Chris Watts and his wife Shanann Watts had been married less than six years when he killed her and their two young daughters in August 2018. Shanann Watts was pregnant at the time. Chris Watts was later convicted of murdering his wife and their daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, after confessing a few months later.
Many people still wonder what made a man who seemed to be happy and in love commit such a heinous crime against his young family.
Photos and videos of the couple have circulated on social media for years, and many have speculated about their relationship. Body language expert Judi James recently reviewed footage from the couple’s wedding and made an observation about the husband’s disturbing behavior.
James claims it can be difficult to decipher between the good guy and the bad guy.
She told the US Mirror that it isn’t always that simple even though we may believe we can pick a good person out of a crowd. We often want to see the good and give ourselves a false sense of security.
“But it is sadly too easy to misinterpret signals we receive into a wrong diagnosis or assumption. When we make up our minds quickly via the attribution effect or first impression we will often suffer from the attribution bias which is where we look for signs to prove we were right,” she explained.
It’s apparently easy to misread someone.
James said people often misread or misinterpret people they think they know. For instance, it’s common to see people on the news shocked by a crime their neighbors are accused of committing.
“Signs of guilt or lying are rarely as obvious as we would like to think and if a murderer has a certain kind of psychiatric profile they might actually not feel any guilt and therefore be able to look and act blameless,” she told the news outlet.
Chris and Shannan Watts appeared to have different personalities.
James thought that Chris Watts looked more like an introvert while Shanann appeared extroverted and excited at her wedding.
“Chris, however, seems to show signs of looking less comfortable in his own skin. While they stand together, his arms are down at his sides, and his facial expression looks politely blank,” she observed.
“He does gaze into Shanann’s eyes during their dance but he otherwise seems uncomfortable making eye contact with the camera or his wife. She shows every sign of having wedding day fun but he looks less able to join in.”
One photo in particular caught James’ eye.
As the video of the wedding continues, still shots are added in. In the end, James was put off by Chris Watts’ demeanor.
“The last photo is especially haunting when Shanann dances, bends and smiles for the camera but he stands rigidly watching her, staring at her with an unsmiling expression and with his hands balled into fists,” she explained.
She didn’t blame Shanann Watts for being fooled.
James could see why she fell for her husband.
“The introvert behaviors, though, could easily pass for shyness. He is referred to as a ‘good guy’ in her life and his quieter nature could have been mistaken for trustworthiness and reliability,” she concluded, per the US Mirror. “People use the expression’ opposites attract,’ and it might have been felt that his introversion allowed her to be outgoing, happy, and free. Love can make even the worst qualities look like admirable traits because we want to feel we are loving the right person.”
Chris Watts is serving five consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.