Chris Watts is accused of killing his pregnant wife and daughters.
On the outside, Chris Watts, the man accused of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters, seemed like a warm and caring man, a friend of the family said.
"I believed until the other day that his entire life was those girls, and that he would die for them," Kris Landon told People magazine.
Watts, 33, is accused of strangling wife Shanann Watts, 34, and their daughters, Bella and Celeste, ages 4 and 3. He has claimed Shanann killed the children after he asked for a separation and he in turn strangled her in a rage, according to an arrest affidavit.
For Landon, Watts' arrest remains a shock. "His entire persona was as a family man, talking about his wife and his girls," Landon, who said he had known the Wattses for roughly four years, told the magazine.
“He’s just a very warm, personable person. He never seemed like someone with anything to hide, because he is so good at looking you in the eye and talking to you," Landon said. "He’s very gifted with words, like he knew what to say to make you like him and warm up to him.”
But others have said Watts seemed distant. Michele Greer met the family while they were on vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, earlier this month.
"He was just standing there," Greer told Inside Edition of Watts, adding that he appeared indifferent as his daughters happily bounced on a trampoline.
And though Shanann raved about her relationship with Watts online, privately she worried he was being unfaithful.
"It came to her mind that possibly he could be cheating," Amanda Thayer told CBS News.
According to the arrest affidavit, Watts was having an affair with a co-worker, which he initially denied in interviews with police. The affidavit does not say how police learned Watts was being unfaithful.
Watts faces nine charges, including several counts of first-degree murder.
Watts' next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 19. He has not yet entered a plea.
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