Introduction
The five-year-old case of Chris Watts stands apart from other family annihilators cases. Unlike other men who killed wives and children, Chris Watts did not attempt to kill himself after the crime and has no history of domestic violence, other crimes, or socioeconomic problems. However, the reasons that prompted him to kill his pregnant wife and two young daughters are still unknown. This essay is an attempt to find the answer to this question. The criminological theories of strain and rational choice most accurately describe Watts’ actions.
Discussion
Although Watts pleaded guilty, he did not explain the motives for the crime. In an interview, he said he thought of nothing when he killed his daughters (CBS News, 2019). However, it is known that all events began with a conversation when Chris admitted that he wanted to leave his family and live with another woman (Dickson, 2019). During the scandal, Chris lost control and killed his wife. Afterward, he put the body in the car and put his two daughters there. The journey took 45 minutes. Chris had enough time to think as the girls were alive, but for some reason, he believed that he had the right to do what he wanted.
His actions fit into the theory of rational choice since his family prevented him from being happy with a more suitable woman, in his opinion. According to this theory, Chris chooses to eliminate the “bad” family to acquire a “good” family. In addition, the theory of strain explains Chris’s actions (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 2019). His American dream of a perfect family life has not come true, and he decides to fix it. Loss of control during an argument was the reason for his wife’s murder; the following murders were an attempt to destroy the bad experience and start a new ideal life.
Conclusion
Chris Watts is not a typical family annihilator who feels immediate remorse after a crime. On the contrary, he tried to hide the crime and avoid punishment. His explanations and actions showed that he was disappointed as his American dream of an ideal family did not come true, and he wanted to start over. The elimination of the family gave him a benefit, namely the chance for a new life. Thus, Watts’s actions fall within the framework of the theories of strain and rational choice.
References
CBS News. (2019). Christopher Watts describes killing his daughters in chilling jailhouse interviewing [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Dickson, E. (2019). What drives a man to kill his own family? Inside the psychology of family annihilators. Rolling Stone. Web.
Gottfredson, M., & Hirschi, T. (2019). Modern control theory and the limits of criminal justice. Oxford University Press.