'YOU EVIL MONSTER!'
Killer dad Chris Watts slammed by his father-in-law as he is jailed for life for murdering his pregnant wife and their two daughters
AN EVIL dad will spend the rest of his life behind bars after receiving five life sentences for slaughtering his pregnant wife and their two young daughters, and dumping their bodies on an oil work site.
Christopher Watts, 33, pleaded guilty on November 6 to three charges of murder in the deaths of his wife, Shanann, and their young daughters, Celeste, three, and Bella, four.
17
He also admitted two counts of murdering a child, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Prior to today's sentencing, prosecutors said they agreed not to ask for the death penalty in exchange for Watts' guilty plea, after seeking approval from Shanann Watts' family.
First-degree murder charges in Colorado require a minimum sentence of life without a chance at parole for adults.
Judge Marcelo Kopcow, who has 17 years on the bench, told the packed courtroom in Weld County District Court: "This is perhaps the most inhumane and vicious crime I have handled."
17
Calling the murders "senseless" the judge slammed as "despicable" the way in which the bodies were dumped in an oil field, so Watts could pursue a romantic affair.
Judge Kopcow handed down five life sentences – three consecutive and two concurrent – with no possibility of parole. Watts also received an additional 48 years for the death of his unborn son, who was to be named Nico Lee, and 36 further years for crimes related to his disposal of their bodies.
Shanann’s father, Frank Rzucek, told the court his pregnant daughter and granddaughters’ lives had been taken by an “evil, heartless monster” who “took their bodies out like the trash”.
He added: “God only knows what happened that night but life will never be the same. They had all their lives to live.
“They were taken by a heartless one, taken by an evil monster… You took them out like trash, you disgust me.”
17
17
A friend asked police to check on Shanann Watts on August 13 when she could not reach her and grew concerned that the 34-year-old who was pregnant with a third child missed a doctor's appointment.
Local police initially handled the search and soon sought support from Colorado investigators and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Meanwhile, Christopher Watts spoke to local television reporters from the front porch of the family's home in Frederick; a small town on the plains north of Denver where drilling rigs and oil wells surround booming subdivisions.
Watts pleaded for his family to return home, telling reporters their house felt empty without four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste watching cartoons or running to greet him at the door.
17
Within days, though, the 33-year-old was arrested and charged with killing his family.
According to court records, Watts admitted to police that he killed his wife.
He told investigators that he strangled her in "a rage" when he discovered she had strangled their two daughters after he sought a separation.
Prosecutors have since called Watts' account "a flat-out lie."
The girls' bodies were found submerged in an oil tank, on property owned by the company Watts worked for until his arrest.
Shanann Watts' body was found buried nearby in a shallow grave.
17
Police also learned that Watts was having an affair with a co-worker. Yet Watts had denied that before being arrested.
The killings captured the attention of media across the country and became the focus of true crime blogs and online video channels, aided by dozens of family photos and videos that Shanann Watts shared on social media showing the smiling couple spending time with their children and each other.
Courts records, though, showed the couple's lifestyle caused financial strain at times.
They filed for bankruptcy in June 2015, six months after Christopher Watts was hired as an operator for the large oil and gas driller Anadarko Petroleum at an annual salary of about $61,500.
At the time, Shanann Watts was working in a children's hospital call centre for $18 per hour.
They reported total earnings of $90,000 in 2014 but had $70,000 in unsecured claims along with a mortgage of nearly $3,000.
The claims included thousands of dollars in credit card debt, some student loans and medical bills.
17
At today's sentencing, the prosecutor told the judge there were "no words" to describe "the horror" of the murders.
He asked: "How could a father annihilate his entire family, and for what?"
The prosecutor said Watts had "coldly and deliberately" taken four lives in a "sickening manner".
Revealing that Bella had "fought back" while being smothered, he asked, "what must Bella and Celeste have thought while their father was snuffing out their lives?
"They both died from smothering. Why? Imagine the horror in Bella's mind... she bit her tongue multiple times; she fought back as her father smothered her.
"The defendant then calmly and methodically carried their bodies, loading [them] into his truck."
The prosecutor described Watts as "callous" for the way in which he drove the bodies of his slain family to an oil field, to dispose of them.
17
Shanann’s mum, Sandy Rzucek, told Watts: “We loved you like a son, we trusted you. Your faithful wife trusted you. Your children adored you and they also trusted you.
“But I know God and his mighty angels were there to bring them home to paradise. Not only did you take the family of four – your family of four – you took your own life.”
Last week, his parents Cindy and Ronnie Watts spoke out publicly to urge their son against “confessing to something you didn’t do”.
The North Carolina couple had said they were trying to find the truth, and that he had claimed to them that he had strangled his wife after he allegedly saw her strangle their kids beforehand.
17
In an interview with last Monday, Cindy defended her son, saying: “He’s not a sociopath. He’s not a psychopath. I asked Chris, ‘If you did not do this, do not confess to something you didn’t do [but his defence attorney] shut me down. She completely shut me down.”
The couple also told the broadcaster they have “no idea” whether Watts was coerced into taking the plea deal on November 6.
Today, however, a spokeswoman for the Watts family told the hearing that they were not asking for leniency, as “this should never have happened; this is not condonable, this is something we shall never get over.”
The couple said that they had had not “intended to cause any pain” with their previous comments.
17
While he was seated directly behind his mum at the sentencing, Cindy directed a statement at him, alluding to the, "absolute horror of this crime. Our families have been irrevocably damaged. This is something we will never get over.
"We are united in our grief. I am still struggling to understand how this tragedy occurred.”
Ronnie Watts said: "We still don't have all the answers. Chris... I want to tell you that I love you. I want you to find peace.
"Chris, I forgive you, and your sister forgives you."
Shanann's parents, Frank and Sandra Rzucek had blasted claims made by Watts' family prior to his sentencing, telling , everyone knew their daughter was a "faithful wife, gentle and loving mother, and the best daughter.... even Chris Watts knows this to be true".
They added: "Chris Watts still chose to dump the bodies of his own family in oil tanks. And Chris Watts still chose to lie about it until he could lie no more. He pled guilty to murdering his family because he is guilty."
17
Watts, 33, struck the plea deal to avoid the death penalty after slaying Shanann Watts, Celeste and Bella at their family home in August.
On November 6, he sobbed in court as he pleaded guilty to five counts of murder in the first degree, three counts of tampering with a deceased human body and one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
He also admitted to hiding their bodies in an oil field. Watts’ plea deal sets out that he serves three consecutive life sentences for the three murders.
Shanann's body was found buried in a shallow grave and the girls had been dumped in oil tanks on the property of Watts' former employer.
He was arrested the following day and charged with first degree murder and other felony counts in the slayings.
Police said Watts was having an affair with a co-worker and had informed his wife on August 13 - the night before her disappearance - that he wanted to separate.
17
Murdered toddler, Bella Watts sings to her daddy, Chris Watts
17
17
17
17
17
Most read in World News
