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Netflix's New True Crime Doc About The Watts Family Murders Looks Absolutely Chilling

Lucy Devine

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Netflix's New True Crime Doc About The Watts Family Murders Looks Absolutely Chilling

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

A new true crime documentary delving into the Watts family murders will be released on Netflix this month, and it looks so harrowing.

You can watch the trailer below:

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The case gripped the US back in 2018, when 34-year-old Shanann Watts - who was pregnant at the time of her disappearance - and her two young daughters went missing in Frederick, Colorado.

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As seen in the trailer, Shanann's husband, Chris Watts, takes on the role of a concerned and bereft father and husband.

But behind the facade, Watts was responsible for the murder of his entire family. He brutally killed Shanann, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste before hiding their bodies in an oil tank.

Shanann was pregnant when she was murdered (Credit: Netflix)
Shanann was pregnant when she was murdered (Credit: Netflix)

Despite initially denying his involvement, he eventually confessed and in November 2018, Watts was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. He will not have the possibility of parole.

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Authorities were first alerted to Shanann's disappearance when it was reported by a friend, who said she had dropped the mum off at home the night before, but had failed to hear from her the next day.

"I dropped her off at her house at two in the morning last night and I haven't heard been able to get a hold of her this morning," says the friend.

Their marriage was not all it seemed (Credit: Netflix)
Their marriage was not all it seemed (Credit: Netflix)

"I've gone to her house and her car is there. She won't answer phone calls, she won't answer text messages."

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Initially, Watts pretended he didn't know what had happened, and appeared on camera appealing for the safe return of his family.

But after failing a lie detector test, he admitted to the brutal murders.

Watts failed the lie detector test and confessed (Credit: Netflix)
Watts failed the lie detector test and confessed (Credit: Netflix)

Giving voice to the victims, the Netflix doc is told through archived footage, including social media posts, recordings, text messages and home videos.

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In one video, Watts can be heard saying: "I don't know what to do right now... I think about, did I cause this, did I make her feel like she had to leave?"

Meanwhile, in old footage recorded by Shanann on social media, the mum explains how her husband was "the best thing that ever happened to me".

Watts is now in prison without parole (Credit: Weld County Sheriffs Office)
Watts is now in prison without parole (Credit: Weld County Sheriffs Office)

Another clip shows Watts moments before the lie detector test, in which an officer says: "There's only one person in this room that knows what the truth is... In about five minutes, there's gonna be two of us."

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American Murder: The Family Next Door will be released on Netflix on 30th September.

Topics: True Crime, Documentaries, TV News, Netflix

Lucy Devine
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