My Daddy is a Hero: How Chris Watts Went from Family Man to Family Killer

Lena Derhally

Apr 2020 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Tanya Eby

About this audiobook

A husband. A father. A killer. Chris Watts was a family man. Everybody, including his family, believed that. Yet, on August 13, 2018, he murdered Shanann, his pregnant wife, and two young daughters. As terrible as his story is, it is also a warning because, to this day, living behind bars, Watts is still acting out the character traits that made him kill in the first place. In this, the first and only psychological exploration of the Watts family murders, psychotherapist Lena Derhally has pieced together the crime, the events leading to it, and most of all, her beliefs about the "why." She explores the childhoods, families of origin, meeting, and early relationship of Shanann and Chris Watts. She also examines Watts's double life and duplicity regarding his well-publicized affair with a co-worker. The book includes an in-depth look at community psychopaths, the different subtypes of narcissism, how to prevent this type of violence, and interviews with a neuroscientist, a criminal psychologist, and a journalist. Using her knowledge of attachment theory, Imago relationship theory, and psychopathology, Derhally draws a profile of the real Chris Watts and-just as important-she warns readers that he is still a danger today.

Ratings and reviews

Very good account from the authors perspective of the atrocities of Christopher Watts against his young family. His beautiful wife Shannan, pregnant with their first son who'd be named Nico & their adorable daughters Bella & Celeste. Written with help of publicly available evidence the author gives her opinion in a book providing a respectful well written & detailed insight into the lives & eventual demise at the hands of the wicked husband & father they adored Shanann, Bella, CeCe & Nico R.I.P

There's a documentary about Watts family, this morning I watched lifetime movie. Good there's good price audiobook too. Sad story anyway...

About the author

Lena Derhally is a licensed psychotherapist certified in Imago Relationship Therapy. She has published numerous articles in the Washington Post and Huffington Post. She is the co-host of a psychology podcast, "Sessions with Bob and Lena" and is a public speaker.

Tanya Eby has been a voice-over artist for over a decade. She is an Audie-nominated and AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator. Besides narrating, Tanya spends her time teaching creative writing classes at the collegiate level, blogging, and working on her own novels.