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Chris Watts: Why was the television on late on Sunday night, the night of murders, and which television was on?

Which television was on during Watts’ 111 minute call to Kessinger late on Sunday night [August 12th]? Was it the one upstairs in the bedroom, upstairs in the loft, or in the lounge downstairs? Why was the television on?

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17 Comments

  1. Sylvester

    Waiting for CBH to go first – so guess I’ll have to go first. I’m not sure why he had the television on late, unless he found it uncomfortable to be in a “dead quiet” house. As for which television I think it could have been the one in the family room closest to the kitchen. He had thought originally Shan’ann was going to arrive home closer to midnight. He may have wanted to position himself near the front door. Everything seems to have been brought down to the mid-level of the house – he was barbecuing on the patio off the kitchen, he likely ate in the kitchen, fed the children one last meal in the kitchen, had some business to tend to down the basement stairs and locked Dieter up downstairs. The children’s shoes were by the patio door, and outside. If he administered a sedative to the girls he could have done so from the kitchen and popped the television on as a soothing background as they sat in their little chairs or on the floor drifting off to neverland. Then he might of changed the channel to something he would prefer to listen to and called NK. Also the back end of the house could remain dark but for the glow of the television set.

    • CBH

      Ha, didn’t think you were waiting on me. 😂 I’d always assumed as NK said something about his staring at her from a stripped bed, that the upstairs loft TV was on, signaling the children were already dead and the game was on.

      • Karen

        Yep, laying on a bed with no linens, the tv blaring, his fixated stare on her. I’d say the kids were gone, but he’s talked to Kessinger at night before and has never had the tv on like that. It would seem like it’s out of the ordinary and not business as usual. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought it was strange.

        • nickvdl

          Yep, laying on a bed with no linens, his fixated stare on her.>>>That was Monday night, not Sunday night.

  2. Shannon

    Wonder if he mentioned to NK, kids were light sleepers.
    With TV on, could it have been a sign?

  3. Sylvester

    About all we know from that 111 min. conversation is that NK heard the television in the background, she wondered if Watts was staying up waiting for S. to get home, and thought it odd (both the TV set on and that he was staying up that late). Yet she has said other places that he couldn’t sleep and would be awake late on work nights. It would be nice if she noticed if she heard a dog barking. But the stripped bed was when they face timed and I think that was the evening of Aug. 13. If he sedated both girls it’s possible, isn’t it, that Bella recovered or woke up, at which point he would have to resort to smothering. But by 9 p.m. I think all was still except for a blaring television set and Watt’s chit chatter on the phone.

  4. Diana

    Doubtful the kids ate any last meal of BBQ chicken. When Pop Pop Frank called not too long before their bedtime, they were eating cold pizza. I think Chris took a photo of the chicken as a way of making people believe later that the girls were still alive and well because his original tale was that the whole family was fine when he left for work that morning.

    • nickvdl

      Can any of you recall if the neighbor who saw Watts barbecuing was ever identified? Could be Trinastich or Cheryle Hallowell from 2 doors down, or someone else. Nothing about that in discovery, which is odd.

      • Sylvester

        According to The Daily Camera News article by Madeline St. Amour and John Bear 8/16/18 it was Bette Marcoux who stated she saw Watts barbecuing. She was the lady who goes to the gym every morning at 5:15 a.m. She lives to the right facing Watt’s home. However in the neighborhood canvas (youtube) she doesn’t mention the barbecuing – unless they went back for more questions later.

      • Gina

        The neighbor was Bette Marcoux who lived to the west of Watts. She was the gym lady. On page 1787 of Discovery it says she offered information about a BBQ they had around 1900 hours Sunday evening(8.12.18) and she never heard or saw Bella or Celeste during that time. She did see Watts a couple times as he was cooking something on the grill but the girls never appeared outside.

        • Ralph Oscar

          “the girls never appeared outside.”

          They couldn’t.

  5. Jenn H.

    I think Chris had the tv on to distract from anything being out of the ordinary.
    When NK. mentioned the tv being on in the background I think would be
    more normal looking than the the bed sheets being stripped from the bed,
    unless he claimed he was doing the laundry.
    I remember something about NK asking why the bed sheets were stripped off the bed.

  6. Jenn H.

    I believe Chris had the television on to make it seem nothing was out of the ordinary. I don’t know which room he had the television on?

  7. Shannon

    Just quickly, maybe he was in a state of panic, after he killed the kids, so he put the tv loud, to calm himself down….drown out what just happened. NK I don’t think said anything about his demeanor while talking.

  8. Kathleen

    I think he had the TV on because he could. His light sleeping girls were no longer a consideration.his controlling wife was not home yet and even if she walked in and busted him for making noise, he had a solution in mind. He was free. Free to watch TV and whatever else. Here’s what I’m curious about…..why did Nicol need proof he had been to that job site?

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