Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Episode: Killer Dad Chris Watts ‘Old-Time Religion’ Lures Women Behind Bars
Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Date: March 27, 2026
Main Theme:
Nancy Grace and her panel investigate the disturbing case of Chris Watts—the Colorado dad convicted of murdering his pregnant wife Shanann and two young daughters—and explore his manipulative behavior in prison, particularly how he uses "old-time religion" to lure female admirers. The show discusses the psychology behind Watts's actions, his post-conviction life, his appeal to certain women, and the broader phenomenon of women drawn to high-profile killers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Review of the Watts Murders

• Scene Recap:

  • Nancy Grace sets the stage with a brutal overview of Chris Watts's crimes: murdering his wife Shanann, burying her face-down to "punish her," and disposing of his daughters' bodies in oil tanks.

  • The disturbing post-mortem birth ("coffin birth") of Nico, Watt's unborn son (06:25), is explained in detail.

    “Face down, so she couldn’t gaze in death at her children... I think nothing could hurt me worse than to be forever away from my own children…” — Nancy Grace (03:22)

• Clinical Explanation:

  • Dr. Kendall Crowns elucidates "coffin birth":

    “When the body decomposes, gases are formed, and in pregnant women, these can force the fetus out of the vaginal canal. That’s basically what it is.” (06:48)

2. Chris Watts’s Disturbing Demeanor and Psychology

• Emotional Detachment:
  Video evidence shows Watts eating pizza while police show photos of his victims (08:04). Nancy and the panel express shock at his lack of grief or remorse.

  “He’s chowing down on a pepperoni pizza... skin on [his daughter's] arms came off, and he is chowing down.” — Nancy Grace (08:28)

  • Dr. Judy Ho:

    “When somebody may have sociopathic tendencies... their brains are just not stimulated by things normal people are. There’s something most likely wrong with the wiring of his brain.” (09:59)

• Expert Explanations:

  • Lack of appetite is common during grief due to emotional and physiological response (11:22).

  • Watts, by contrast, exhibits none of these cues. His comfort after the killings points to possible sociopathy.

    “He’s so easily able to settle back into that rest and relaxation, spa-like system… he may very well be a sociopath.” — Dr. Judy Ho (12:45)

3. Watts’s “Old-Time Religion” Prison Persona

• Newfound ‘Faith’:

  • A fellow inmate, Dylan Tallman, describes Watts’s jailhouse religious conversion, reportedly triggered by seeing Nancy Grace address him on TV (21:57).

  • Watts now writes women, peppering letters with Bible verses, comparing his lover to Jezebel and Bathsheba (23:39), and himself to Paul the Apostle.

    “Her flattering speech was like drops of honey that pierced my heart and soul...” — Chris Watts, quoted by Dr. Kendall Crowns (24:01)

• Panel Skepticism:

  • Nancy and Dr. Judy Ho see these conversions as manipulative tools:

    “Is this just another ploy? Is this just another manipulation? He can be a very convincing storyteller… Not that convinced.” — Dr. Judy Ho (22:50)

4. Manipulating and Luring Women from Prison

• Female Admirers & Penpals:

  • Sherrilyn Cadle (author, Watts’s correspondent) shares how Watts responds to and manipulates women who write him, often breaking hearts and causing real-life chaos for his admirers (32:04).

  • These women sometimes leave their husbands for him and willingly send money, swayed by his religious posturing and charisma.

    “They want to marry him, they want to support him, talk… on the phone. He knows all the right things to say.” — Sherrilyn Cadle (32:04)

• Cycle of Seduction:

  • Watts writes lengthy letters, often simultaneously courting multiple women and using personalized religious language to appeal to each.

    “Many of them feel like he’s godly… that he comforts them… always comparing himself to someone in the Bible, often Paul.” — Sherrilyn Cadle (32:04)

5. The Broader Phenomenon: Women Who Love Killers

• Psychological Factors:

  • Dr. Judy Ho explains women’s attraction to men like Watts often stems from wanting to feel special by "changing" the misunderstood, histories of trauma, or seeking meaning and purpose.

    “Wanting to feel special... sometimes these are individuals with their own trauma... they're looking to this guy to help them be their moral compass.” — Dr. Judy Ho (34:53)

• Pattern Recognition:

  • Nancy and Randolph Rice draw parallels to other infamous cases (Scott Peterson, Menendez brothers, Joran van der Sloot), observing similar patterns of women supporting and sometimes marrying criminals.

6. Responsibility and Public Reaction

• Blaming Others:

  • Watts repeatedly blames his wife Shanann and mistress Nicole Kessinger for his own crimes, now couching it in biblical language.

    “He’s blaming murdering his wife and two… on, who?... his lover Nicole Kessinger.” — Nancy Grace (24:23)

  • Steve Helling emphasizes Watts’s continual avoidance of accountability:

    “He doesn’t say he didn’t do anything wrong... But what he does say is that Nicole Kessinger kind of tempted him. It’s always the woman’s fault.” — Steve Helling (43:13)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (With Timestamps)

• On Watts’s cruelty:

  “He buried her face down so she could not gaze in death at her children.” — Nancy Grace (03:22)

• Explaining coffin birth:

  “The gases formed from decomposition... force the fetus out... causing basically a birth of the fetus.” — Dr. Kendall Crowns (05:52)

• On sociopathy:

  “Most likely wrong with the wiring of his brain... That also leads him to be able to do these things—and then to eat, apparently, a delicious meal afterwards as if nothing happened.” — Dr. Judy Ho (09:59)

• On religious manipulation:

  “He’s comparing himself to Paul... and women fall for that.” — Nancy Grace (34:35)

• On what draws women in:

  “They just fall for him... They feel like he’s godly and he’s meeting their needs spiritually and that he comforts them and he knows all the right things to say.” — Sherrilyn Cadle (32:04)

Important Segments (Timestamps)

• [01:26] – Sherrilyn Cadle on Watts’s manipulation from behind bars
• [03:22] – Detailed description of the victim burial, “face down” punishment
• [05:52] – Dr. Kendall Crowns explains "coffin birth"
• [07:14] – Audio of Watts eating pizza during police interview; panel reaction
• [09:59] – Dr. Judy Ho on sociopathic tendencies
• [18:57] – Sherrilyn Cadle discusses Watts’s emotional detachment, use of manipulation
• [21:57] – Steve Helling describes Watts’s supposed religious “conversion”
• [24:01] – Reading of Watts’s Bible-themed letters blaming women for his crimes
• [32:04] – Sherrilyn Cadle on women writing to and being manipulated by Watts
• [34:53] – Dr. Judy Ho explains psychological vulnerabilities of “killer groupies”
• [38:00] – Nancy plays Watts’s initial manipulative public statements
• [43:13] – Steve Helling on Watts blaming women and seeking new penpals

Final Thoughts & Tone

• The episode maintains a direct, interrogative, and emotionally charged tone—characteristic of Nancy Grace.
• Frequent interruptions, passionate exhortations to (mostly female) listeners to resist romanticizing killers like Watts.
• The panel’s language is often blunt (“monster,” “sociopath”), reflective of both disgust and exasperation.
• The episode underscores the recurring problem of manipulative murderers seducing admirers from behind bars—and challenges listeners not to be taken in by this dangerous form of charisma.

For additional details and analysis, see:

• “The Murders of Christopher Watts and the Many Faces of Christopher Watts: A Five Year Update” by Sherrilyn Cadle
• Related expert commentary by Dr. Judy Ho (drjudyho.com)

This summary omits all advertisements and non-content segments, focusing solely on the core discussion.