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DOSSIER – In this archival photo of August 16, 2018, Christopher Watts is escorted into the courtroom before his hearing at Weld County Court in Greeley, Colorado. The Colorado man, accused of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, under a plea agreement allowing him to avoid the death sentence. (Joshua Polson / The Greeley Tribune via AP, Pool, file)
DENVER – A Colorado man should be sentenced Monday for pleading guilty to murdering his pregnant wife and two young girls and throwing their bodies to an oil rig.
Christopher Watts pleaded guilty on November 6 to three counts of murder for the death of his wife, Shanann Watts, and their young daughters. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of child murder, one count of unlawful pregnancy termination and three counts of falsification of a dead human body.
Prosecutors said they had agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for Watts 'guilty plea, after seeking the approval of Shanann Watts' family. The first degree murder charges in Colorado require a life sentence without parole for adults.
Watts will have the opportunity to make a statement at the Monday hearing in Weld County, but it is unclear when he will talk. Watts is represented by the Office of the Public Defender of the State of Colorado, who does not comment on ongoing cases.
Prosecutors said Shanann Watts' family members may decide to speak at the sentencing hearing.
Judge Marcelo Kopcow also said Thursday that Christopher Watts' parents are considered victims of the crime because they are the grandparents of the girls. Victims are permitted to make a statement or provide written comments at sentencing hearings held in Colorado.
A friend asked the police to check Shanann Watts on August 13, while she could not reach her. She began to worry about the fact that the 34-year-old pregnant woman of a third child had missed a doctor's appointment. The local police were first busy with the search and quickly asked for help from Colorado investigators and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Meanwhile, Christopher Watts met with local television reporters from the front steps of Frederick's family home; a small town in the plains north of Denver where rigs and oil wells surround thriving subdivisions. Watts pleaded for his family to return home, telling reporters that their home was empty without Bella, age 4, and Celeste, age 3, watching cartoons or running for him at the door.
A few days later, the 33-year-old was arrested and accused of killing his family.
According to the court records, Watts allegedly admitted to the police that he had killed his wife. Watts told investigators that he had strangled her "with rage" when he had discovered that she had strangled their two daughters after asking for separation.
Prosecutors have since described Watts' account as a "blatant lie."
Authorities have not published any autopsy reports or information on the deaths of their mothers and daughters. Prosecutors announced that the reports would be made public after the conviction of Christopher Watts.
The girls' bodies were found immersed in an oil tank on a property of the company in which Christopher Watts had worked until his arrest. The body of Shanann Watts was found buried nearby in a shallow pit.
Police also learned that Christopher Watts had an affair with a colleague. Watts had denied this before being arrested.
The killings have garnered media attention across the country and have become the target of real crime blogs and online video channels, helped by dozens of family photos and videos that Shanann Watts shared on social media and showing smiling couple spending time with their children.
However, court records have shown that the lifestyle of the couple is sometimes a source of financial hardship. They filed for bankruptcy in June 2015, six months after hiring Christopher Watts as operator for the big oil and gas driller Anadarko Petroleum, for an annual salary of about 61,500. $. At the time, Shanann Watts was working in a call center for a children's hospital at $ 18 an hour.
They reported a total profit of $ 90,000 in 2014, but $ 70,000 in unsecured claims and a mortgage of nearly $ 3,000. The claims included thousands of dollars in credit card debt, some student loans and medical bills.
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