A Colorado man claims he killed his wife “in a rage” after she strangled their 2 daughters on the morning of August 13. Chris Watts claims he told his wife, Shannan Watts, that he wanted a separation after she returned from a business trip.
Watts was allegedly having an affair with a co-worker when his wife surprised him with the news that she was expecting their third child, a boy.
In a signed affidavit on Monday, Watts said he and Shannan argued briefly. He said he walked downstairs after the confrontation and when he returned to his bedroom, he heard his wife strangling their eldest daughter on the baby monitor.
Watts said he killed his wife after she murdered their daughters. He loaded all three bodies into his pickup truck and drove to an old oil site where he previously worked as an operator. He then reported Shannan, 34, and the girls missing.
As the story gained traction in the local and national news media, Watts faced the cameras in front of his Denver home and made an emotional appeal for the safe return of his family.
After an intense search, police recovered the bodies of Shannan and their two daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste.
Shannan’s remains was found buried in a shallow grave. The girls were stuffed inside 2 oil tanks. Their bodies had been submerged in crude oil for four days.
In a video uploaded to Facebook.com Shannan recorded Watts’ reaction when she surprised him with the baby news by wearing a t-shirt printed with the words “Oops, we did it again.”
Watts faces nine felonies including three first-degree murder charges, two counts of murdering a child, and one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
