scheming that out and then doing it - and that takes a lot less impulsivity, and a lot more scheming," Brucato noted. He added that Watts's disposal of his daughters' bodies in oil tanks demonstrated a "total objectification" of them as mere inconveniences.
Controlling the Narrative
Watts's guilty plea spared him a trial, limiting the full disclosure of crime details. The nature and duration of his affair with Kessinger remain subjects of scrutiny, though Dr. Brucato suggests the affair might have been in its early stages, allowing Watts to present a more favorable, faultless version of himself. "If you're with somebody for only a few weeks, they don't know your faults yet so, of course, they think you're magnificent," he said.
This desire to control his image persists even in prison, where Watts reportedly continues to seek female attention. Dr. Brucato believes Watts is drawn to women who may be fascinated by him, as incarceration provides a controlled environment to shape his public persona. "You become almost like a cloaked figure behind the curtain," Brucato stated. He concluded that Watts's "truest motivation is a desire to ultimately manipulate the way he is seen by the world."
Despite the lingering questions about Watts's motives, Dr. Brucato emphasized the importance of remembering the victims. "These people that he turned into objects that could be easily disposed of, we cannot allow that. The emphasis must be on Shanann, Bella and Celeste," he urged. "They were beautiful human beings with our whole lives ahead of them. So no matter why he did this, we must remember that he left a woman, an unborn child and his two children dead because of his selfishness."