Netflix doc pushes Chris Watts' mistress to change name
A news outlet in 2018 reported she had been placed under witness protection
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The former mistress of Chris Watts reportedly applied for a name change this month, shortly after Netflix released a documentary focusing on events leading up to his arrest for the murders of his wife and two young daughters.
The Daily Mail reported that Nichol Kessinger, 32, applied for the change in Jefferson County, Colo. She was featured briefly on "American Murder: The Family Next Door," where she is seen in recordings telling police that she and Watts had an affair.
Nichol Kessinger said Chris Watts told her he was finishing up divorce proceedings with his wife and that a month into their relationship he told her the divorce was final. She reportedly applied to change her name on the hells of a Netflix documentary detailing the events that led up to Watts murdering his family. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Watts was convicted for the 2018 murders of his wife, Shanann Watts, 34, their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, and their unborn child, Nico. He strangled his wife in the bedroom of their Frederick, Colo., home and smothered the girls with a blanket at an oil field where he worked.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Watts eventually confessed to the murders in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty and was sentenced to several life sentences.
Kessinger's reason for the name change was not clear, but it follows the Sept. 30 release of the documentary.
In the film, she tells investigators that she thought Watts and his wife were separated. The pair met while working together for a petroleum company and carried on a relationship that included romantic trips. Watts had taken several photos of her in a bikini.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She told investigators she ended the relationship with Watts because of his lies.
Christopher Watts sits in court for his sentencing hearing at the Weld County Courthouse in 2018 in Greeley, Colorado. Watts was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his pregnant wife, daughters. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
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In 2018, Radar Online reported that Kessinger had moved and was in witness protection.