Chris Watts shared disturbing details about how he killed his two young daughters in a letter sent to author Cheryln Cadle.
In 2019, Cadle released her book, Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders. Per the title of the publication, it contained letters Watts had sent to Cadle from prison.
Cadle first connected with Watts via these letters and eventually went on to meet him face-to-face before publishing her book about him and the heinous murders he carried out.
When Watts killed his wife Shanann, she was carrying their third child – a little boy they were going to name Nico.
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They also shared daughters, Bella, 4, and three-year-old Celeste (Cece). They were killed on the same day as their mom on August 18, 2023.
Three months later, Watts pleaded guilty to murdering them after initially denying having any knowledge about their whereabouts.
He went on to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Watts managed to avoid the death penalty as part of his plea.
In his letters to Cadle, he shared details of how he murdered his young children.
He wrote: "August 13, morning of, I went to the girls' room first, before Shanann and I had our argument. I went to Bella's room, then Cece's room and used a pillow from their bed [to kill them].
"That's why the cause of death was smothering. After I left Cece's room, then I climbed back in bed with Shanann and our argument ensued."
However, Watts’ horrific attempt to kill his daughters initially failed, and the two girls woke up.
He continued: "After Shanann had passed, Bella and Cece woke back up. I'm not sure how they woke back up, but they did. Bella's eyes were bruised and both girls looked like they had been through trauma."
Watts followed through with his attempts to kill his daughters by smothering them before disposing of their bodies.
It wasn't until August 16 (three days after they'd been murdered) that Shanann, Bella, and Cece's bodies were discovered at an oil storage facility in Colorado.
Shanann was found in a shallow grave that had been dug by Watts while his young daughters were found submerged in crude oil tanks.
In 2021, Cadle spoke to Inside Edition about interviewing Watts and described how his eyes would turn ‘black’ when she spoke about the killings.
"He just would get a different look on his face, and he talked about it so nonchalantly, like going down to get a cup of coffee," she shared.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
Topics: Crime, True crime, US News
Niamh Shackleton