By Rashmi Goel https://www.netflix.com True-crime documentaries have been a staple of Netflix's streaming service for years, but "American Murder" is among the first to explore a case that recently made headlines. As recently as last year, the Colorado murder attracted national attention, and the true-crime community online followed closely from the first TV interview to the confession. Shannen was a frequent Facebook user, so the documentary had access to numerous home videos. There is a definite modern feel to this case as well. Graphics in the movie show Shannan and her husband exchanging texts, and Facebook simulations depict videos of the Watts family taken before the murders. It begins with footage from the day Shannan and her daughters were reported missing by Shannan's friend. The police officer on the scene captured video of distressed friends and neighbors frantically trying to figure out what happened to Shannan and Chris Watts fabricating a kidnapping story to the media and the police. The film moves on to discuss Shannan and Chris' personal lives, including their childhoods, careers, and how they met. A deep understanding of the family's background is one of the documentary's greatest strengths, because it shows how committed the writers were to investigating the important family aspect of the murder. The documentary also stands out for using raw footage and primary evidence from the lives of the Watts rather than relying on reflective, post-event interviews that are typically used in these films. Rather than acting as an afterthought, Shannan's family and friends showed her how much they cared for her through their actions. There is no misrepresentation in the title of the movie, "American Murder: The Family Next Door.". That family's murder represents everything that's wrong with American suburbia, and the documentary explores the cultural influences that contributed to that murder. One of the many reasons the Chris Watts case is controversial is the large population that still believes Watts is innocent, despite Watts confessing to the murders. There are many individuals online who blame Shannan for the events that transpired and who say, horribly, that she deserved to die. Although the documentary conveys the controversy around this case clearly, it falls short in exploring the implications of these convictions of Chris Watts' innocence. Similarly to Ted Bundy, Watts appeals to American women, and this has led many to turn away from the truth. Netflix brings up this issue, but fails to analyze the dangers posed by the falsehoods that are frequently spread online regarding the case. The documentary fails to dig deep into Chris Watts' psychological issues, instead pointing fingers at family issues and disagreements with Shannan as the primary cause of the murders. Watts' psychopathy isn't sufficiently explored in the film to demonstrate that these murders are premeditated and take place out of psychopathic bloodlust rather than from frustration with his wife. The documentary also omits to mention Chris and Shannan's troubled financial situation. The documentary does not mention that they filed for bankruptcy in 2015. Despite the fact that this isn't an obvious plot hole, it does omit details that would have made for an interesting exploration of how American ideals and struggles contributed to this tragedy. Even with its effective use of raw footage and recognition of the thoroughly 21st century circumstances surrounding the Chris Watts case, "American Murder: The Family Next Door" falls short because its limited scope fails to acknowledge some complexities. Despite the good intentions of the film, it only adds more ambiguity to an already contentious case. Chris Watts Murders His Family Shanann missed dozens of calls and texts on August 13. When a friend contacted the police and Chris returned home from work, a search of their Frederick, Colorado home located Shanann and two young girls. Following the media coverage of the disappearances, Chris's secret girlfriend Nichol Kessinger realized that he had lied to her-he was not in the process of a divorce as he told her when they met. After only a few weeks of seeing one another, Kessinger went to the police with the information she had. The police questioned Watts again once they learned of the affair, but after he denied it, they asked if he would submit to a polygraph. During the polygraph, Watts admitted to knowing what had become of his wife and children but lied about his knowledge. Hours after failing the polygraph, Watts confessed to the murders, Watts had actually strangled his pregnant wife, who was 34 when she died, after a tense conversation about them separating in bed early on August 13. As the documentary describes, after an unsuccessful attempt to smother his two little daughters at home, he took them along, alive, in the car with their mother's dead body while he drove to the oil storage facility he worked for. Bella and Celeste's bodies were smothered and shoved through the small opening in a huge oil tank after Shanann was buried in a shallow grave. As of November 2018, Watts is serving five consecutive life sentences without parole. As part of his life sentence, he was sentenced to 48 years for unlawful pregnancy termination and 36 years for three charges of tampering with a deceased body. He avoided death by entering a guilty plea.
