Chris Watts to plead guilty in killings of pregnant wife, two young daughters; avoids death penalty

Chris Watts pleaded guilty Tuesday to the killing of his pregnant wife and two daughters in Frederick, Colorado back in August. In exchange for the plea, Watts will avoid the death penalty.

According to Denver 7, Watts appeared in court Tuesday for a status hearing where he pleaded guilty to nine counts: three on first degree murder after deliberation, two counts of first-degree murder – victim under 12 and/or in position of trust, one count of first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.

Watts will be in court for sentencing on November 19 for his scheduled court date.

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The Colorado man charged with nine felonies in the deaths of his pregnant wife and two children admitted to killing the mother but said he did it because she killed the two girls.

The arrest affidavit for Chris Watts was released Monday afternoon, and it provides new grim details about the deaths of Shanann Watts and her two daughters, Celeste and Bella. The mother and her daughters were reported missing before being found at an Anadarko site last week where Chris had worked. ( MAP ).

According to the arrest affidavit, police began searching the house when a neighbor reported Shanann missing. Chris spoke with police and initially told them he didn’t know where she went, but later gave details about what happened before her disappearance.

Chris told police that Shanann returned home from a trip at about 2 a.m. on Aug. 13. He then said at about 5 a.m., he had a conversation with Shanann about marital separation. He told police it was a civil conversation but became emotional. He then said he left for work at about 5:30 a.m., which was also shown on a neighbor’s surveillance camera.

Investigators kept searching for clues throughout the day but found no evidence of foul play inside the house, despite finding many of Shanann’s personal effects still in place inside the house.

Over the course of two days, investigators learned that Chris was having an affair with a coworker. He had denied that in previous interviews.

But then a break came when police interviewed Chris again and he asked to speak with his father. He told police he would “tell the truth after speaking with his dad,” according to the affidavit.

Chris spoke with his dad and then told police his account of what happened before Shanann’s death.

Chris said after the conversation about separating, he went downstairs for a moment and then returned to the bedroom. He says when he was in the bedroom, he looked at the baby monitor on the nightstand and noticed Bella “sprawled out on her bed and blue, and Shanann actively strangling Celeste,” according to the affidavit.

Chris told police that he “went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death” before loading all three bodies into the back of his truck. He admitted to burying Shanann at the work site and dumping the girls inside the oil tanks.

It’s not clear if police believe Chris’ account. He’s currently charged with multiple counts of murder for all three of the deaths.

He remains in protective custody and is in isolation due to the publicity in this case. He will appear in court Tuesday morning for the first time since learning his formal charges.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.