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A Colorado man accused of murdering his own family claims he killed his wife after witnessing her strangling one of their own daughters.
Chris Watts, 33, is charged with murdering daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three and wife Shanann, who was 15-weeks pregnant with a baby boy that they were going to name Nico.
Watts faces nine felony counts in total: three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation, two counts of first-degree murder when victim is 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.
According to an arrest affidavit, Watts told police that he killed his wife in a fit of rage after he saw her strangling his daughter Celeste on a baby monitor screen.
(Image: Instagram)
It also revealed that he was having an affair and discussed separation with Shanann early last Monday morning and says this drove her to kill her two daughters.
Watts has not yet entered a plea and will appear in court on Tuesday.
Last week Watts sobbed on TV as he appealed for the return of the trio before allegedly confessing he had killed them.
Shanann was declared missing on Monday after she failed to show up for a doctor's appointment.
(Image: Instagram)
The bodies were found on the property of Anadarko Petroleum, one of Colorado's largest oil and gas drillers where Watts worked.
Court documents filed by defence lawyer James Merson said the girls had been submerged in crude oil for four days.
Shanann's body was found in a shallow grave on the site.
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His lawyers said the DNA would be tested by forensics expert Richard Eikelenboom, who worked on the JonBenet Ramsey trial.
Watts' lawyer Megan Ring requested for DNA swabs to be taken from his dead daughters' necks during the autopsy but it was denied by the court.
Autopsies on the bodies were conducted Friday, although an official cause of death has not been announced - although it is believed the request from Watts' defence team suggests they could have been strangled.
A body language expert who closely studied the recordings of the interviews said last week that they thought it was apparent that the 'killer' dad was lying.
Lillian Glass told HollywoodLife that Watts' spoke too much and was giving out too much information.
He said at the time: "I have no inclination where they're at right now.
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"I've exhausted every friend that I know of and every friend that I have has called friends that Shanann has that maybe I didn't know about. ... Just vanished.
"When I got home yesterday it was like a ghost town. She wasn't here. The kids were here. I have no idea where they went."
A former FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole also said his interview showed arrogance and a lack of empathy.
She said: "When somebody kills their own family and then they go on TV to say 'But I didn't have anything to do with it,' that ability to be so very sure of your own interpersonal skills that you can attempt to fool a national and international audience is very unusual.
(Image: Instagram)
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"That's a lot of arrogance and confidence that you could pull this off, and that's not typical."
O'Toole said Watts' insistence that he didn't know where his family members were shows an attempt to push the investigation away from himself.
Outside the family's home in Frederick, north of Denver, a memorial of stuffed animals, balloons, flowers and messages grew and a candlelight vigil drew dozens of people Friday night.
Ahley Bell, a friend of Shanann Watts, said Shanann had planned a gender reveal party for last Saturday.
Shanann's brother also revealed she had "struggled to get pregnant" as she suffered from lupus.
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Another friends said Shanann had "entertained the idea" that Chris might have been cheating.
Her friend, Nickole Atkinson, who thinks she was the last person to see Shanann alive, told Good Morning America: "He wasn't being the loving Chris that he normally was. He wasn't touching or hugging or doing stuff like that".
Nickole also said Chris didn't seem concerned when she told him she hadn't heard from Shanann and told they had been having marriage troubles.
(Image: Instagram)
Elsewhere, in a now haunting clip Shanann shared on Facebook, she praises the man who is now accused of killing her and their daughters.
Speaking to the camera, she said: “I got a friend request from Chris on Facebook and I was like, ‘Oh, what the heck, I’m never going to meet him.
“I accept, one thing led to another and eight years later we have two kids, we live in Colorado and he’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Image copyright Shanann Watts / Instagram Image caption Chris Watts is suspected of killing his pregnant wife and two daughters
A Colorado man has been charged with the deaths of his pregnant wife and their daughters last week.
Chris Watts, 33, is facing three counts of first-degree murder and six other counts.
Court papers show he claims it was Shanann Watts, 34, who strangled Celeste, three, and Bella, four, after he told her he wanted to separate.
He told police that "in a rage" he then murdered his wife at their home in the small town of Frederick.
Mr Watts is due in court on Tuesday to be arraigned.
Image copyright CBS Image caption Chris Watts, 33, had appealed in local media for his family's safe return
His nine felony charges include two counts of murdering a child, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Mrs Watts' body was found by authorities on Thursday, buried in a shallow grave near an oil tank on the premises of a petroleum company that her husband had worked for.
The bodies of Bella and Celeste were later discovered inside oil tanks near their mother's grave. Mrs Watts was 15 weeks' pregnant.
