Chris Watts attending a hearing in Colorado. (Photo Credit: RJ Sangosti | The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
In August 2018, authorities apprehended a man named Chris Watts for the mysterious disappearance of his wife and children. Within a day of his arrest, police announced that they discovered the lifeless bodies of the missing trio at Watts’ workplace. In the initial interrogation, Watts admitted that he killed his pregnant wife in a rage after he allegedly saw his wife killing their daughters. He received five life sentences for the murders.
According to The Denver Post, Watts murdered his wife inside their house in Frederick. After committing the heinous crime, he took her body to his workplace, along with their daughters. The publication also stated that he slayed his children at the site before putting their bodies in an oil tanker. On the other hand, it was revealed that Watts was having an affair with one of his co-workers, who told the authorities that the accused might have killed his family because of financial troubles.
Two days after the disappearance and the murder, authorities called Chris Watts for a polygraph test, which he failed. He admitted that he killed his wife but didn’t tell the truth while talking about the death of his daughters. Watts received three life sentences for killing his wife. Meanwhile, in February 2019, he admitted that he killed his daughters as well. According to The Mirror, he told true crime author Cheryln Cadle how he killed his entire family.
In a letter written to Cadle, Watts wrote, “I went to Bella’s room, then Cece’s room, and used a pillow from their bed (to kill them). That’s why the cause of death was smothering. After I left Cece’s room, then I climbed back in bed with Shanann and our argument ensued.” However, things didn’t go as planned because both his daughters woke up. As a result, he took their lives at the oil site. Citing the letter, The Mirror also mentioned Chris Watts tried inducing a miscarriage by slipping in a painkiller to his wife.
As per The New York Times, authorities charged him for the murders of his wife and the two children. Overall, he faced nine criminal counts, including unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
Chris Watts’ murder case explored
Right after the disappearance of his wife and children, Chris Watts requested his pregnant wife to return home. While speaking in an interview with Denver7, Watts begged his wife and children to return and asked the Colorado people to help him. Watts said, “Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if you’re out there, just come back. If somebody has her, just bring her back. I need to see everybody, I need to see everybody again. This house is not complete without anybody here.”
Although he initially claimed that he didn’t murder his children, in November 2018, Chris Watts later admitted that he killed all members of the family. According to NBC News, Watts took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to all nine counts against him, including five counts of first-degree murder. Moreover, the plea deal ensured that Watts would not face the death penalty but instead be sentenced to life in prison.
The family of Watts’ wife also made it clear that they are okay with him not receiving the death penalty. Citing their statement, the prosecutor announced that the victim’s family wanted to conclude the case without resorting to the death penalty. The prosecutor said, “Sandy (mother of Watts’ wife) said it very, very poignantly to me. She said, ‘he made the choice to take those lives. I do not want to be in a position of making the choice to take his.”
Before his guilty plea, The New York Times mentioned that Chris Watts allegedly had an affair with one of his co-workers. Meanwhile, People Magazine reported that the woman told the authorities that Watts wanted to divorce his wife.
During the hearing, the prosecutor claimed that Watts “smothered” his daughters before hiding them in an oil tanker. The attorney said, “The man seated to my right smothered his daughters.” Almost three months after the brutal murders, the court sentenced Chris Watts to five life sentences without the possibility of parole. As per People Magazine, Watts is currently serving his sentence at the Dodge Correctional Institute in Wisconsin.
Did the authorities allow him to keep his family’s photos in his cell?
People Magazine reported that Chris Watts kept the photos of the deceased family members in his cell. Upon the news going online, people initiated an online petition urging the officials to remove the pictures from his cell. However, the outlet mentioned that the prison authorities didn’t remove the photos from his cell. At the time, the officials told People Magazine that they had “no legal basis” for eliminating those pictures.
However, the authorities confirmed to People Magazine that Chris Watts received two conduct reports while in prison.
The brutal murder case is featured in the Netflix documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door.
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