Cellmate of Chris Watts says killer made shocking claim about murder of wife and kids
He narrowly avoided the death penalty for his horrific crimes
The former cellmate of Chris Watts has shared some of the shocking claims made by the notorious killer after he murdered his pregnant wife and two toddlers.
Watts, who was the focus of the tragic Netflix true crime series American Murder: The Family Next Door, brutally strangled his wife Shanann in 2018 before suffocating his young daughters Bella (4) and Celeste (3).
The 40-year-old even pleaded with local media that his family were all missing before it quickly became clear that he was responsible, with his pregnant wife's body found in a shallow grave. He also forced his children's bodies into crude oil tanks.
In November 2018, he confessed to the murders and pleaded guilty to multiple charges including first-degree murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
Advert
He was handed five life sentences without parole to avoid the death penalty and has spent the last seven years inside the Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in Wisconsin.
It was there where he met fellow inmate Dylan Tallman. They shared a thin wall for seven months, and ended up regularly engaging in conversations and reportedly becoming close.
But now, Tallman has revealed some of the horrific things that Watts had to say about the murders, as he seemingly still struggles to accept responsibility, instead choosing to blame Nichol Kessinger, the woman with whom he started an affair before killing his family.
Tallman said: "He will talk to a girl and she becomes his everything really fast.
"Watts calls them incessantly and writes them letters, sometimes 15 pages long, with words spanning front and back.
"A lot of women write him in prison. He talks to them a lot.
"He becomes obsessed with a woman and she becomes all he can think of - and he'll do whatever they ask him to do."
Tallman also revealed how Watts turned to religion after American journalist Nancy Grace called him out live on television.
He recalled: "She addressed him through the TV, saying, 'Chris Watts, I want to talk to you.' They showed pictures of his wife and daughters.
"It affected him. He fell to his knees and confessed his sins. It sounds weird, but that's when he became a man of faith.
"I think that was his rock bottom, when he was confronted with all the things he had done and how many lives he had ruined. That was a lot for him. He turned to God after that."
While religion teaches forgiveness, quotes taken from Watts' letter of confession suggest that he blames the innocent Kessinger for his own horrific actions.
One quote read: "The words of a harlot have brought me low. Her flattering speech was like drops of honey that pierced my heart and soul. Little did I know that all her guests were in the chamber of death."
He also referred to her as an 'evil spirit, like Jezebel' according to Tallman, who suggests that Watts admits he was 'stupid to cheat on his wife, and he asked God's forgiveness every day for his infidelity.'
Topics: True Crime, Netflix, Prison, Crime
James Moorhouse