GREELEY, Colo. – Chris Watts is set to be sentenced Monday morning for the murders of his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two young daughters after he pleaded guilty this month to the killings that roiled their Frederick community earlier this year.
Watts, 33, is expected to receive life in prison without the possibility of parole after the possibility he might receive the death penalty went away due to his plea deal.
19th Judicial District Attorney Michael Rourke could also speak following the hearing and it’s possible that the autopsy reports for Shanann, Bella and Celeste could be released in the hours or days that follow.
On Thursday, a judge granted Watts’ parents the right to speak at the hearing. Shanann’s parents could also deliver victim impact statements in which they could ask the judge for a more-lenient or stronger sentence for Watts.
That ruling, paired with The Denver Post’s interview of the woman with whom Watts was having an affair prior to the killings and aninterview with Watts’ parents, have made for high drama ahead of Monday’s hearing.
Police arrested Watts late on the night of Aug. 15 in the alleged killings of Shanann, Celeste and Bella. After Watts initially denied that he killed them in an interview, police documents said that he admitted to doing so.
Prosecutors said they believed Watts killed the three inside the family’s home in Frederick. The affidavit released in August confirmed details that had been previously reported, citing high-ranking sources, that Shanann’s body was buried in a shallow grave at the site and that the bodies of Celeste and Bella were put inside of oil and gas tanks at an Anadarko site in Weld County, where Watts worked before he was fired following his arrest.
Chris Watts pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to nine counts in the deaths of his pregnant wife and two daughters: three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation, two counts of first-degree murder – victim under 12/position of trust, one count of first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
In exchange for the guilty plea, the death penalty was taken off the table. Rourke said earlier this month the deal was made with the agreement of Shanann’s family.