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Everything we now know about Chris Watts after he was sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife and daughters

Home> News> Crime

Published 20:03 3 Apr 2025 GMT+1

Everything we now know about Chris Watts after he was sentenced to life in prison for murder of wife and daughters

Chris Watts was convicted of murdering his pregnant wife and two children in 2018

Anish Vij

Anish Vij

Chris Watts is spending life behind bars after murdering his wife, Shanann Watts, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and their daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three.

True crime fans will recognise Watts for being the subject of Netflix's American Murder: The Family Next Door, which featured interviews and police footage from the 2018 investigation.

Watts strangled his wife to death in the bedroom of their Colorado home after she came back from a business trip.

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He then put her lifeless body in his truck and headed to an oil field owned by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum.

Watts smothered Celeste and Bella separately, disposing of their bodies in oil tanks. Shanann was buried in a shallow grave nearby.

Guilty plea

Watts publicly asked for the return of his family after claiming they went missing. However, a negative polygraph test made him a prime suspect.

In 2018, he confessed to the murders and pleaded guilty to multiple charges, which included first-degree murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.

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He accepted a plea deal of five life sentences without parole to avoid the death penalty.

Chris Watts' affair

After the guilty plea, a co-worker named Nichol Kessinger came forward and revealed that she had been having an affair with him.

She claimed that Watts told her that he was going through an amicable divorce during their relationship.

Life in prison

Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife and two daughters (Facebook)
Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife and two daughters (Facebook)

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Watts was convicted in Colorado and was sent to a prison in Wisconsin in December 2018.

Since then, he has reportedly been incarcerated at the maximum-security Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, according to People.

He is said to be in and among the regular inmates, which means he has workout privileges in the week, a spokesperson told the outlet.

Two conduct reports

In 2020, he received a conduct report for 'unauthorised forms of communication and unauthorised transfer of property'.

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As a result, Watts reportedly lost phone privileges for 15 days and canteen privileges for 30 days.

The spokesperson said the inmate was given another conduct report a year later for 'disobeying orders and possession of miscellaneous contraband'.

He wasn't allowed on electronic devices for 10 days.

What Chris Watts keeps in his cell

Watts strangled his wife to death in the bedroom of their Colorado home (Facebook)
Watts strangled his wife to death in the bedroom of their Colorado home (Facebook)

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As of 2019, People reported that Watts keeps photos of Shanann, and their two murdered children, in his cell.

Despite public outrage and a petition to remove the pictures, the Department of Corrections said it 'has no legal basis for removing the photographs from Christopher Watts'.

"Incarcerated inmates are permitted to possess certain identified items of property, including photographs," a statement read.

"Some photographs are not allowed, such as those depicting gang signs, colours, or insignias or photographs that include nudity."

As well as keeping a Bible in his cell, Watts also described killing his wife and kids in sick letters sent from prison.

Women send Chris Watts letters in prison

"They send sexy pictures, and he responds," a source told People in 2022. "There are a lot of women who think he's handsome and misunderstood. They send a lot of letters.

"He's got nothing else to do. So he feeds his ego in that way. Because he's not popular at all in prison. He's in protective custody. The only outlet he has is with these letters."

As of 2023, the 39-year-old has reportedly been working as a custodian in prison.

Featured Image Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Topics: Crime, US News

Anish Vij
Anish Vij

Anish is a Journalist at LADbible Group and is a GG2 Young Journalist of the Year 2025. He has a Master's degree in Multimedia Journalism and a Bachelor's degree in International Business Management. Apart from that, his life revolves around the ‘Four F’s’ - family, friends, football and food. Email: [email protected]

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@Anish_Vij

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