Man pleads guilty to killing pregnant wife and young daughters
A man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters has pleaded guilty in court.
Christopher Watts, 33, was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of his wife Shanann and two daughters Celeste and Bella in Colorado in August, according to a press release from the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.
On Tuesday, the accused pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree murder of a victim under the age of 12.
Since his wife was also pregnant, he also pleaded guilty to unlawful termination of pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
The pleas were in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table however the counts still carry a life sentence.
After his pregnant wife and two daughters disappeared, Watts stood on his porch in Colorado and told reporters how much he missed them.
He longed for the simple things, he said, like telling his girls to eat their dinner and gazing at them as they curled up to watch cartoons.
“Last night, I had every light in the house on. I was hoping that I would just get ran over by the kids running in the door, just barrel-rushing me, but it didn’t happen,” he told Denver TV station KMGH.
District Attorney Michael Rourke told the court Shannan Watts’ family “were strongly in favour” of coming to a resolution, which didn’t see the 33-year-old sentenced to death, Fox 31 Denver reported.
Mr Rourke quoted Ms Watts’ mother Sandra in court.
“I do not want to be in the position of making the choice to take his,” Mr Rourke said.
Watts is accused of killing his pregnant wife and their daughters at their home north of Denver.
It’s alleged he drove their bodies to an oil site, and police said the girls’ bodies were found in an oil tank while his wife’s body was found in a shallow grave.
He could be heard sniffing and trembled each time he said “guilty” in response to each charge read against him by the judge.
Watts is due to be sentenced on November 19.
with Associated Press
