A new Netflix documentary, which tells the story of Chris Watts, a man who murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters in 2018, has left viewers feeling horrified.
American Murder: The Family Next Door uses real footage filmed by the late Shanann Watts, as she regularly blogged about family life with Chris and their two children, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste.
The disturbing film also features footage recorded by police officers, recorded when they first appeared to investigate Shanann and her children’s disappearance, right through to Chris’s grizzly confession.
Although Chris eventually confessed to the heinous crimes, his bizarre behaviour left many viewers thinking he showed his guilt much sooner.
Now, a body language expert has revealed the exact moment Chris gave himself up. Derek Van Schaik has shared a 40-minute video, in which he talks about the moment the police first arrive at the house.
Chris arrives at around the same time as the police, while Shanann’s friend Nickole waits at the front door. Derek explains how strange it is that instead of running straight into the house, he can be seen ‘dilly dallying’ in Shanann’s car.
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‘It’s very likely he did something that he thinks will help him cover his tracks,’ Derek explains.
He goes on to say how suspicious it this that Chris goes into the house for more than a minute before he allows the police and Nickole to come in.
While the police are in the house, Chris pretends to have found Shanann’s phone, which is when ‘the performance really begins,’ according to Derek.
Nickole suggests looking at security cameras to try and determine when Shanann left the house, however Chris immediately dismisses the idea – something which Derek says screams ‘guilty’.
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He explained:
Chris is coming across very negative and not proactive. When we lose someone or something we really want back, even long shot ideas are worth trying.
Things start to get really bizarre when a neighbour looks through their footage and finds that the only person who can be seen leaving the house is Chris. While this information throws Nickole into a panic, Chris simply says ‘okay,’ and doesn’t question it.
In hindsight, it’s easy to see where Derek is coming from, but when watching it for the first time, it’s hard not to fall for his lies.
You can watch Derek’s full analysis here.
American Murder: The Family Next Door is available to stream on Netflix now.
