62-year-old Ronnie Watts is mentioned twice in the arrest affidavit. Chris Watts’ father was close enough to his son to be there for him [having flown in at short notice from Spring Lake, North Carolina] and to be his confidant at a critical time: immediately before his son confessed to the cops.
We don’t know much about Chris Watts’ father besides that they both share the middle name “Lee” [and Niko was supposed to inherit that middle name too], that they still live in a modest cottage on Vass Road outside Spring Lake, that Watts senior is a mechanic, that they seem to have the same shoulder tattoos and that his son following in his father’s footsteps means something.
We also see that Watts junior’s appearance is similar to his father’s – short head hair, neat goatee.
Ronnie’s current place of work in Fayetteville also bears a striking similarity to Chris Watts’ former workplace at large Ford dealership in Longmont.
The Watts family, as group, seems to have strong family values. Since Chris Watts’ social media is unavailable, there are precious few artifacts to go on. But the few that exist speak of closeness between father and son, and between the Watts-in-laws and the their son’s growing family. They even spent two weeks in the Watts home babysitting while the young couple holidayed in Punto Cana in the Dominican Republic.
However we may feel about Chris Watts and his crimes, he’s still someone’s son, he still has a mother, he even has a sibling we know virtually nothing about. We may not know or care about these dynamics, but in terms of trial optics and public feeling towards the defendant, they’re likely to be important. Will his family continue to support him no matter what? Scott Peterson’s family did. Casey Anthony’s family did [at least during trial]. James Holmes folks stood by him. Jodi Arias’ family…sort of…did.
When family support is unequivocal for an accused, it creates a weird dual universe. The whole Steven Avery spiel is a classic example of two separate contradictory realities playing out in the media and in court. There’s the reality of the trial, and there’s often a competing no-one-understands [fill-in-the-defendant’s-name] like we do reality, and never the twain shall meet.
If the above images are anything to go on, Ronnie is a devoted dad and will dutifully stand by his son in some capacity. Was he in court during the arraignment though? Shan’ann’s father and brother were conspicuously present in the front row. If Ronnie was in the house, no one saw him.
Cross Creek Subaru, Ronnie Watts’ workplace, is a short 13.5 mile drive from their home on Vass Road.
One turn-off after Hooters…
Chris Watts’ parents and Sha’nann’s parents live and work fairly close to one another in North Carolina. Don’t be too quick to judge the parents of a defendant. If you were in their shoes would you support your own flesh and blood, or write them off, or support them surreptitiously and privately? Pray you never find yourself in their position where you’re called on to make that choice.
Of course I’ve thought of this – would I support for example, my son, if he killed his girlfriend of the last five years? I know I’ve supported him for every other scrape (live long enough and we all have “scrapes”). How would that support show itself I wonder. Would I be in denial that he could do such a thing, would I trash the victim, would I offer him a NARRATIVE that could help him beat the rap? I won’t answer that here, but leave the question for others to ponder.
Do we know that Chris’s dad offered him a narrative, or is that speculation at this point? I have one daughter, who at 33, as far as I know, has never had a “scrape.” However, I have observed her bullying her husband and have spoken up in his defense. As far as what I would do if she committed a heinous crime, I would be asking myself what I did wrong in her upbringing, as I have related to her behavior.
No, I don’t know that Ronnie offered Chris a narrative, but Chris did say he would “tell the truth” after he had spoken with is Dad. So I think they conferred at the very least.
I count teenage drinking as a scrape. Girls and boys, but the law came down harder on him.
I’m sorry, Pauline. I did not mean to insinuate that a scrape could be a major crime. When someone says a scrape I assume it’s a minor infraction.
Look how much Bella looks (looked) like little boy Chris.
Oh no no Cheryl, nothing to be sorry for. He was driving drunk, and when pulled over jumped a fence and attempted to flee. So it was perhaps more than a scrape. He AND his friends were in that mindset – they had watched so many of those videos of cops chasing people and thought it was funny. “What you gonna do when they come for you bad boys bad boys bad boys.” Remember those videos?
Thank you Pauline. Yes—I remember. Raising children is the most complex and difficult job of all. I sometimes marvel that there’s not some kind of basic training/licensing. I mean we have to do it to drive a car, right? On the other hand, there are still a lot of terrible and abusive drivers, and requiring training and/or licensing to have children would get into all kinds of civil liberty issues.
