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A police trooper at a crime scene. Author; Campbell Jensen.

10 Things to know about the Watts Family Murders

During the early hours of 13^th August 2018, Christopher Lee Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann (34) and their two children Bella (4) and Celeste (3) in Frederick, Colorado. He murdered his wife by strangulation and their children through smothering.

Christopher Lee Watts dumped his children鈥檚 bodies into crude oil tanks after burying Shanann in a shallow grave near an oil-storage facility. Initially, Christopher Lee Watts maintained his innocence after his family disappeared for some days.

However, on August 15^th, he confessed in a police interview to having murdered Shanann. He then confessed to the killing of his children too later.

Watts pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder on November 6, 2018. As part of a plea deal in which the death penalty (which was later abolished in Colorado in 2020) was removed from sentencing. He received five life sentences without the possibility of parole, three of which were to be served consecutively.

Here are the 10 Things to know about the Watts Family Murders;

1. Christopher was Married to Shanann for 8 Years before Killing Her

Christopher Lee Watts was born on 16^th May 1985 in Spring Lake while Shanann Cathryn Watts was born on 10^th January 1984 in Aberdeen. The two met in 2010, dated for two years, and then got married in Mecklenburg County on 3^rd November 2012.

Christopher and Shanann had two of them, Bella Marie Watts born on 17^th December 2013, and Celeste Cathryn Watts who was born on 17^th July 2015. The two were married for eight years and living together before Christopher Lee Watts decided to murder them all.

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2. The Watts Family was Declared Bankruptcy in 2015

Christopher Lee Watts, Shanann Cathryn, and their family lived in a five-bedroom home at 2825 Saratoga Trail in Frederick Colorado. They purchased their home in 2013. However, the Watts Family was declared bankrupt in 2015.

During the declaration of bankruptcy, Christopher was working at Anadarko Petroleum. Shanann used to work from home for the multi-level marketing company known as Le-Vel selling their products, Thrive.

3. Shanann Watts was 15 Weeks Pregnant at the Time of Her Death

A pregnant woman. Author; Juan.

Christopher Lee Watts committed the murders of his family at a very critical moment in life which left many shocked. The Watts Family was expecting a new member of their family before Christopher decided to kill his wife and children.

Shanann Cathryn Watts was expectant at the time of her murder. She was fifteen weeks pregnant with a baby boy who they had given the name Nico.

4. Shanann Failing to Show Up for Clinic & a Meeting Raised Suspicion of Homicide

Shanann was driven home from a business trip to Arizona by her friend and colleague Nickole Utoft Atkinson at approximately 1:48 a.m. on Monday, August 13, 2018. Watts was at home with their daughters that weekend.

Later that day, Atkinson reported Shanann and the girls missing after Shanann missed a scheduled obstetrics and gynecology appointment and failed to return her text messages. Atkinson went to the Watts house around 12:10 p.m. after Shanann missed a business meeting.

When the doorbell and knocks went unanswered, Atkinson informed Christopher who was at work. He then called the Frederick Police Department after suspicion of homicide.

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5. Christopher gave an Interview Pleading with his Family to Return Home

Cops interrogating a criminal suspect. Author; Rodnae.

At around 1:40 PM, a police officer arrived at the Watts home to conduct a welfare check and was allowed to search the house. The family dog was unharmed, but the girls and their mother were not found at home. The only things that were discovered were Shanann鈥檚 purse, her phone, her car in the garage, and her wedding ring on the bedside table.

The following day, the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) joined in the investigation. Watts had initially told the police that he had no idea where his family was and that he hadn鈥檛 seen his wife since he left for work the day before.

Outside their house, Christopher spoke to Denver stations KMGH-TV and KUSA-TV, pleading for the return of his wife and daughters. During the interview, investigators with search dogs could be heard on the property as the search continued.

6. Christopher Failed a Test during Interrogation & Confessed to the Killings

On 15^th August 2018, Christopher Lee Watts was arrested. An arrest affidavit and footage from security cameras in the interview room revealed every detail of his interrogation.

Christopher Watts failed a polygraph test which was key to finding the real murderer. After failing this test, Watts went ahead and confessed to murdering his wife. However, he requested to talk to his father before he confessed to killing his whole family.

7. He Accused Shanann of Strangling their Girls after She was Asked for Separation

A lady held hostage. Author; James Kovin.

Watts had alleged to be in an affair, according to the affidavit, and claimed he requested a divorce from his wife Shanann. He claimed during the investigation that Shanann strangled the girls in response to his request for separation.

Christopher later claimed that he then strangled her in a fit of rage and transported the bodies to a remote oil-storage site leased by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum.

8. The Bodies of the Watts Family were Found on the Oil-storage Site

Police and investigators working on a crime scene. Author; Faruk.

Christopher Watts was arrested and fired by the company on 15^th August. On 16^th August, the bodies of the Watts were located by the authorities approximately 3 miles north of Roggen on an oil-storage site.

Bella and Celeste鈥檚 bodies were found in the crude oil storage tanks. The body of Shanann was found buried in a shallow grave nearby. The bodies of the girls had been pushed through a hatch on the top of a different oil tank. A medical examiner stated, 鈥淏ella had scratches on her left buttock from being shoved into this hole. A tuft of blonde hair was found on the edge of one of these hatches.鈥�

9. Christopher Faced Seven Charges on Trail for the Watts Family Murders

On 21st August 2018, Watts faced trial on seven charges. He was first charged with three counts of the first murder. This included an additional one count per child because they had not attained the age of 12.

Christopher Watts was also charged with unlawful termination of a heart. He also faced three counts of tampering with deceased human bodies. With all these charges, Christopher was denied bail during his first court appearance.

10. Watts Pleaded Guilty to Killing His Family and Avoided a Death Penalty

The Criminal was escorted to jail. Author; Rodnae.

On November 6, Watts pleaded guilty to the murders. The district attorney declined to seek the death penalty at the request of Shanann鈥檚 family, who did not want any more deaths. They supported his decision to accept the plea bargain.

On November 19, he was sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole, three consecutive and two concurrent. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison for illegally terminating Shanann鈥檚 pregnancy and 36 years in prison for three counts of tampering with a deceased body. His sentence began right away.

On 3^rd December 2018, Christopher Watts was taken to an out-of-state location due to 鈥渟ecurity concerns鈥�. He was later moved to Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin, on December 5 to continue serving his life sentence.

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