Netflix releasing documentary on Shanann Watts family murders
Netflix will release a full-length documentary on Wednesday detailing the 2018 murders of Shanann Watts and her young daughters.
A trailer, available on YouTube, includes video taken at the couple's 2012 wedding, concerned 911 calls from Shanann's friend and the moments police officers confronted Chris Watts after his wife went missing.
The documentary will also feature home videos showing the young family, a confession from Chris and videos Shanann recorded on social media before her death.
In January, more than a year after the murders, Lifetime released a fictional movie about the crime. The network claimed the movie was based on real-life events, but Shanann's parents said much of it was an inaccurate portrayal.
Many criticized Lifetime, calling the network insensitive, while others praised the network for telling an important story. As part of Lifetime's "Stop Violence Against Women" campaign, the movie included a public service announcement with information on domestic abuse and crisis help lines.
Although the crime took place at the Watts' Colorado home in August 2018, the story made national headlines. The story became especially well-known in North Carolina, because both Shannan and Chris have ties to the state.
Shanann grew up in Aberdeen, attended Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines and still has family members in North Carolina. Chris graduated from Pine Forest High School in Fayetteville in 2003. The couple married in Charlotte in 2012.
Chris originally claimed he didn't know where his wife was but later confessed to killing Shanann in their home. He said Celeste, his 3-year-old daughter, woke up to the sound of him pulling his wife's body down the stairs. Watts then drove Shanann's body, Celeste, and her 4-year-old sister, Bella, to an oil site, where he said he strangled his daughters and dropped their bodies into an oil tank.
