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CBI Agent Tammy Lee says Coder’s Questions about the “Emotional Conversation” Frustrated Watts

Two things stood out to me about Tammy Lee’s comments. One was her recognition that Watts’ facial expression changed when they started vilifying Shan’ann, and offering her as a scapegoat. Although Watts initially balked at this psychological carrot verbally, it turns out they could easily see – on his face – how much he was willing and able to run with it. And that’s exactly what he did do.

The other thing that stood out was Lee referring to the question that frustrated Watts the most. She’s says it was from Coder, but there were a couple from her where he got pretty angry, and started raising his voice too [related to Tammy not wanting Shan’ann to get a bum rap for a crime she didn’t commit].

TCRS has a particular theory why Watts would have been not only frustrated, but anxious around this idea of the “emotional conversation.” Any ideas what that theory may be?

10 Comments

  1. Anita

    Maybe because there was no conversation between them?

  2. Net S

    I cannot believe that Chris had the courage for any emotional conversation with his wife. His inability to share his feelings with her seem to be a large part of the discord within their marriage. In my opinion the ’emotional conversation’ he had with Shannan was his hands around her neck in a stealthy and surprise attack. I also feel the poor girls were long dead by the time Shannan returned home because he would not have wanted potential interruptions during his premeditated attack on his wife.

    • haliehill

      Killing the children well before she got home would be super risky. What if the plane never took off due to mechanical error or delays? He would want to be sure Shan’ann was going to be home in enough time for him to get the whole “job” done. It wouldn’t do to have her arrive at seven AM dragging NA into the house with her.
      Also, like we all do, Watts probably knows that cadaver dogs can detect human decomposition within an hour or two. A bed with scent absorbing mattress is a very poor place to leave a corpse. Bowels/bladder release etc. he wasn’t much of a planner but he did plan the crime scene out much better than anything else and I think he’d know having dead kids in beds for hours would be a disaster.

      I think Shan’ann came home, tried to order crap online because that’s what she does, found her card denied, ordered from her phone (he did not have the code) at 2 AM and fell into bed without even washing her face. He waited to make sure there were no surprises and he could have her at a total disadvantage.

      The pillow was used to muffle any possible noise as he choked her. Hence makeup horribly smeared on pillow case. Once she’s gone the die is cast. He knows then he can kill the kids without her interrupting or a wrench being thrown in the works. The kids aren’t going to interfere with that five minute murder scene.
      He has to get her out of the bedroom and the first thing to hand is the bottom sheet – just untuck the corners and you have a shroud.

      I think he would not want cadavers to remain in the house more than 2-3 hours to avoid the dogs sniffing him out, even though he’s going to wash “smelly” sheets before anyone can check. Or so he thought. So 2-3 AM death window would give him time to get everyone downstairs into the garage and get ready to load them in the car.

      • nickvdl

        I think Shan’ann came home, tried to order crap online because that’s what she does,>>>Sounds like you’ve thought it all out very carefully. I think you need to do more reading, and more research. This order was found to be an automatic order; Shan’ann wasn’t awake. And clearly, you have never been a man wanting to a have an affair, with kids in the house.

        • haliehill

          So you think a man wanting to have phone sex would kill his kids regardless of being certain when and if his wife would return? That seems a bit extreme.
          The kids went to bed early and would be asleep by the time he got on the phone with the gf.
          Did not know the order was placed automatically … that could mean she died earlier than the order was placed. However why place it the second time with a card declined? Is that also automatic or would wife have to know (or whomever placed order) that the card was declined?
          Why place the order, if you’re chris? To show she was alive that night? We know she was alive that night. Why not if this is part of a ruse place it in the morning?

  3. LW

    I think he was anxious because there was no emotional conversation with Shan’ann – he incapacitated her upon her arrival home. He was going to avoid a confrontation with her at all costs.

    Now, what my gut tells me (so just humor me here), is that there was actually an emotional conversation with Kessinger – and that’s why that was on his brain. I believe the last date at the Lazy Dog wasn’t a fun one and she gave him an ultimatum. He felt desperate and used the credit card as a sign that he would truly break things off with Shan’ann. I also think the 111 minute phone call was a lot of “talking Kessinger off a ledge”. I bet she was going nuts that his wife’s return was imminent and she needed plenty of reassurances that he was going to move on from her once and for all.

    Again, these are my gut feelings, but I base them on what we know of the psychology of CW, SW, and NK.

    • Catwoman

      Astute observation (or conclusion?) re NK… It absolutely is the only scenario that truly makes sense.

  4. Suzanne

    Well any emotional conversation for a man that had to google “what does if feel like when someone says they love you?”, would be a nightmare. He had to feign emotions and learned to mimic them throughout his life I suspect. Evidently he hadn’t googled “how should I act and what does it feel like when someone’s family is genuinely missing?”, or, “How do I pretend to give a shit about my dead wife and kids?”.

  5. Janie

    I think the anxiety and anger stemmed from the fact that he had to switch gears pretty quickly when he decided to run with the agent’s suggested scenario of Shanann killing the girls triggering him to then murder her. His mind had to have been racing with thoughts as to how now he will have to convince investigators that this is what happened. He may have reasoned that this would be better than being charged and convicted of 1st degree murder. Less time served and not having to face the scrutiny and shame of his family, friends, coworkers, and mistress, had they known how it really happened. To blame it on Shanann bothered whatever was left of his conscience, and grappling with that on top of having to come up with a believable scenario under these circumstances resulted in his frustration in my opinion.

  6. haliehill

    It’s interesting to watch him get played by these detectives. It seems so obvious to us that he’s being led down the garden path – can he not see that once he blames Shan’ann for the kids’ deaths he’ll have to admit killing her- and dumping them all? How does he not anticipate where they’re going with this line of thought?
    This is more than being socially retarded. Can he not read expressions and respond to the verbal cues – just no idea of where they’re going with this as it impacts him.

    He had other options here. He wasn’t under arrest. He could have asked for a lawyer. He could have left – although they could have arrested him on probable cause by this time- I think the drone had seen the bedsheet? – even if they didn’t have a warrant drawn up- he could have stayed silent. Asked his dad to find him an attorney. But nope. Invent this ridiculous story to please the nice lady.

    For an introvert he sure does like to talk. He wants to respond in the way they want him to. He’s used to placating his wife and following her wishes and he seems to be doing the same here where the people talking to him would like him to talk his way into the electric chair.

    I don’t think conscience had much to do with it.

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