Watts Family Murders

On August 13, 2018, Shanann Watts, 34, returned to the family home in Frederick, Colorado, from a business trip in the early morning hours. Later that day, a friend called police when Shanann failed to appear for a scheduled medical appointment and was not responding to contacts. That afternoon, Shanann's husband Chris Watts, 33, an Anadarko Petroleum field operator, appeared on local television pleading for his wife's return while standing outside their home.

Investigators became suspicious of Watts within hours. He failed a polygraph examination. On August 15, confronted by investigators, Watts initially claimed Shanann had killed their daughters — Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3 — and that he had then strangled Shanann. He then led police to an oil well site owned by his employer in Weld County, where Shanann's body was found in a shallow grave and the children's bodies were submerged in oil tanks.

A subsequent and more complete confession told a different account. Watts had been conducting an affair with a coworker and wanted to leave the marriage. He killed Shanann — who was 15 weeks pregnant with their son Nico — by strangulation in their bedroom, then smothered Bella and Celeste. He transported all three bodies to the work site. The case became a prominent example of familicide and generated a Netflix documentary, "American Murder: The Family Next Door," drawn from Shanann's own extensive social media posts.

[Watts pleaded guilty to all charges on November 6, 2018, and was sentenced to five consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole on November 19, 2018.](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/colorado-dad-christopher-watts-sentenced-life-prison-killing-his-pregnant-n937931)

Arrest & Charges

[Chris Watts was arrested August 15, 2018](https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/us/chris-watts-investigation-affidavit/index.html), and charged in Weld County, Colorado, with three counts of first-degree murder, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body. The DA announced intent to seek the death penalty.

Guilty Plea & Sentencing

To avoid the death penalty, [Watts pleaded guilty on November 6, 2018, to all charges.](https://apnews.com/article/chris-watts-family-murders-life-sentence-colorado) On November 19, 2018, Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentenced him to five consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole plus additional consecutive time.

Current Status

Watts is incarcerated at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin (transferred from Colorado for security). In February 2019 he gave a detailed interview to investigators providing additional details about the night of the murders. No appeal is pending; he waived appellate rights as part of the plea.