Colorado father pleads guilty to murder of pregnant wife, two daughters

GREELEY, Colo. — Christopher Watts, the father accused of killing his pregnant wife and two children, pleaded guilty to nine felony charges in Weld County, Colorado, on Tuesday.

According to The Coloradoan, the district attorney will not seek the death penalty in exchange for Watts pleading guilty to all counts.

The 33-year-old had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree murder of a child under the age of 12 by a person in a position of trust with respect to the victim, one count of unlawful termination of pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.

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Watts was accused of strangling his daughters -- Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3 -- either Aug. 12 or 13 in the family’s Frederick home. He was also accused of doing the same to Shanann Watts, 34, after she returned home from a business trip around 2 a.m. Aug. 13.

Shanann Watts was about 15 weeks pregnant when she died. She had planned to name the baby, a boy, Niko.

In an alleged confession, the defendant told investigators that his wife had strangled the girls around 4 a.m. Aug. 13 after he had asked for a separation. He claimed he had then strangled Shanann Watts in a fit of rage.

He admitted to burying her body in a shallow grave at an oil tank battery belonging to his employer about 60 miles from the family’s home. The bodies of Bella and Celeste were found in two nearby oil tanks, submerged in crude oil.

Cox Media Group