Although Nickole Atkinson’s statement is mysteriously missing from the Discovery Documents, the audio of her interview on the evening of August 14 [around the same time Watts was being interviewed for the first time by the FBI] is available.
Give the clip 3-4 minutes before Atkinson begins to speak. There is no video.
More: Why is Nickole Atkinson’s Witness Statement Missing from the Discovery Documents?
This is definitely weird, that the video is now blacked out. I saw an interview with Nickole and Nicolas a month ago, both of them being questioned – I’ll see if I can find it.
Okay, found it – it’s an interview by Baumhoven with Nick and Nickole A. The recording fades to black out mode however partway through it. Tried 3 times to copy it. Nick says he found the phone and where he found it and draws a picture but no mention of the iwatch. I’ll try and copy it again later and send if I can.
Nickole Atkinson is the embodiment of friend…what it means to be a friend.
interesting details from her interview (I haven’t read these elsewhere):
—the morning that Nickole searched the house for Shan’ann and the girls, Sandy (while on the phone with her) asked that she check the butcher block to see whether any knives were missing
—Nickole guesses that if it had been a crime of passion, Chris would have strangled Shan’ann because of her neck issues.
—the Thursday before Shan’ann left for AZ, she attempted to mow the lawn in an attempt to “appease” Chris. Nickole actually stepped in and did this for her instead. So sad…
—Shan’ann was listening to the audio version of the self-help book during the whole weekend she was in AZ, including on the plane ride home.
—Shan’ann was upset after she called Chris from the Phoenix airport to update him on the flight. she said he didn’t want to talk to her and that he needed to work out (maybe he was talking to NK at that point)?
—issues with Chris’s parents: (1) after he spent the whole day with his parents while in NC, both Shan’ann and Sandy felt he was acting even colder and more strange (were his parents telling him on that visit that he had to leave Shan’ann for his own good?); (2) the only other time he acted cold and distant toward Shan’ann was right after their wedding, because he was upset his parents weren’t there.
Beyond the obvious impression of Nickole I stated above, these were many of the take always I noticed, too. Especially the comment about Chris’ behavior being even decidedly colder after spending the day with his parents.
*aways….not always. Whoops
Nickole found the beige purse – in the office – which she said was a little unusual. She told the officer where she found it, and he instructed her to give it to Chris, which she did. So…we still don’t know what Chris was up to in that long delay between going through the garage and letting them in the front door – hadn’t we originally speculated that he moved the purse to the kitchen counter? He did, but only after Nicki found it first. That doesn’t rule out that the purse was somewhere it could have been dropped – and he then moved it to the office.
Had the purse already been seen by NA through a window?
No – when Chris opened the door she was looking around and saw it in the office, where she said that was a unusual place for it – if Shan’ann was going to go somewhere her purse would always be on the kitchen counter, ready to grab as they went places together. So she told the officer (Coonrod), picked it up and he instructed her to give it to Chris, which she did, and he put it on the kitchen counter. (to make a short story long). We don’t see her doing this as Officer Coonrod – and his body cam, were elsewhere.
Ok, thanks. I guess CW was hoping it wouldn’t be found, so it would seem she’d left deliberately with the kids?
CBH I think it was more a case of he hadn’t decided what to do with it yet. Maybe he needed to remove the phone. In any event I didn’t know that Nickole A. saw it in the office, told the Officer about it, etc.
I also don’t know what he was up to the in house 60 some odd seconds before he let everyone in the front door. Was he pushing the phone into the couch cushions, was he putting the ring on the nightstand, or did he just make a quick run upstairs to make sure there was nothing incriminating he had left out or behind. I’ve even considered he could have removed the top sheet and pillow cases and stuffed them into the trash, although that process might take longer than 60 seconds.
he could have removed the top sheet and pillow cases and stuffed them into the trash>>>quite possible, especially if no one slept in the master bedroom that night.
I think Chris was a precise and orderly person. I think those are good traits. He didn’t like to leave messes. Objects appear to be lined up – the suitcase was moved under the stairwell and I think by him. The dishes were washed. He was the one who did the laundry. If he moved her purse at all it would have been from where she may have dropped it – to the office. Her wedding rings were centered under the nightstand table light. These things to me are “Chrisisms.”
It’s amazing how Nicole and her kids just walk-in and around like they own the he place.
Stupid Chris.
