By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-05 03:45:07 | Updated at 2026-08-06 07:18:14
1 day ago
As Amanda watched the man she had secretly dated for months plead with news reporters for information about his 'missing' family, disturbing memories of their time together came flooding back.
But it would be years before she'd ever tell a soul.
In part two of an exclusive interview with DailyMail+, Amanda McMahon revealed how she was initially charmed by Chris Watts before experiencing his violent and disturbing behavior firsthand. She exposed his Tinder playbook and recounted the chilling 'rape fantasy' he tried to act out during their first sexual encounter.
That was before he murdered his pregnant wife and two young daughters. Yet eight years later, women are still fawning over Chris Watts.
On the latest episode of Daily Mail's award-winning Trial USA podcast, host Kayla Brantley is joined by investigative reporters Ruth Bashinsky, Steve Helling and Rachel Sharp as they discuss the women charmed by the imprisoned Watts who enable his deranged self-image.
The episode is the second of an exclusive four-part series, marking the eighth anniversary of the 2018 killings that shocked the nation.
Reporter Luke Kenton discusses his interview with Amanda McMahon (pictured), one of several women Chris Watts pursued before murdering his wife and children.
Watts strangled Shanann Watts, 34, at their Colorado home on August 13 before driving his daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, to a remote oil field, where he smothered them and concealed their bodies in oil tanks. He buried Shanann in a shallow grave nearby.
As investigators unraveled the case, they discovered Watts had been leading a double life.
His coworker, Nichol Kessinger revealed she was having an affair with him in the weeks leading up to the murders. Prosecutors argued he murdered his family to start a new life unburdened by his wife and children. Watts is now serving a life sentence.
After Watts' arrest, McMahon told investigators she had a 'fast and furious' one time fling with Watts in the spring of 2018. However, after revealing that wasn't strictly true, McMahon has revealed how Watts chose to portray himself on dating apps.
‘He appeared normal,’ McMahon explained to the Daily Mail's Luke Kenton in part 2 of the interview. ‘Not anything special. Just, he was local-ish, and a blue-collar guy, and just somebody that didn’t seem like a psycho.’
His profile included photographs that appeared to have someone else cropped out. In retrospect, McMahon told Kenton that she wondered whether that person was Shanann.
McMahon revealed to the Daily Mail that Watts frequently vilified Shanann (right) and only referred to her as his 'baby mama'
Throughout the latest episode, The Daily Mail's Investigative reporters Steve Helling, Ruth Bashinsky and Rachel Sharp reveal insight from their investigations into Watts's life before the killings and behind bars.
Catch the full interview with McMahon, plus analysis from Daily Mail's premier crime reporters, by searching for Trial USA wherever you get your podcasts
All four episodes are available to Crime Desk subscribers today. Non-subscribers can listen to episode one now, with new episodes each week. Start a subscription with a free 7-day trial at thecrimedesk.com
