When Nichol Kessinger met Chris Watts at work in June 2018, she thought she had stumbled across something rare: a man who listened, who seemed gentle, who claimed he was starting over.

Chris told her he was separated, finalising a divorce, and quietly moving on with his life. He never wore a wedding ring. To Nichol, it appeared he was a man trying to do right by his children while leaving a broken marriage behind.

They began seeing each other in July. Their relationship quickly became intense — spending four or five nights a week together. Nichol wanted to take things slowly, it was still early days, but he seemed safe and trustworthy.

"We had just met," Kessinger said. "I barely knew him."

But Chris Watts was not who he claimed to be.

Chris Watts and wife and daughters. Image:

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