American Murder: The Family Next Door is a chilling documentary that I couldn't stop watching – Hayley Matthews

During the week, we'd been looking for something to watch on the telly whilst eating dinner before slumping and falling asleep for the night. We were both fairly content and having a laugh about the day as we sat down to our TV dinner on our laps.

Three women are killed by their partners every day in the US (Picture: Chris Etchells)

We loaded Netflix and the first no1 most-watched programme that day was a documentary called American Murder: The Family Next Door. So on it went.

I have to be honest and say that had I known some of the details of the case, then I probably wouldn't have watched it despite not being able to switch it off from the first minute.

I was emotionally invested in the story of Shanann Watts as soon as the programme started and I was desperate to hear a good ending as I watched it describe the immediate hours after the disappearance of her and her two little girls, Bella and CeCe.

The case was all over the press a few years ago but I'd completely missed it due to just having baby Oryn. I think being a parent is what made it such a difficult watch.

If you're going to watch it and know nothing about the case, don't read on. This programme has been by far one of the hardest things I've ever sat through.

The mix of real-time footage from the policeman's body cam, media interviews and other videos from Shannon's social media make it a tough watch.

I called it from the offset about how calm and peculiar her husband, Chris Watts, seemed to be. For someone whose wife and kids had been reported missing. It just didn't feel right.

Turns out that Chris Watts is a very evil man. I can't begin to even imagine how anyone could be capable of the horrific crimes that he committed against his family.

The documentary left out a lot of details as I later found out but still, what I watched left me feeling very subdued for days. It's left me asking why? I'll never be able to make sense of it or understand his actions.

I put a post on Facebook warning people if they hadn't watched it to be wary, especially if they're parents to small children because any parent would find this horrific to watch.

I suppose the hardest part for me to fathom is that this young and vibrant female had no idea about her husband’s true colours.

She knew he was withdrawing but never in her wildest imagination did she suspect her husband of being a cold sociopath who could wipe out their entire family.

At the end of the programme, the fact flashes up on the screen that in the USA three women are killed every day by their partners.

It left me feeling very low this week so I'd only recommend watching it if you're unaffected by these stories.

I hope Chris Watts never sleeps easy again and despite showing no emotional remorse for his crimes, I hope he's living an eternity of sheer internal torture.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, you can contact Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline by email, web chat or phone on 0800 027 1234

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