Christopher Watts pleads guilty to killing wife, children — will be spared death penalty
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A Colorado man who publicly begged for the safe return of his missing pregnant wife and their two daughters on Tuesday pleaded guilty to killing them, in a deal the prosecutor said spares him the death penalty.
Christopher Watts, 33, pleaded guilty to all nine counts against him — including five counts of first-degree murder — in the deaths of his wife, Shanann Watts, and their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, whose bodies were found on the property of an oil and gas company where Christopher Watts worked in August, according to a press release from Colorado's 19th Judicial District.
The plea deal includes a sentencing agreement that Christopher Watts will be sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said.
Rourke said at a press conference that the plea deal was made with the support of Shanann Watts’ family, and after he explained what he called the "extraordinary delays that currently exist" in Colorado in putting prisoners to death.
"They were very strongly in favor of a resolution in this case short of the death penalty," Rourke said. Rourke recounted a conversation with Shanann Watts' mother, Sandra Rzucek, that helped make the decision.
"Sandy said it very, very poignantly to me. She said, 'he made the choice to take those lives. I do not want to be in a position of making the choice to take his,'" Rourke said. "And so that's about as firmly as she could have said it to me, and that was very compelling to all of us as we were talking about how to proceed on this case."
Christopher Watts pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree, three counts of tampering with a deceased human body, and one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
He appeared calm but emotional, speaking in a shaky voice as he entered his plea in court. He did not look at member of Shanann Watts’ family.
Shanann Watts, 34, and their daughters, Bella and Celeste, were originally reported missing in August. Chris pleaded for their return in interviews held outside the family's home in Frederick, Colorado, telling reporters "I just want them home so bad."
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I can't understand a monster like this but at least he spends the rest of his life in jail.
Lack of understanding is what hits me too. What possibly could drive a sane man to do this? How can one place such a low priority on human life - especially those of his immediate family?
The sad thing is, there is probably a woman (or man) somewhere that would date him and marry him through prison bars.
Child killers don't do well in prison.
And surprisingly, I'm okay with that. He took 3 human lives. He should not get an easy road out of the deal.
How anyone can kill their own family is something that I can't even began to understand. A 8x10 cell is his home until he dies and that is a good thing.
Well it is so sad to know his victims could not see this coming. And yet i have no doubt this planned attack on them was based on something he decided was needed to spare them from something else he probably had done.
In the end, i am glad he didn't drag this trial out and make a fuss. I look forward to hearing about him being "picked on" and then getting his 20/20 special and hopefully after that, never ever again.