Ikr.his lack of balls did him in once again.he was pissed at them for trying to gain entry into his house and he STILL didn’t have the balls to say “hey guys, do u you mind NOT searching my house. I’ve got that under control. Thanks for your help though”. But instead, being the passive aggressive person that he is, he gave them the silent treatment and death stare.
He was in a bad position because he was supposed to be as puzzled and concerned as everyone else. Since NA and her son were supposedly helping, it would’ve made him look bad to ask them to leave.
If my house. I would have told them to leave.
This is the first time I have heard that interview. Such a wealth of information. She was so helpful. One thing I found interesting is when Nickole stated that CeCe was still on NC time and would be awake by 5:30 a.m. There were other things that were just right on spot, but I listened early this morning, and already have forgotten too much to quote as it is getting late now.
I’ve always thought it was possible the children were killed closer to Chris’ work time since he knew he was going to put them through the small hatches, and he would not want rigor mortis to set in,making things more difficult. Shannon…. I sort of thought when she got home, and was downstairs, as it would also be easier to get her to the truck. But then I could be way off base as those are intuitions not based on anything else.
This interview just makes me think more and more that Nickole Atkinson was the most instrumental witness in this investigation.
Imo, I think he was too stupid to know anything about rigor mortis.
So if shanann told chris to wake her up when he wakes up (at 4 a.m.) to “wash the airport off of her” (which sounds so stupid btw) then why would she tell nikole she has to wake up at 5:30 because cece was still on N.C. time and that’s what time she was expected to wake up??? It’s amazing how many things she told her friends leading up to her death that debunked all of Chris’ lies.
Shan’ann, may God rest her precious soul, was the high drama, high maintenance friend, it seems. In so many women friend groups, there always seems to be that one, who has a gift of making everything about her, all the time. Interesting how she manipulated Nickole into mowing her grass. (!!!!!) I have found myself doing things for the high maintenance friend, like clean her house in anticipation of her husband arriving home from a week on the road, while she fiddles around doing not much, and my house sits across town needing attention. (This particular friend’s husband and mine work together.)
Now, in all fairness, all we have really seen are the texts and such involving crucial times in the life of Shan’ann. We don’t see the rest, the day to day interactions with her friends. But the small sample we have seen makes me wonder, did it ever get to be about Nickole? Did it ever get to be about Addy, Christina, Taylor, etc.? Or, did Shan’ann have that way of turning everything around to be about her? I have a couple friends like that, actually. This had the ring of the very familiar to me.
EllTee – I can relate with your comment. I’m always “the doer,” always “the giver” in my female relationships. Interestingly enough, its origins were in my unhealthy family dynamic between two other females. We made the perfect Dark Triad – one narco-path, one histrionic/apath, and one emotional, intuitive empath/co-dependent.
Over and over again, different faces – same triad. Today, I keep females mostly at arms length; nice, civil, but superficial = less drama. Ironically, I’ve never had any problems with the males in my life. I trust males more than females so much so I go to male doctors, even my gyno during my pregnancies.
I thought it was pretty remarkable that one of Shan’ann’s friends (Michelle?) came and stayed with her for either 6 weeks or 2 months (can’t remember exact time length) after she had neck surgery. She lived in Hawaii, and stopped her life for Shan’ann, even bringing her young daughter with her to Colorado. Did “Michelle” have a husband, or was she a single parent? If there was a husband, then he didn’t see his wife or child during that 6 week or 2 month time frame. That’s a good friend, and very understanding husband/father. Would Shan’ann do the same for Michelle if the situation was reversed? I wondered why Shan’ann’s parents didn’t come stay with her like they did (15 months) after she gave birth to Bella.
I have two girls as well, who are close in age like Bella & CeCe. I took care of two babies with no outside help, including family help, as my husband worked long hours and sometimes traveled for business meetings. In addition, I have an autoimmune condition called atopic dermatitis (on and off steroids for 17 years) with high inflammation markers on blood tests, all over joint pain / rashes.
It’s very hard for me to ask for help, even now. I would feel so indebted to the point of over-apologizing if someone gave me a crumb of help let alone stop their lives and move in with me for 6 weeks. From an outsider looking in, I marvel at Shan’ann’s ability to make such loving, giving, caring friends.
How does one do that?
Does anyone have any thoughts on why this interview was conducted outside? That surprises me.
Someone needs to let NA know ‘Saul” isn’t a word. It’s saw.
🙄