Who is – or was – the mysterious entity that contrived the plea deal in this case?

Or is there no mystery, Watts – never the sharpest tool in the shed to begin with – knew his goose was cooked, agreed to a plea deal and signed away his life.

Which is it?

This is truly astonishing, without doubt the most astonishing aspect of this entire case. It’s not the crime itself that’s shocking, it’s the decision not to prosecute it. It’s the decision, seemingly by everyone, not even to go to trial – because who cares about answers?

to recap, on Tuesday, August 21st, formal charges were filed in court against Chris Watts. It was his second of what would ultimately be only four court appearances. By Sunday, just three work days after the charges were announced, a plea deal was on the cards. Take a moment to absorb that.

The plea offer was sent via email on Sunday, August 26th, at 11:58 [or possibly 11:56] from Watts’ defense lawyer John Walsch to Deputy District Attorney Steve Wrenn.

Just ten days after endless hours vigorously denying that he’d a) had an affair, b) harmed his wife, or c) killed his children, but then d) finally blaming Shan’ann for murdering them instead, Watts was apparently ready to throw in the towel. It had taken him four-and-a-half days not just to have the idea fielded, but to make a decision on it.

The email reads:

To: Steve Wrenn

Subject: Chris Watts

Dear Detective Wrenn

The defendant, Christopher Watts, is willing to agree to waive his right to be indicted and to plead guilty to all charges of first degree murder charges if our office is willing to remove the possibility of the death penalty.

Best

John Walsch

Sometimes True Crime Rocket Science isn’t about seeing what no one else is seeing. It’s about seeing what is in plain sight – seeing what everyone is seeing – from the right perspective. Pretty straightforward. But what is “the right perspective”? Well, that’s the trick, isn’t it?

Are you an aficionado of the Chris Watts case? You know pretty much all there is, read all the books, studied all the blogs, watched all the videos, and a year later there’s not really anything new to you at this point? In other words, you might be a guru or rocket scientist? But you could also be a cup that’s already full, and no one can fill a cup that’s already full.

Let’s test how full your Rocket Science cup is on the plea deal score.

Simple question:

Whose idea was the plea deal?

Take a moment to think about that and leave your answer in the comments. Do it now. Then read further, and if you feel moved to do so, leave a second comment.

Let’s run through 8 yes/no questions, but really they’re all about one question:

Whose idea was the plea deal?

Last chance to definitively commit to an answer before we go down the list.

Ready?

1.  Yes or no: was the plea deal John Walsch’s idea? [See Exhibit A above, the email offering the plea deal.]
2. Yes or no: was the plea deal Chris Watts’ idea?
3. Yes or no: was the plea deal Chris Watts’ family’s idea?
4. Yes or no: was the plea deal Steve Wrenn’s idea, or anyone else on the prosecution side of the equation?
5. Yes or no: was the plea deal the Rzuceks’ idea?
6. Yes or no: was the plea deal Nichol Kessinger’s idea, or suggestion?
7. Yes or no: was the plea deal to avoid the death penalty?
8. Have we missed anyone on this list? What was the purpose of the plea deal, and if the answers to #1-7 are “no” whose idea was it?

Whatever your answer, this was the media narrative after the fact, courtesy of the arch spinners of true crime yarns, People [November 19th, 2018]:

Who persuaded Watts to plead, but more importantly, why not take the case to trial if you weren’t Chris Watts?

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