According to the affidavit, investigators discovered that Mr Watts was having an affair with a work colleague, which he had denied to police.
The court papers say that a friend dropped off Mrs Watts at her home from a business trip to Arizona last Monday shortly before 02:00.
Mr Watts said to police that he then told his wife that he wanted to split up.
He "informed her he wanted to initiate the separation", according to the affidavit.
Mr Watts told police "it was a civil conversation and they were not arguing but were emotional".
According to the affidavit, Mr Watts told police he then snapped after he "observed Bella 'sprawled' out on her bed and blue and Shanann actively strangling Celeste".
He said he witnessed the alleged strangulation via a baby monitor on his wife's bedside table, the court documents said.
He said "he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death", the affidavit says.
"Chris said he loaded all three bodies onto the back seat of his work truck and took them to an oil site."
A friend raised the alarm when Mrs Watts did not turn up for a 10:00 doctor's appointment on Monday.
The friend discovered Mrs Watts' vehicle in the garage with the children's car seats inside, according to court papers.
She phoned Mr Watts and asked him to come home because she was concerned that Mrs Watts - who suffered from lupus, an autoimmune disease - might have fallen ill.
Mr Watts arrived to find the police already at the property.
Image copyright Shanann Watts / Facebook Image caption Chris Watts spoke to the media after his family were reported missing on Monday
He let them into the home where officers found Mrs Watts' handbag in the kitchen.
The sheets and blankets had been stripped off the couple's bed, but police noted there were no signs of foul play.
Last Wednesday, Mr Watts appealed on local television for the safe return of his family after they were reported missing.
He told reporters: "I'm just hoping right now that she's somewhere safe. I just want them home so bad."
Family and friends have been left stunned by the killings.
On social media, Mrs Watts had praised her spouse as an "amazing father" and "the BEST husband EVER!"
But according to local media, the couple had financial troubles, including a 2015 bankruptcy filing, and Mrs Watts had suspected her husband was cheating.
In a video posted on Facebook on 11 June, she filmed her husband's reaction as she revealed she was pregnant with the couple's third child.
"That's awesome. I guess when you want to, it happens," he said, holding up the pregnancy test kit.
On Instagram, Mrs Watts praised him as "my amazing supportive hubby!"
"He rocks and couldn't imagine life without him!" she wrote.
THE man accused of murdering his family claimed he killed his pregnant wife after seeing her strangling one of his daughters.
Chris Watts, 33, told police he flew into a murderous rage after seeing Shanann Watts throttling daughter Celeste on a baby monitor.
Facebook 7 Chris Watts said he killed wife Shanann after seeing her strangling their daughter
Shanann, 34, was found dead last week along with her daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, after the trio disappeared in Frederick, Colorado.
Watts faces nine charges including three counts of first-degree murder and one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
According to an arrest affidavit, he told cops he reacted to seeing his wife with her hands around Celeste's throat and "observed Bella 'sprawled' out on her bed and blue and Shanann actively strangling Celeste."
"Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death.
"Chris said he loaded all three bodies onto the back seat of his work truck and took them to an oil work site,' added the affidavit.
We revealed earlier how Shannan reportedly told pals she feared her "killer" husband was cheating just days before being found dead.
The Watts family murder - what is known so far:
The bodies of Shanann and her kids were found dumped inside oil tanks at Chris Watts' workplace
Investigators say they were killed at the family home before their bodies were moved
Shanann had just landed a glamorous new job which kept her away from home
Pals say the mum shared her fears Chris was cheating on her days before her death
The couple once filed for bankruptcy and were facing a hefty fine in court next week
Chris Watts made an emotional appeal for his missing wife and kids to come home
After the appeal, cops reportedly announced he had confessed to killing his family
AP:Associated Press 7 Christopher Watts is escorted into the courtroom before his bond hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Thursday
Facebook 7 Watts has reportedly confessed to killing his wife and children
Shanann's dad thanked members of the public for helping in the arrest of his son-in-law.
Grief-stricken Frank Rzucek, 55, said on Monday: "I’d like to thank everyone in the Frederick Police Department and all the agencies involved for working so hard to find my daughter, granddaughters and Nico,' Ruczek, 55, said between sobs.
"I’d like to thank everyone for coming to the candlelight vigil and saying all your prayers. They are gratefully appreciated — and keep the prayers coming for our family."
Rzucek’s son Frankie, 32, also appeared at the press conference but did not speak.
Facebook 7 Frankie Rzucek's life has been torn apart by the brutal killing of elder sister Shanann
Another friend, who spoke anonymously to People, made a similar claim, saying the pair were having marital problems and she was preparing to leave him.
