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Friend Of Slain Shanann Watts Not Shocked By Arrest Of Husband Chris
“He wasn't being the loving Chris that he normally was," friend Nicole Atkinson said of the man accused of killing his wife and two young daughters.
One of Shanann Watts’ close friends revealed on Monday that she was not at all shocked by the arrest of her friend’s husband Chris Watts, who is accused of killing the pregnant Shanann and their two daughters.
Nicole Atkinson told “Good Morning America” on Monday that Chris was acting unconcerned and suspicious after his family went missing.
Last Monday, Shanann and her daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, went missing from their home in Frederick, Colorado. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant. After they disappeared, Chris did several media interviews.
On Thursday, Shanann’s body was found on a property owned by Anadarko Petroleum. It’s one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas drillers. It’s also where Chris worked, the Associated Press reported. The bodies of the Watts children were found nearby, reportedly inside mostly full oil and gas tanks, hours after their mom’s remains were located. According to court documents, the children may have been submerged in the tanks for four days, the Associated Press reported. Chris 33, now faces three counts of murder and one charge of obstruction of justice for allegedly tampering with evidence in the case.
“He was defending himself, but it just didn’t make sense. Like in that moment it is kind of surreal,” Atkinson told “Good Morning America.” “He was just sitting there waiting for something to happen; it just didn’t seem right to me.”
She added that she wasn’t shocked by Chris’ arrest. Atkinson said she called Chris before the bodies were found, and he allegedly revealed to her that he and Shanann were thinking about separating.
A motion was filed Friday by Chris’ attorney requesting that DNA swabs be taken from the girls’ necks, according to the Associated Press. The motion quoted an expert who claimed that the oil would not have destroyed DNA.
Atkinson had dropped Shanann off at her home after a business trip around 2 a.m. on Monday and reported her missing later that day.
The friend said she noticed Chris becoming more distant towards his family recently.
“He wasn't being the loving Chris that he normally was. He wasn't touching or hugging or doing stuff like that. He wasn't being as attentive to the girls as he normally is,” she said.
[Photos: Facebook, Colorado Bureau of Investigation]
