July 24th was roughly halfway into Shan’ann’s 6 week adventure in North Carolina, three weeks prior to her murder and two weeks after Nut Gate. It’s clear by this milestone it wasn’t only the couple that were arguing, they seemed to be arguing with their respective in laws as well.
By July 24th Kessinger seemed to have confirmation from Watts that the man she said she loved [ she told him she loved him “a couple of times] also loved her, and planned to [somehow] make it official.
On July 24th Shan’ann’s mother called Watts 12 different times, demonstrating that if Shan’ann could push and pressure him, so could Sandi. Sandi spoke to Watts for around 30 minutes over the course of those twelve calls [each call thus lasting roughly two to three minutes].
We can also see how smoothly and easily Watts lies to Shan’ann about where he was, and what he was doing. Cheating in general, but conducting an affair in particular, requires planning, foresight, and knowing how to plausibly account for downtime. All of this was practice for the dark acts that were brewing in the back of his mind.
We can see that July 24th was also the first time Shan’ann truly saw beyond Nut Gate, and realized something was very wrong with him, and their marriage. She even mentions it to him “having another girl” which Watts craftily lets slide. But this was late, too late. It was already more than three weeks into his sexually active affair and he’d already committed himself to his mistress, and apparently, she to him. Shan’ann’s suspicions at this point were a serious threat to his future now, and his future plans. What could he do about that?
In total, Shan’ann and her mother spoke to Watts for over an hour on July 24th, a new record. 
True Crime Rocket Science II 
What I find interesting about these #1yearagotoday posts is that it really makes you feel the length of time that Shan’ann and the kids were away. You know how when you’re away on vacation for a week, you get back and it feels like you’ve been gone for a month? I’m sure that to Chris it had been feeling to him like they had been away for six months at that point. The week he spent back in NC with them after all this was a period of time where he might have felt like he was in another reality that was not his life anymore. I’m thinking that week in NC was the breaking point—he realized he didn’t want that former life to come back with him to CO.
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Good point. The time does seem to feel different this way, doesn’t it.
Athough I know what you mean, and you have a point that in a short time he completely forgot about them, I suspect it’s the opposite. The 5 weeks Shan’ann was away was like a roller coaster ride, the best of his life and it was racing to an end. It was going to end in superquick time and he couldn’t bear the thought of that. He was probably dreading the reunion in North Carolina, and once through that, dreading Shan’ann’s permanent return from Arizona even more. The week he spent in North Carolina away from Kessinger probably felt like a year.
I agree with you, during this time [in North Carolina] he probably felt himself pushed to breaking point, in terms of deciding to go ahead with his criminal mindset.
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I love your website and how you’ve broken down the timeline!
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I have a recall at one point in NK’s interview she said she told CW to go to NC and work on his marriage (yet sent him nude pics during that week). She told CW she had been asked out by 2 different guys, that she hadn’t gone out with either, but she was considering it. I am guessing that would have sent CW into a tailspin.
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