Chris Watts shared horrifying details of his crimes in letters from prison
Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
Horrific details of Chris Watts’ murder of his wife and two daughters have emerged in letters he sent from prison.
Watts, 41, is currently serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing his pregnant wife, Shanann, 34, and daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, also known as Cece, three, in 2018.
The three ‘went missing’ from their home in 2018, with Watts appealing for help from the public - until it was revealed he was the one who had committed the heinous murders. Watts, who had been having an affair, buried Shannan, who was carrying his child, in a shallow grave on a remote oil-storage property. He then disposed of his daughters' bodies in oil barrels.
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In 2020, Netflix released the documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door, which sent shockwaves around the world.
Now, letters from the murderer in prison have been released by author Cheryln Cadle, in the book Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders.
In the horrific letters, Watts detailed how he had been ‘thinking about killing his family’ for weeks. He also admitted to attempting to smothering his daughters before strangling his wife to death.
“August 13, morning of, I went to the girls’ room first, before Shanann and I had our argument,” he wrote. “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.”
He then spoke about how his wife Shannan’s eyes ‘filled with blood’ and how black mascara ‘streamed down her face’ as he strangled her to death.
Watts then wrote about how Bella and Cece woke back up after he had murdered their mother - describing how Bella ‘looked like she had been through trauma’ and that her ‘eyes were bruised.’
“I realise now the girls getting up and walking around may have been God’s third attempt to stop what I was doing,” he wrote.
Elsewhere, The Colorado Bureau of Investigation recently released recordings of an interview with Watts, as part of an open records request.
In the interview, he told investigators he regrets his horrific crimes, and that he has pictures of his wife and children in his cell.
A Change.org petition demanded guards remove these photos from his cell, however, The Wisconsin Department of Corrections said in a statement: "Incarcerated inmates are permitted to possess certain identified items of property, including photographs.”
They went on to say that ‘photos that include nudity, depicting gang signs or insignias’ were not allowed.
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, Netflix
Kiesha Dosanjh