Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised.
Chris Watts, now a convicted murderer, killed his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste. According to People Magazine, Shanann, Bella, and Celeste went missing from the family’s Colorado home on August 13, 2018. After initially denying involvement in their disappearances, Chris confessed to their murders days later. However, he claimed that he only murdered Shanann because she had strangled their daughters. The victims’ bodies were found in the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.
The outlet reported that Chris pleaded guilty to multiple counts of murder and received five consecutive life sentences. However, the convicted murderer later confessed to having an affair with his co-worker Nichol Kessinger and that he murdered Shanann after she threatened to leave him and take their daughters with her. He smothered the girls with a blanket after driving to the oil field with his pregnant wife’s body, per The New York Post.
People Magazine stated that per the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Chris Watts is serving time in Dodge Correctional Institution.
Why did Chris Watts murder his family & what did he confess?
According to The Denver Post, Chris Watts admitted the true events behind the murders of his wife, Shanann Watts, and their two daughters. He reportedly made the confession while serving time in prison. He had pleaded guilty to nine charges stemming from the case on November 6, 2018, three months after the murders. These included five first-degree murder counts, one count of unlawful termination of pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a dead body. He then received five consecutive life terms in prison.
Later, Chris admitted to murdering 15-week pregnant Shanann on the morning of August 13 of the previous year. The convicted killer’s confession came in a six-hour-long prison interview after he failed a polygraph test, per People Magazine.
The Denver Post stated that in his confession, Chris Watts claimed he and his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, were discussing their marriage when it occurred. On the morning of August 13, 2018, he admitted that Shanann, who believed he was having an affair, confronted him about her suspicions. He reportedly denied the allegations but expressed his intention to get separated.
After this, Shanann reportedly threatened Chris that she would take their daughters, Celeste and Bella, and leave. That’s when he strangled her. He then wrapped the pregnant mother-of-two in a sheet and loaded her body in his truck. He also put their two daughters in the backseat of the vehicle. They then drove to the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, where Chris worked. While confessing to the murders, he claimed that, at the time, he had even thought of a murder-suicide.
The outlet stated that in his confession, Chris Watts detailed the events after they reached the oil field. Chris claimed he buried Shanann’s body in a shallow grave while the two girls waited in the truck. He then smothered three-year-old Celeste in the backseat and disposed of her body in an oil tank. He committed the crime while his other daughter witnessed it. Chris then confessed to using a blanket to smother four-year-old Bella, who screamed and even attempted to defend herself. The killer then dumped her body in a separate oil tank.
Chris, in his previous confession, had tried to pin the blame on Shanann, claiming that she strangled their daughters. He had alleged that his pregnant wife committed the crime when he told her of his intentions to separate. Chris said that he only strangled Shanann afterward in a fit of “rage.” Authorities had refused to believe his story and stated that they had enough evidence to believe that “Chris killed them all,” reported People Magazine.
Netflix’s American Murder: The Family Next Door has previously chronicled the case against Chris Watts. According to People Magazine, 38-year-old Chris now works as a custodian in prison, where he has been incarcerated since 2018.
