Who is Chris Watts' girlfriend Nichol Kessinger? Here's all you need to know

Netflix released the documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door on September 30. The documentary revolves around a triple murder case that had America in 2018. The victim of the gruesome murder was three Watts, family members. Shanann Watts (34) and her two daughters Bella (4) and Celeste (3) were killed by Shanann’s husband Chris Watts. The triple murder had ricocheted horror in minds of everyone who came to know about the case. When the cops investigated further into the matter, they discovered that Chris Watts who was 33 at the time had been having an affair.

Source: Shanann Watts (Facebook)

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Who was Chris Watts' girlfriend?

According to the Netflix documentary, Chris Watts murdered his wife and daughters in cold blood in the early morning hours of August 13, 2018, in Frederick, Colorado, US. The documentary further revealed that Chris had been having an affair since the past few months. When Shanann Watts returned from her business trip to Arizona on August 13, 2018, Chris told her that he was not in love with her anymore. The murders surfaced when Shanann’s close friend Nickole Utoft Atkinson made a distress call to the Fredrick police department and reported that Shanann had not been responding to calls or messages for the past few hours. The cops arrived at the scene to do a welfare check and in no time, Chris was taken to custody, where he confessed his crime.

Read | What happened to Shanann Watts? All about victim from Netflix's new documentary

Who is Nichol Kessinger?

Source: American Murder (Netflix)

Chris had reportedly been having an affair with a woman named Nichol Kessinger. Nichol was a work colleague to Chris Watts at Anadarko Petroleum. Born in 1988, she graduated from Colorado University with a Bachelor in Science, specialising in Geology. After finishing her studies Nichol landed a job in Tasman Geosciences and worked with Anadarko Petroleum Co. as a part of a contract. 

Nichol and Chris reportedly became friends first and their romance began soon after. The pair started dating in June 2018, only 1 and a half month before Chris murdered his pregnant wife and children. When Chris was taken into custody, Nichol was called in by the cops for interrogation, she stated that she was aware of Chris being married. She also knew that he had two daughters.

Read | What did Chris Watts do to his family? Know truth behind 'American Murder' on Netflix

She further revealed that when she met Chris, he told her that he was in the process of separating from his wife Shanann. He also stated that he had been living in the basement of their Colorado home, so he could still be around his children. Nichol also informed the cops that she was not aware of Shanann being pregnant. In fact, she had learnt about pregnancy through media reports.

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Where is Chris Watts' girlfriend Nichol Kessinger now?

Nichol cooperated with the police in the investigation which followed Shanann and her daughters’ deaths. She even took part in extensive interviews and disclosed everything she knew about Chris. She had also given on her phone for investigation.

In the investigation into Chris Watts’ crimes, Nichol cooperated with the police. She took part in extensive interviews to share what she knew about Chris and his current situation and gave over her phone to be inspected. The cops found that on the night of the murders, Chris Watts and Nichol Kessinger had shared a 111-minute-long phone call. The conversation had ended at 23:19, around 2 and a half hours before Shanann came home.

In her investigative interview with the cops, Kessinger stated that she ended her relationship with Watts as soon as she found out what he had done. When the story about the murders broke out, Nichol started receiving various threats and was subjected to public shaming. The 32-year-old had to move away from Colorado and start her life afresh with a new name in a new place. Chris pleaded guilty on November 6, 2018, to multiple counts of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Image Source: American Murder (Netflix)