Chris Watts’ brutal murder of his wife sheds light on the epidemic of intimate partner violence against women

A haunting wedding video has circulated in which killer Chris Watts can be seen “staring blankly” at his wife Shanann, whom he would later strangle to death along with their two daughters. Experts say this type of fatal abuse is all too common.

Body language expert Judi James examined the wedding footage for signs of trouble and found Chris Watts’ behavior disturbing – but the signs of abuse and possible murder are still hard to miss, even though 70 percent of all femicide cases in high-income countries occur in the United States.

In 2020, the latest year for which the UN has data, around 47,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their partners or other family members. And what is even sadder: Shanann Watts was murdered when she was 15 weeks pregnant with her son, whom she wanted to name Nico. She became part of a shocking statistic.

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More pregnant women are likely to be killed by their partners than die in childbirth.

According to a study, 16 percent more women die if they are pregnant or have terminated a pregnancy in the past year than non-pregnant women.

Lynn Hecht Schafran, senior vice president at Legal Momentum and director of the National Judicial Education Program (NJEP), said in an interview for MEL magazine: “Just carrying a fetus to term increases the risk of becoming a victim… And often they are killed by their partner. A lot of this violence and physical abuse begins during pregnancy.”

Violence in relationships accounts for 15 percent of all violent crimes

Earlier this month, a man named John Poulos was sentenced to 42 years and 6 months in prison after his popular 23-year-old girlfriend, a DJ, was found dead in a suitcase that had been discarded in a garbage can last January.

In another case, just last month, 62-year-old Arizona resident David Pagniano was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping his wife and burying her alive while she “thrashed around violently” in a remote hand-dug grave. In Colorado, James Craig, a dentist accused of killing his wife by poisoning her protein shakes, asked a prison inmate to plant letters on him to make it look like his wife was suicidal.

Unfortunately, these stories are just a drop in the ocean, as police stations across the United States are inundated with murder cases committed by boyfriends, husbands, brothers and fathers. Domestic violence is considered an epidemic.

Worldwide, domestic partners are responsible for up to 38 percent of all murders of women, the WHO found.

It can also happen at any age: Last year, an elderly man killed his wife of 40 years by stabbing her in the back “during an argument over pancakes.” Steven Schwartz was 85 when he murdered his wife, Sharron, 81.

Signs of abuse are often ignored

Watts had previously claimed that he murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters in a spontaneous fit of rage so that he could be with his lover and co-worker Nichol Kessinger.

What seemed like a random moment of violence may not have been so random after all. Body language expert Judi James found: “The last photo is particularly haunting, with Shanan dancing, bending over and smiling for the camera, but he stands rigidly watching her, staring at her with a serious expression and his hands clenched into fists.

“However, the introverted behavior could easily pass for shyness. He is referred to as the ‘good guy’ in her life and his quieter nature could have been confused with trustworthiness and reliability. People use the expression ‘opposites attract’ and one might have felt that his introversion allowed her to be outgoing, happy and free. Love can make even the worst qualities seem like admirable traits because we want to feel like we love the right person,” concludes James.

Although an average of more than three women and one man are murdered by their partners every day in the United States, signs and warning signals continue to be ignored.

Last year, an Irish mother living in the US sent her family a harrowing final text message, revealing that her partner had become increasingly controlling shortly before his murder. Friends of 39-year-old Denise Morgan say: “Don’t ignore warning signs and don’t hide anything from your family. The control… It’s so important to talk about it. Denise knew she needed to get out, but she didn’t have time.”

Similarly, in a heartbreaking final love letter released by the FBI, Gabby Petito begged Brian Laundrie to “stop crying and cursing at her” shortly before she was killed by her young boyfriend Laundrie, who was eventually found dead as well.

Families and children are often victims of an abusive relationship

According to the NCADV, a study of domestic partner homicides found that 20 percent of the victims were not the domestic partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, intervening persons, police officers or passers-by.

In addition, children are often victims of their parents’ abusive relationships. A frightening number of children witness physical and emotional abuse. Like this 11-year-old boy who died protecting his mother from her abusive partner in Chicago.

In the Chris Watts case, the killer attempted to suffocate his two children before strangling his pregnant wife Shanann in their home in Frederick, Colorado in 2018. He murdered his two children – four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste (Cece) – along with their mother and hid their bodies in oil drums.

But it’s not just about children. In the case of Taberon Honie, a death row inmate in Utah, he was arrested for sexually assaulting and killing his ex-girlfriend’s mother in front of her three grandchildren.

Luis Lima dos Santos, 45, was found guilty of femicide in Sao Paulo after he shot his wife in front of their young son and then went out to dinner with her family. She was shot four times, her hands and feet were bound, and her body was found wrapped in plastic and dumped near a stream.

Men also face discouraging abuse statistics

Nearly one in seven men has experienced severe physical violence from a partner in their lifetime. According to the hotline, more than one in four men (28.5 percent) in the United States will experience rape, physical violence and/or stalking from a partner in their lifetime.

Recently, an OnlyFans model was accused of stabbing her boyfriend to death in an argument months before his death. Courtney Clenney and her late boyfriend Christian Obumseli reportedly had a “difficult relationship” in Aspen, Colorado. Mounting evidence suggests she became violent toward him, putting male victims in the spotlight.

LGBTQ+ communities are not immune, 20 percent are stuck in a vicious cycle of abuse

The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence found that 43.8 percent of lesbian women and 61.1 percent of bisexual women have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner in their lifetime, compared to just 35 percent of heterosexual women.

In addition, 26 percent of gay men and 37.3 percent of bisexual men have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner during their lifetime, compared to 29 percent of heterosexual men.

Sadly, the statistics also revealed a gap in reporting of such abuse: only 26 percent of men in same-sex relationships have called the police or filed a complaint after experiencing violence.

Another danger for the trans community is that transgender victims are more likely to be victims of domestic violence in public. Likewise, bisexual victims are more likely to be victims of sexual violence than people who do not identify as bisexual.

Anyone affected by abuse and in need of support can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233). Advocates are available 24/7 and can also be reached via live chat at thehotline.org or by SMS with the text “START” to 88788 or “LOVE IS” to 22522.