See – even now how I cover for that! “Watching too many cop videos.” Geesh. I’m busted.
Lol!
Maybe this is relevant or maybe not.
I come from a narcissist family and the dynamics are often super weird between the Golden Child (who can’t be wrong for the narcissist parents) and the parents. While the scape goat cannot do anything right, the golden child is usually never wrong and usually is encouraged to follow and mimic the Narcissist parent(s).
My older brother looks exactly like my dad when he was younger, but on top of it, he dresses like him, follows the same hobbies (although he admitted he didn’t like them), have the same job, etc.
My brother and my father are so enmeshed into that weird dynamic, and my brother simply cannot do no wrong because my father seems him like himself, and narcs cannot do anything wrong.
I honestly don’t know if this is what we are seeing here, and I don’t know if a healthy parent would support their kids forever no matter what.
But I can tell you one thing : The lack of accountability/blaming Shan’aan for the kids deaths/the victimization Of CW when he killed at least one person – That’s classic NPD parents that will blame everyone but their dear baby. So I think “he would tell the truth after speaking with his dad” was actually “my dad will tell me what to say because I need his approval”
A Golden Child believes they can get away with murder. Scott Peterson had that psychology down pat. There seems to be a horrible, reinforcing mechanism between narcissism-the ego-reinforcement of social media – and the transactionality and materialism of capitalism. Just as one person can be a Golden Child, someone else can be totally disposable in relation to that. It’s treating people as ego reinforcement, as trophies and objects, rather than people. A person as an object is easier to get rid of.
I used to think you shouldn’t blame the parents because they teach their kids the difference between right and wrong and it’s up to the child which one they choose to do.
Like you, I grew up in a narcissistic household. Me not being the golden child. I remember my sister singing the words to a song incorrectly and I pointed it out to her but looking up the lyrics. She claimed it was a typo so I looked up the words else where asking if it was a type I as well. My sister would then tell and scream that I was still wrong and over react. My mom used to make me agree with her to shut her up. Then my mom would go on to praise her how she sang the song and how smart she was just to make her feel better for being wrong. Needless to say that dynamic created a monster to this day of coddling an adult and that adult thinking she could do no wrong.
I think that’s what drew me to this case. I’m a form believer like attracts like, in this case narcissistic people take things to the extreme. I believe they both contributed but one is a horrible murderer. Which there’s absolutely no excuse for. His parents are doing what I envision my parents would do for their “golden child.”
his sister is Jamie lyn William’s, of parkton, n.c. married to James Robert williams… she is a respiratory therapist
I’m not just quick to judge the Watts’, I condemn them along with their son. whether you wish to believe it or not, psychology tell us that it is the environment of the child that brings out the psychopathy… there is a genetic factor but you must have the environment abuse together with the predisposition (you don’t have 1 without the other) ro become this narcissistic psychopath…he was not born this way… they deserve to be in a cell right next to him
I agree with you Patrick t.
I feel that the parents were and are well
Aware of what and when….they have shown
Their imaturity out to all of us to hear & see.
I have been aware of this case for about a month….I am truly disqusted in their behavior towards daughter in law..Chris
Ran from them first chance he could!!! With shanan…they are & were soooo mad that
“She took him away from them”
The daughter Watts is another one that
Should be ashamed..all of them should!!
But..it is a cult like behavior…Mother Watts
Is the lead Nars….sad sick ppl.i feel cbi-fbi
Should seriously watch these ppl and hold them accountable…with N.K.!!
You’re right. The family Watts, along with the Kessinger troll were in a homicidal frenzied dance to destroy Shanann.
Agree. No one is faulting them for loving their son. But the vicious attacks on a dead, murdered woman who can’t defend herself is wrong and cruel. Those two will burn in hell for the things they said. I hope Sha’nann haunts them til the day they die.
After the new information and confessions this week I wonder what Chris Watts’ parents are saying now, explaining how easy it was to believe their son’s lies against his wife, destroy her reputation, insult her parents, belittle the worries of his precious daughters. Yes, parenting is hard, many unknowns, but I believe their granddaughters deserved their unconditional love, even in death, and, in reality the evil was their son and not their pregnant daughter-in-law. Why couldn’t Chris accept divorce, move on with his new love and leave his loving girls and future son to move on? Sad on every level.