In the early hours of August 13, 2018, in

Frederick, Colorado The Town of Frederick is a Statutory Town located in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 14,513 at the 2020 United States Census, a +67.22% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Frederick is a part of the Greele ...

, American oil field operator Christopher Lee Watts (born May 16, 1985) murdered his pregnant wife Shanann (34) by

strangulation Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hangin ...

, and their two children Bella (4) and Celeste (3) by

smothering Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that can ...

them. He buried Shanann in a shallow grave near an oil-storage facility, and dumped his children's bodies into crude oil tanks. Watts initially maintained his innocence in his family’s disappearance, but was arrested on August 15 after confessing to murdering Shanann in an interview with detectives. He later admitted to murdering his children. On November 6, 2018, Watts pleaded guilty to multiple counts of

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially t ...

as part of a

plea deal A plea bargain (also plea agreement or plea deal) is an agreement in criminal law proceedings, whereby the prosecutor provides a concession to the defendant in exchange for a plea of guilt or ''nolo contendere.'' This may mean that the defendant ...

when the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...

(which was later abolished in Colorado in 2020) was removed from sentencing. He was sentenced to five

life sentences Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes ...

without the possibility of parole, three to be served consecutively.

Background

Christopher Lee Watts and Shanann Cathryn Watts (née Rzucek, January 10, 1984 – August 13, 2018) were from

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

: Christopher from Spring Lake and Shanann from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

. They met in 2010 and were married in Mecklenburg County on November 3, 2012, according to online records. The couple had two daughters: Bella Marie Watts (December 17, 2013 – August 13, 2018) and Celeste Cathryn "CeCe" Watts (July 17, 2015 – August 13, 2018). At the time of her death, Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant with a son who was to be named Nico. The Watts family lived in a five-bedroom home at 2825 Saratoga Trail in

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, which they purchased in 2013, and declared

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debto ...

in 2015. Christopher was employed by

Anadarko Petroleum Anadarko Petroleum Corporation was a company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. It was organized in Delaware and headquartered in two skyscrapers in The Woodlands, Texas: the Allison Tower and the Hackett Tower, both named after former CEOs of ...

, while Shanann worked from home selling a product called Thrive for the

multi-level marketing Multi-level marketing (MLM), also called network marketing or pyramid selling, is a controversial marketing strategy for the sale of products or services in which the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salaried workforce selling th ...

company Le-Vel.

Disappearance

At approximately 1:48 am on Monday, August 13, 2018, Shanann, returning from a business trip to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, was driven home by her friend and colleague Nickole Utoft Atkinson. Over that weekend Watts was home with their daughters. Later that day, Shanann and the girls were reported missing by Atkinson, who became concerned when Shanann missed a scheduled

obstetrics and gynecology Obstetrics and Gynaecology (also spelled as Obstetrics and Gynecology; abbreviated as Obs and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and ...

appointment and failed to return her text messages. After Shanann missed a business meeting, Atkinson went to the Watts residence at about 12:10 pm. When the doorbell and knocks went unanswered, Atkinson notified Christopher, who was at work, and called the

Police Department. A Frederick police officer arrived to conduct a

welfare check Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

at about 1:40 pm. During the welfare check, Christopher gave the police officer permission to search the house, where the family dog was discovered unharmed, but no sign of Shanann or the girls was found. Searchers discovered Shanann's purse containing her keys and the children's medicine. Her phone was later located between the couch cushions in the family home. Her car, which still contained the girls' car seats, was in the garage. Shanann's wedding ring was found on the bedside table. The FBI and the

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a division of Colorado Department of Public Safety, is a law enforcement agency of the state of Colorado that performs forensic and laboratory services and criminal investigations at the request of local an ...

(CBI) joined the investigation the next day. Watts initially told police that he had no idea where his family might be and that he had not seen his wife since 5:15 am the previous day, when he left for work. He gave interviews to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

stations KMGH-TV and

KUSA-TV KUSA (channel 9) is a television station in Denver, Colorado, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD (channel 20). Both stations share studios on East Speer Boulevard in Denver's S ...

outside the house, pleading for the return of his wife and daughters. Investigators with search dogs could be heard on the property during the interview.

Legal proceedings

Arrest and charges

Watts was arrested on August 15, 2018. According to the arrest

affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or '' deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by law. Such a stateme ...

and footage from a security camera in the interview room, he failed a

polygraph test A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

and subsequently confessed to murdering Shanann. He asked to speak to his father before confessing. According to the affidavit, Watts was having an affair and claimed he asked for a separation from Shanann. During the investigation, he claimed Shanann had strangled the girls in response to his request for separation and that he had then strangled her in a fit of rage and transported the bodies to a remote oil-storage site leased by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum. Watts was fired by the company on August 15, the day of his arrest. The authorities located the bodies of the Watts family on the oil-storage site, situated approximately 3 miles north of Roggen, on August 16. The girls' bodies were found in crude oil storage tanks, while Shanann was buried in a shallow grave nearby. Bella and Celeste's bodies had each been pushed through a hatch at the top of a different oil tank, with the lid being 8 inches in diameter. According to the medical examiner, "Bella had scratches on her left buttock from being shoved through this hole. A tuft of blonde hair was found on the edge of one of these hatches." On August 21, Watts was charged with three counts of

, including an additional one count per child cited as "death of a child who had not yet attained 12 years of age and the defendant was in a position of trust", unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body. He was denied bail at his first court appearance. At a later hearing, his bail was set at $5 million, with him being required to put down 15% to be released. The case has been connected in the media to the crime of family annihilation (

familicide A familicide is a type of murder or murder-suicide in which one kills multiple close family members in quick succession, most often children, spouses, siblings, or parents. In half the cases, the killer lastly kills themselves in a murder-su ...

