Chris Watts’ coworker reveals the change that came over him before he killed wife and 2 daughters
Warning: This article contains recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised.
FREDERICK, COLORADO: Chris Watts, who worked as an oil field operator at Andarko Petroleum in Frederick, Colorado, committed a truly shocking crime, killing his own family. This crime was portrayed in the Netflix series 'American Murder: The Family Next Door'. Now, one of his coworkers has revealed how he first noticed Watts was changing.
Watts seemed to lead a happy suburban life with his wife Shanann, a weight loss product salesperson, and their two daughters, Bella, age 4, and Celeste, age 3. However, a nightmare quickly became a reality when things took a tragic turn in August 2013 when Watts suffocated his two young kids and strangled his pregnant wife Shanann. He committed the heinous crimes after having an affair as a result of marital problems and a desire to start again.
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After carrying out the brutal murders, Watts buried his wife at a construction site 40 miles from their house in Colorado and disposed of the bodies of his children in crude oil drums. His shocking acts stunned people all around the world, and at the end of 2018, he was given five life sentences.
Watts' coworkers who shared a solid working relationship with him observed a change in the father, who used to keep pictures of his daughter on his phone. One of the coworkers, Brian Spence, spoke about how he first saw Watts was starting to flip.
Speaking to People, Spence said, "Things changed; he changed. I watched him get more and more unhappy with his life. He went from being a friendly guy to being withdrawn and angry. I saw him lose his temper over little workplace annoyances. He had an irritable side with the contractors. He could be combative."
Spence admitted that he didn't know what had changed Watts' mood, but he did point out that Watts was no longer eager to get home to his family. Watts was also the last one to leave whenever they went out for beers after work. Despite the warning signs, Spence was oblivious that he would harm his family in such heinous ways.
Spence said, "That, I didn't see coming. I knew he was unhappy, but he's not the first unhappy guy in the history of the world, and most of them don't kill their wives. He was obviously in pain. But I didn't know it was going to end that way. If I had any idea, I would've pulled him aside and said something. But he hid it. No one knew." Watt's neighbors also picked up on the warning signs that something wasn't quite right before his crimes were ultimately discovered.