Investigators currently believe the three were killed in the family home, before the two children were dumped in oil tanks at the Anadarko oil and gas exploration site where Chris worked in Frederick.
Another body, believed to be their 15-week pregnant mother, was also found nearby.
A motion filed by Watts' defence team suggests the girls were strangled.
Facebook 7 The murder is believed to have happened the night before Shanann and Watts' party to celebrate her pregnancy
Dad, Chris Watts, begs missing family to come home hours before 'admitting killing them'
Earlier reports claimed Watts had admitted to the killings just hours after appearing on TV appealing for his family to come home.
But the defence motion also requested DNA swabs be carried out on the children's necks, suggesting he is not planning to plead guilty.
No formal charges or pleas have yet been made public.
The judge refused the motion, saying he would not tell examiners how to do their jobs.
Reuters 7 Watts was detained last week on suspicion of murder
The autopsy was carried out on Friday, a day after the bodies were found, but the official causes of death have not been released.
A memorial is growing outside the Watts' home.
Flowers, photos and toys have been left among the emotional tributes.
The murder is believed to have happened on the eve of the couple’s gender reveal party for their unborn child.
Facebook 7 The couple are pictured together before the death of Shanann and their daughters
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Shanann is believed to have suffered from lupus, an illness that makes pregnancies much higher-risk.
Moving text messages from mid-June suggested a happy family, and a husband thrilled at the prospect of having another child.
"Little Peanut!! Love her/him already!!!", Watts wrote after his wife sent him an ultrasound image.
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Under police questioning last week, Colorado triple murder suspect Chris Watts allegedly admitted he killed his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, but only after, he claimed, he “went into a rage” when she strangled one of their daughters, court documents show.
Chris’ startling explanation for how his wife and their two children — 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste — all ended up dead was revealed in a newly unsealed affidavit supporting his arrest.
The court document, obtained by PEOPLE, lays out for the first time some key details about the case.
Prosecutors have charged Chris, 33, with first-degree murder, among other crimes, in the the three killings. He was taken into custody on Wednesday night, two days after Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant, was reported missing by a friend. Her body and the bodies of her girls were found on Thursday.
In the intervening days, as investigators worked on what appeared to be a missing persons case, Chris initially said that he had talked to Shanann on Monday after waking up about 5 a.m., after she got home from a work trip just before 2 a.m., and he told her he wanted to separate, the arrest affidavit alleges.
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Shanann Watts (right) and her daughters Shanann Watts /Facebook
Chris said that while he and Shanann “were emotional,” the conversation was “civil,” according to the affidavit.
Speaking with authorities later, Chris again said that he saw Shanann on Monday — this time around 4 a.m. — and “informed her he wanted to go through with a separation and they were both upset and crying,” police said in the arrest affidavit.
Chris claimed Shanann “told him she was going to a friend’s house that day.”
Finally, in another police interview, and after law enforcement allegedly uncovered that he was having an affair with a coworker, Chris said he would “tell the truth.”
He contended that he and Shanann had in fact talked about him wanting to separate after she got back from her trip early Monday but then he “walked downstairs for a moment” and when he got back to their bedroom he saw, via a baby monitor, that daughter Bella was “sprawled” and “blue” on her bed — apparently already dead — while Shanann was allegedly “actively strangling Celeste,” the affidavit states.
RELATED VIDEO: Pregnant Mom & 2 Daughters Likely Killed at Home — Allegedly by Husband — Before Bodies Were Dumped
At that point, Chris claimed, he “went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death” before loading “all three bodies onto the back seat of his work truck,” according to the affidavit.
He then allegedly took them to an oil site owned by the company he was working for (he has since been fired) and then buried Shanann and hid his daughters’ bodies in oil tanks, where they stayed for roughly four days.
Causes of death in the three killings have not been confirmed and neither has what authorities suspect to be the motive — though, in charging Chris with murder, they dismissed his account of what happened.
Those who knew the couple have described a seemingly normal home life possibly beset by marital tension. One friend told ABC News this week that Chris had grown distant: “He wasn’t being the loving Chris that he normally was. He wasn’t touching or hugging or doing stuff like that.”
Shanann, though, adored her family.
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“That’s all she talked about,” Kris Landon tells PEOPLE. “She talked about her girls as miracles, because she had some health problems and didn’t know if she’d have kids. But she really embraced motherhood, and I thought she embraced her marriage, too. They seemed like partners. Amazing partners.”
At a Monday news conference where Chris’ formal charges were announced, Shanann’s father spoke briefly, sharing his family’s gratitude for the community’s support.
“Keep the prayers coming,” he said.
Chris is next set to return to court on Tuesday. He has not entered a plea and his attorney did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
• With reporting by STEVE HELLING
