Colorado man details how he murdered wife, young daughters
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – A Colorado man has admitted killing his daughters last year at an oil site where he dumped their bodies after strangling his pregnant wife in their home.
On Thursday, investigators released a five-hour interview with Christopher Watts conducted Feb. 18 at the Wisconsin prison where he is being held.
Watts told investigators that he and his wife, Shanann, had a fight in the hours after she returned from a business trip Aug. 13.
After Shanann returned at about 2 a.m., he said he felt her get into bed but also felt she knew about his affair. He said when he woke up to get ready for work, he also woke Shanann to talk.
Watts said that he was straddling Shanann when he asked whether they could cancel a trip to Aspen, Colorado, and whether they could move to get away from their house.
Watts said Shanann then told him that she knew he was having an affair, but Watts said he denied it.
“I just felt guilty … more guilty than ever before,” Watts told investigators, according to documents released Thursday.
Watts told Shanann that he didn’t think their marriage was going to work and that he didn’t love her, and he said Shanann responded: “You’re never gonna see the kids again … you’re never gonna see them again … get off me … don’t hurt the baby.”
Watts said he then put both hands around his wife’s neck and strangled her.
After he killed Shanann, Watts said, he was shaking and felt as if he wasn’t in control of his emotions.
The noise from their fight woke their daughter Bella, 4, Watts said.
She asked her father what was wrong with her mother, and Watts said he replied, “Mommy doesn’t feel good.”
He said he wrapped Shanann in a sheet and tried to carry her downstairs, but he lost his grip and had to drag her out to his truck.
He said Bella was smart and knew what was going on.
The noise woke their 3-year-old daughter, Celeste, who was starting to get out of bed when Watts returned.
Watts said he felt as if someone else was in control of him as he put Bella and Celeste in the back of his truck on the bench seat. He then drove to the oil site 45 minutes from their Frederick, Colorado, home and pulled Shanann’s body out of the car with his daughters sitting on the back seat.
Watts said he returned to the truck and “Cece was first.”
He put his daughter’s Yankees blanket over her head and strangled her in the back seat with Bella sitting beside her, Watts told investigators.
He carried Celeste from the truck to the oil tank and dropped her inside, then returned to his truck where Bella remained in the back seat.
“What happened to Cece?” Watts said Bella asked him. “Is the same thing gonna happen to me as Cece?”
He said he is not sure how he replied. “Daddy, no!” were Bella’s last words, Watts said. He said he hears them now every time he closes his eyes.