About this episode

The episode explores Chris Watts's life in prison and the unexpected attention he receives from women despite his horrific crimes.

The murders made him famous. Then came a tidal wave of female admiration. Chris Watts has a flourishing love life behind bars at the Dodge Correctional Facility in Wisconsin in spite of the unspeakable acts he committed against his family in 2018. He’s serving multiple life sentences for the murders of his wife Shannan, their daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, and his unborn son Nico. The confessed murderer was driven by a desire to be clear of his suburban dad's existence.  Chris Watts’s daughters adored him as depicted in a large collection of home videos. Bella even joyfully performed a song from her car seat referring to him as “a hero.”  Yet there are a number of women clamoring for his attention including one who left her husband and uprooted her life to be one of Watts’s girlfriends.  The Trial: USA’s Kayla Brantley speaks to Crime Desk reporters Steve Helling, Ruth Bashinsky and Rachel Sharp about the women who fawn over Watts and enable his deranged self-image. The entire Chris Watts Unmasked series is available right now, ad free, to crime desk subscribers. Subscribe today for ad-free listening, early access to new shows, exclusive bonus episodes and…

People in this episode

Host: Kayla Brantley

Guests: Steve Helling, Ruth Bashinsky, Rachel Sharp

Topics covered

• Chris Watts
• true crime
• prison life
• family annihilator
• female admiration
• murder
• relationships

Keywords

• Chris Watts
• Dodge Correctional Facility
• true crime
• family murders
• female admirers
• prison relationships
• Shannan Watts
• Bella
• Celeste
• Nico

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Crime Desk

Places: Dodge Correctional Facility, Wisconsin

More episodes of The Trial: USA

• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - Your Questions Answered · September 9, 2026 · 29 min
• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - Mistrial · September 4, 2026 · 33 min
• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - “we are unable to come to a unanimous decision” · September 2, 2026 · 11 min
• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - The Jury Deliberates · August 28, 2026 · 34 min
• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - Did She Have Capacity? · August 26, 2026 · 52 min
• The Trial of Lindsay Clancy - “She Was Begging for Help” · August 21, 2026 · 39 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Trial: USA podcast page.