FREDERICK MAN FACES LIFE IN PRISON
Christopher Watts charged with nine felonies in connection with the deaths of Shanann Watts, their daughters.
Sitting in the front row of a Weld County courtroom, a grieving grandfather leaned forward and quietly cried as a judge read aloud the names of his daughter and two granddaughters, whose bodies were discovered late last week in a rural Weld County oil field.
Frank Rzuckek, who lives in North Carolina, traveled across the country to hear a judge read the charges against his son-in-law, Christopher Watts, who is facing nine felonies in connection with the deaths of Shanann Watts and their daughters Bella and Celeste. Rzucek attended the court hearing with his son, Frankie Rzucek, and both were flanked by victim advocates from the Weld County District Attorney’s Office, who guided them through the courthouse and the proceeding.
“On or about Aug. 13, 2018, Christopher Lee Watts unlawfully, feloniously, after deliberation, and with the intent to cause the death of a person other than himself, caused the death of Shanann Watts,” Weld County District Judge Marcelo A. Kopcow said.
Kopcow continued to read charges, and the names of 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, Frank Rzucek’s body shook with grief. His son placed his arm around his father’s shoulders.
Christopher Watts, 33, faces three counts of firstdegree murder, two counts of first-degree murder by person in a position of trust, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body. If convicted on all counts, Watts could face the death penalty or serve life in prison without parole.
Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke must make a decision on whether he will seek the death penalty, and Colorado law requires him to file notice of his intent within 63 days after an arraignment. Watts’ arraignment is months away. He is due back in court Nov. 19 for a status conference.
When Tuesday’s hearing ended, Frankie Rzucek stared down his brotherin-law, who was shackled and escorted out by deputies. Watts kept his head down.
Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts were reported missing the afternoon of Aug. 13 by a family friend. The 34-year-old mother, who was pregnant with a boy, was last seen alive by a friend who had picked her up at the airport after a business trip to Arizona and dropped her off at the family’s Frederick home at 1:48 a.m. that morning. The friend grew concerned afAs ter Shanann missed a doctor’s appointment and failed to answer messages on her phone.
Watts told police that he asked Shanann for a separation around 4 that morning. He told investigators that, shortly afterward, he saw his wife strangling Celeste in the girls’ bedroom and that Bella already was sprawled on the bed and turning blue. Watts said he went into a rage and killed Shanann, then drove the three bodies to a remote oil field in Weld County, more than an hour from their house, according to an arrestwarrant affidavit.
Watts dropped the girls’ bodies into an oil tank, and he buried his wife in a shallow grave near those tanks, according to the affidavit.
After Shanann and the girls were reported missing, the Frederick Police Department launched a search that was joined by the FBI and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
During the search, Watts went on television to plead for his family’s return. He ultimately confessed to killing his wife, according to police, and was arrested Wednesday.
On Friday, the Weld County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the three bodies found at the oil tanks, which are owned by Anadarko Petroleum Company, were those of Shanann, Bella and Celeste. However, a cause of death has not yet been determined.
Watts had worked for Anadarko until Wednesday, when he was fired.