Tag: prison transfer

Has the media forgotten about the Chris Watts case? Some would like to think so.

It’s hard to believe almost a month ago around 2000 pages of discovery were released [plus 3 terabytes of video footage]. It’s clearly not the case that the media have fully or completely mined that colossal archive, or that they’ve lost interest. Not even close. It’s the nature of the media beast that around this time of the year newsrooms virtually shut down.

I worked in a busy newsroom for two years, and the idea is to maintain a skeleton crew over the festive season. No one wants to be at work, no one wants to chase or file stories, no wants to do anything except the minimum. So the lights of the building are on, but no one is home, and those who are aren’t really there to work, they’re just there to keep the engine purring in idle mode.

Most of the journos take this time to get their R&R, and it makes sense. The festive season tends to be a “slow news cycle” time of the year. One reason for that is it’s also when the activities of almost everyone drops off precipitously.

Almost everyone. Dedicated true crime writers don’t take vacations, especially not with so much information that has yet to be analyzed. And let’s face it, Gotham never sleeps. Crime never goes away, in fact some crimes – like robberies – increase by 30% over Christmas.

The festive season is the most dangerous time of the year, in many communities. According to one study, the most likely time to die of a heart attack is 22:00 on Christmas Eve. It’s a strange irony that the time that’s meant to rest and recharge, is so charged with stress, angst and yes, criminality.

In the lead up to Christmas, predictably, the saturation media coverage of the Watts case has dried up completely. For a few days the media was like a stuck record on Watts’ transfer to Dodge Correctional, and then for a few days after that, it was stuck on the monster’s mail – love letters from adoring female fans.

I imagine some folks are very happy about the media falling silent on this case, while for others – I won’t say who – this was “all part of the plan.”

What the media seem too dumb to notice, is the contradiction inherent in their own reporting.

Let me show you what I mean:

December 3rd, 2018 – SECRET TRANSFER:

For about two days, everyone was led to believe that there was good reason behind Watts’ transfer. He wasn’t safe in Colorado. If he was transferred elsewhere, somewhere unknown, he’d have a measure of protection. So that was why he was being transferred…

Christopher Watts transferred out of state amid safety concerns – Murderer serving a life sentence moved to undisclosed location – Denver Post

Chris Watts transferred from Colorado to an out-of-state prison, sources say

Chris Watts transferred to prison outside of Colorado

Killer dad Chris Watts has been secretly moved from a Colorado prison to an undisclosed location out of state for his own SAFETY [December 4th]

Chris Watts Transferred to Out-of-State Prison for Security Reasons [December 5th]

Chris Watts transferred to prison outside Colorado [December 5th] – CNN

Exactly two weeks after Watts’ sentencing hearing on the 19th, he was being transferred to a secret location out of state. These are the key words – where Watts was going to be held would remain “undisclosed.” This was amid “security concerns” around his safety, and also – some averred – to protect the safety of his protectors. The special treatment Watts was receiving was – we were told – because he was an unusually high-profile criminal.

Of course the irony at the time, was that if Watts was on death row, he’d be automatically entitled to all these protections anyway. So by not being sentenced to death, Watts was sort of at risk of unofficially being sentenced to death, if you catch my meaning. Instead of a death sentence authorized by Weld County, it might be conducted by anonymous inmates in some far flung hellhole.

The other aspect that was implied by the transfer, was that by moving Watts out of Colorado, he’d suddenly enjoy some sort of anonymity. Do prisons outside of Colorado not have televisions?

December 5th, 2018 – TRANSFER FOR HIS SECURITY:

After just two days of top secret concealment, the surreptitious relocation of America’s most hated husband and father [presumably under a cloak of darkness] came to an end.

On December 5th, Radar Online revealed where Watts was.

Final Rotting Place: Chris Watts Arrives At Wisconsin Prison To Serve Life Sentence

So much for anonymity, secrecy, undisclosed locations and protecting him and his prison guards. Even so, the media now maintained Watts was moved for “security” reasons. [Apparently Colorado prisons aren’t secure, or are less secure than other prisons in America].

Christopher Watts transferred to Wisconsin prison – Watts was moved out of Colorado for security reasons [December 7th] – Denver Post

During this period, I posted two insightful interviews on CrimeRocket.com, both with former prison inmates providing “expert” analysis of the transfer. In one interview the former inmate said Colorado Corrections should feel embarrassed that they can’t provide security.

In another, Watts’ lifespan was being compared to that of another high-profile murderer, and the expert guessed Watts would be murdered first. Both those interviews have since been removed from YouTube.

December 8th – December 12th, 2018 – MORE LEAKS AND CANTEEN RECEIPTS: 

Just days after Watts’ secret transfer, Radar Online knew the location of the prison that was holding Watts [in Waupun], and four days after that, they provided a sample of Watts’ purchases from the prison canteen. So much for the anonymity, protection and security of America’s most high-profile inmate!

December 19th, 2018 – LOVE LETTERS:

In a final demonstration of just how ridiculous the claims about anonymity, secrecy and protection really were, local and international media next began to cover the love letter angle.

If paramours of the convicted murderer knew how to get hold of the object of their sick obsessions, how hard would it be for a felon, who wanted to settle a score, to find him?

The Future:

Is Watts likely to be murdered in prison? It’s doubtful such a high-profile prisoner will be allowed to come to harm, simply because that will make this ultra-high-profile case even more high-profile.

So has the mission to keep Watts’ prison status a secret been a failure? It has, if anyone believes that was the real reason he was transferred. It wasn’t.

So why was Watts transferred if it wasn’t for the explicit “security” reasons mentioned?

Remaining Questions

Who benefits by the Watts case not going to trial?

Who benefits from Watts’ transfer out of Colorado?

Who benefits from putting Nichol Kessinger into witness protection?

What was the plea deal, the prison transfer, Kessinger’s contradictory story, all designed to do?

And if it was all part of a plan, what plan is that?