). Many of these crimes occur in August, before school starts, which may delay detection and investigation. According to former FBI profiler

Candice DeLong Candice is a given name and a variant spelling of the name Candace. People Notable people with the name include: *Candice Accola, American actress (''The Vampire Diaries'') * Candice Carty-Williams, British writer *Candice Bergen, American act ...

, cases such as the Watts' are rare because "family annihilators usually commit suicide after the murders", an action that Watts claimed to have contemplated out of guilt for his actions. In an interview on ''

Dr. Phil Phillip Calvin McGraw (born September 1, 1950), better known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author best known for hosting the talk show '' Dr. Phil''. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased rene ...

'', Watts's lawyer claimed that he confessed to killing Shanann after an argument regarding divorce. During the murder, Bella walked in on the couple. Watts then told her that Shanann was sick. He loaded Shanann's body and the girls, without their car seats, into the back seat of his work truck. He later smothered the girls, one after the other.

Plea deal and sentencing

Watts pleaded guilty to the murders on November 6. The

was not put forward by the

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a ...

on the request of Shanann's family, who did not wish for any further deaths. They were supportive of his decision to accept the plea deal. On November 19, he was sentenced to five life sentences—three consecutive and two concurrent—without the possibility of

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

. He received an additional 48 years for the unlawful termination of Shanann's pregnancy and 36 years for three charges of tampering with a deceased body. His sentence began immediately. On December 3, 2018, Watts was moved to an out-of-state location due to "security concerns". On December 5, he arrived at

Dodge Correctional Institution Dodge Correctional Institution (DCI) is an adult male maximum-security correctional facility operated by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions in Waupun, Wisconsin, US. The facility was converted from the Centr ...

, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin, to continue serving his life sentences.

Media accounts

On a December 2018 episode of the

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

series ''

20/20 Visual acuity (VA) commonly refers to the clarity of vision, but technically rates an examinee's ability to recognize small details with precision. Visual acuity is dependent on optical and neural factors, i.e. (1) the sharpness of the retinal ...

'', Shanann's parents were interviewed for the first time since the murders. HLN aired a special report that same month titled ''Family Massacre: Chris Watts Exposed'', in which footage of Watts from

police body camera In policing equipment, a body camera or wearable camera, also known as body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera (BWC), or bodycam, is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system used by police to record events in which law enfo ...

s and security cameras in the police station's interview room were revealed. In a recorded interview released by the CBI with Christopher's girlfriend, she revealed his behavioral changes in the days prior to the murders. On a December 2018 episode of the American talk show ''

'', Phil McGraw consulted with four crime experts: former prosecutor and TV journalist Nancy Grace, former FBI profiler

, law enforcement consultant Steve Kardian, and body language expert Susan Constantine. The experts analyzed the motivation, secret life, and profiling of Watts. On a January 2019 episode of the talk show '' The Dr. Oz Show'', commentary is provided on his case by the neighbor who helped build the case against him, who is interviewed in-studio. In June 2021, ''Inside Edition'' reported further confessions from Chris Watts to a

pen pal Pen pals (or penpals, pen-pals, penfriends or pen friends) are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of let ...

. In multiple letters, Watts explained that he had planned the murder for several weeks and that the

oxycontin Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

found in Shanann's system was given to her by him, hoping to end her pregnancy because he believed that would make it easier for him to be with his girlfriend. He also offered new details about the murder of his daughters: he tried to smother them in their beds at home, but failed.

Adaptations

On December 7, 2019,

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements ...

released a one hour documentary about the case as the first episode of series three of their television program

Criminal Confessions ''Criminal Confessions'' is an American true crime television series that premiered October 1, 2017, and airs on Oxygen. Each episode features a different criminal case and showcases footage from inside actual police interrogation rooms and diss ...

. On January 26, 2020, Lifetime released a film called ''Chris Watts: Confessions of a Killer'' as part of its "Ripped from the Headlines" feature film series. It stars Sean Kleier as Christopher Watts and Ashley Williams as Shanann. Shanann's family spoke out against the film, stating that they had not been consulted about it and were not aware of its making until it was already in production. They have also said they are not making any money from it and fear that it will only increase the harassment online that they had already been receiving. On September 30, 2020,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

released '' American Murder: The Family Next Door'', a documentary about the murders. The documentary features archival footage including home videos, social media posts, text messages, and law enforcement recordings. In 2022, the

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...

band

SKYND Skynd is the name of a troll in a Danish fairy tale. The tale was recorded by Just Mathias Thiele in ''Danmarks folkesagn'', who localised it to Skjelverød, near Ringsted, where it was supposedly the origin of the place-name "Kirstens Bjerg" (Ki ...

published a single called "Chris Watts", based on the Watts case.

References

External links

The People of the State of Colorado v. Christopher Lee Watts
Documents from August 16, 2018, to November 27, 2018. Colorado Judicial Branch. {{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109021540/https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/District/Case_Details.cfm?Case_ID=2722 , date=November 9, 2020
Press Release: Christopher Lee Watts
Frederick Police Department. August 20, 2018. Archived September 25, 2018. 2018 in Colorado 2018 murders in the United States August 2018 crimes in the United States August 2018 events in the United States Familicides Incidents of violence against girls Murder in Colorado Violence against women in the United States