Nichol Kessinger: The affair partner of Chris Watts
In August 2018, Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters at the family home in Colorado, leaving their bodies at a remote oil site. The case shocked millions around the world. But as investigators dug deeper, a hidden relationship emerged that would become central to understanding what had happened – and why.
The man who had appeared to those around him to be a devoted husband and father had been leading a double life. At the centre of it was Nichol Kessinger – his affair partner, and a key witness in the investigation that followed.
Crime+Investigation examines the relationship between Watts and Kessinger, how it came to light during the investigation, and what investigators ultimately concluded about her role.
How Chris Watts and Nichol Kessinger met
Just weeks before the murders, the oil field operator from Colorado had begun an affair with a co-worker named Nichol Kessinger. As investigators unravelled the timeline, the relationship quickly became one of the most talked-about aspects of the case.
Nichol Kessinger was an environmental contractor who’d recently joined the company. The pair began speaking at work and struck up a friendship. However, that friendship quickly developed into a romantic relationship. According to Kessinger, Watts told her he was in the final stages of a divorce and that he and Shanann were living separate lives.
Kessinger later said she believed the marriage was effectively over and that he was simply waiting for the legal process to be completed. Their relationship moved quickly, and the couple spent several evenings together.
They visited restaurants, went camping and even searched online for apartments, where Watts could start his new life. Kessinger described Watts as ‘quiet, attentive and someone excited about starting over.’ Little did she know the brutality that would take place.
A double life begins to unravel
While Watts was building a new relationship, his family life was falling apart.
Shanann Watts, who was 15 weeks pregnant with the couple's third child, had become increasingly concerned about the state of their marriage. During the summer, she travelled to North Carolina with their daughters for several weeks, while Watts remained in Colorado. It was during this period that his relationship with Kessinger intensified.
Unknown to Kessinger, Watts was presenting himself very differently to his wife.
To Shanann, he was still trying to work through their marital problems. To Kessinger, he claimed he was almost divorced and preparing for a fresh start.
Investigators later recovered phone records showing the pair exchanged hundreds of text messages and spent hours talking on the phone in the weeks leading up to the murders. The night before Shanann was killed, Watts and Kessinger spoke for two hours, although Kessinger later told police she could not remember exactly what they had discussed.
The murders that changed everything
In the early hours of 13th August 2018, hours after Shanann returned home from a business trip. Chris Watts murdered his wife.
He later drove her body to a remote oil site where he worked. There, he murdered daughters Bella, aged four, and Celeste, aged three, before placing their bodies in separate crude oil storage tanks and burying Shanann in a shallow grave nearby. Their unborn son, Nico, also died.
Initially, Watts portrayed himself as a worried husband, giving television interviews and pleading for his family's safe return.
Behind the scenes, however, investigators were uncovering evidence of his affair. Kessinger voluntarily contacted police after recognising Watts from media coverage and learning that he had lied about the state of his marriage. She handed over her phone, messages and details of their relationship, becoming a key witness in the investigation.
Was the affair his motive?
Although only Chris Watts knows exactly what was going through his mind, prosecutors argued that his desire to begin a new life with Kessinger was a major factor behind the murders.
Rather than ending his marriage through divorce, Watts chose to get rid of his family altogether.
During interviews following his guilty plea, Watts admitted he had been deeply infatuated with Kessinger and had imagined a future with her. Investigators also discovered internet searches relating to engagement rings and romantic getaways, reinforcing the idea that he wanted to start over.
Kessinger, however, has consistently maintained that she had no idea Watts was capable of such violence.
Nichol Kessinger was never charged
As public interest in the case grew, Kessinger found herself at the centre of intense online speculation.
Some questioned whether she knew more than she admitted, while others scrutinised her internet searches and phone records. Investigators examined those claims in detail.
They found no evidence that Kessinger encouraged, planned or assisted the murders. Instead, they concluded that Nichol had been manipulated by Watts in much the same way others around him had been. She cooperated extensively with detectives throughout the investigation, providing interviews and access to her electronic devices. No criminal charges were ever brought against her.
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