Shanann Watts lived with her husband, Chris, and their two young daughters, Bella who was four and Celeste who was three, in a beautiful neighborhood in Colorado. If you looked at them, their life seemed picture perfect. Shanann loved being a mom, often posting about her family online. She worked hard to keep everyone happy and stay close to friends and family, no matter how busy life got. Chris, her husband, seemed like a caring, dependable dad. He was quieter than Shanann but spent time with his daughters, taking them to the park or riding bikes. 

Chris and Shanann met on the internet, and right away, they noticed their strong connection. They fell in love fast, got married soon after, and moved into a lovely house to start their family. Shanann was known for her energy and focus on her girls. She managed a busy home and still made time for her friends and her job. Even with the normal struggles all families face, their love for each other seemed to keep them strong.

Although in the summer of 2018, things started to get bad in the Watts home. Chris seemed distracted and silent, often keeping his thoughts to himself. Later admitting he had an affair with his coworker Nichol Kessinger. Shanann noticed the changes in Chris, but she did not know the real reason behind his behavior. She hoped that with time, their problems would disappear and their old love would return. 

While Shanann was out of town that summer, Chris started spending time with Nichol, going on dates and even staying at her house. He lied to Nichol, telling her he was getting divorced, even though he was still living with Shanann and their daughters. Prosecutors said Chris wanted a “fresh start” with Nichol and saw his family as obstacles to this new life. He also didn’t want the responsibility of a third child since Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant.

Chris admitted to trying to cause her to have a miscarriage by giving her oxycodone weeks before the murders. The family was also under a lot of financial stress, with big debts and a past bankruptcy. Chris knew that divorce would mean more money problems, like paying child support. 

On August 13, 2018, Chris and Shanann got into a big argument in their bedroom after she returned from a business trip. Chris told her he wanted a divorce and didn’t love her anymore. Shanann threatened that he would never see the kids again. Chris told police this is what made him snap but, in prison letters he admitted he had planned the murders for weeks and knew the night before that it would be the last time he tucked his daughters into bed.

During the argument, Chris strangled Shanann. After she died he put Shanann’s body in his truck. He then brought Bella and Celeste who were still alive into the back seat and drove them to a remote oil field where he worked. The oil site was about 45 minutes away from their house near a small town called Roggen. When they arrived, Chris buried Shanann in a shallow grave at the site. Then, Chris smothered Celeste using her favorite blue Yankees blanket in the backseat while Bella watched. then as Chris moved to kill Bella she screamed her final words “Daddy, no” Chris has said he hears those words every time he closes his eyes. Afterward he put their bodies in separate oil tanks hoping no one would find them.

Back at home, Shanann’s friend became worried when she couldn’t reach her. She called the police who went to the Watts home to check on Shanann. At first, Chris lied to the police saying Shanann had killed the children and that he had killed her in a fit of rage. However, the police quickly started to notice things that didn’t add up. Security camera footage, phone records, and Chris’s strange behavior made them suspicious. The police questioned Chris several times, and each time, his story seemed to change. After a few days, under intense questioning and after failing a lie detector test, Chris finally told the police the truth about what he had done. He led them to the oil field, where they found Shanann buried in the dirt and the girls in the oil tanks.

Chris Watts was arrested and charged with multiple serious crimes, including first-degree murder, killing an unborn child, and tampering with bodies. In November of 2018, Chris pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. He was sentanced to five life sentences in prison, one for each life he took and for what he did to his family. Today, Chris Watts is in a maximum-security prison, and he will be there for the rest of his life. The memories of Shanann, Bella, Celeste, and baby Nico are kept alive by the people who loved them. 

References

https://abcnews.com/US/chris-watts-man-killed-pregnant-wife-daughters-details/story?id=61383412

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46269794

https://www.nytimes.com/article/chris-watts-case.html

https://www.mylifetime.com/movies/chris-watts-confessions-of-a-killer