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In a bombshell that broke out on Tuesday, triple murderer Chris Watts pled guilty to the killings of his pregnant wife and young children in exchange for the possibility of a death sentence, PEOPLE confirmed.
Watts, 33, was arrested on August 15 and charged with the murder of his wife, nearly six-year-old Shan'ann Watts, and their daughters, Bella, age 4, and Celeste. , 3 years.
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Shan'ann was about 15 weeks pregnant with a son at that time and her family later announced that she was considering naming Nico Lee.
In court on Tuesday, Chris pleaded to nine counts, according to prosecutors: five counts of first degree murder, one illegal pregnancy termination leader and three counts of forgery of a corpse.
He will be officially sentenced to life in prison without parole on November 19.
Shan'ann's family was in court for his plea, According to local journalists. The prosecutor's office, in announcing Chris's plea agreement, said the deal was made with the agreement of Shan'ann's parents.
Chris has been detained at Weld County Jail since his arrest.
The case up to now
Shan'ann and his daughters disappeared after returning from a business trip in the early hours of August 13th.
In the days that followed, Chris made a televised call for their safe return, raising suspicions with his strangely quiet behavior – even on stilts.
During a subsequent police interrogation, Chris reportedly stated that he would "tell the truth" after the investigators told him that he had had an affair with a colleague, according to an affidavit confirming his arrest and unsealed at the end of the month of August.
Chris then confessed to having killed Shan'ann after "getting angry" when, he says, he saw her strangling one of their daughters with a baby monitor after he told her that he wished a separation, according to the affidavit relative to his arrest.
In pleading guilty Tuesday, Chris essentially admitted that this explanation was a lie.
The bodies of Shan'ann and his daughters were found the day after Chris was arrested on an oil site belonging to the company where he worked and from which he was fired.
Shan'ann was buried in a shallow pit and their daughters' bodies were hidden in nearby oil tanks, where they stayed for about four days, according to Chris's arrest affidavit and other documents of the court.
Those who knew the couple said that they seemed happy – until shortly before the killings. A friend told ABC News that Chris had become distant: "He was not a loving Chris as he was normally. He did not touch, hug, or do things like that.
But the family was everything for Shan'ann.
"That's all she talked about," Kris Landon told PEOPLE. "She talked about her daughters as miracles, because she had health problems and did not know if she would have children. But she really embraced motherhood and I thought that she had kissed her marriage too. They seemed to be partners. Incredible partners. "
Chris in prison: "ready to face reality"
Chris was previously under surveillance in prison. A source who was in contact with him told PEOPLE that he was shot and was crying his family.
But, according to the same source, Chris's behavior has changed dramatically in previous weeks. "He was more active," said the source. "He does not sleep all day. He actively participates in his own defense. He reads a lot and has contacts with his lawyers.
"In fact, he is very energetic now," the source continues. "He is ready to face reality now and decide on his best move. … He is able to look at things logically now and make the right decisions for himself. He turned a corner. "
On Chris's decision to plead, the source explains, "Chris had to face the reality. He did not like it at all, but he's smart enough to know that his back was against the wall, and the best thing to do was to plead guilty. "
"The evidence against him was overwhelming," the source said. "There was material evidence and his own words that would condemn him. His story did not work. "
This is a new development. Please come back for updates.
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