Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *CW GUILTY* #51

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I think they would have filed regardless. These people apparently like to be heard, and they wouldn’t miss an opportunity like this.

It’s a chance to exert control on the narrative regarding their son.

The timing of the order seems to align with his parents going public with not being heard.
jmo
 
Just catching up, in Cindy’s latest statement she is saying she did get to discuss him pleading guilty, that he said it was what he wanted but in prior interviews she said she did not get to discuss his guilty plea, Sm I understanding this correctly?
That’s what I heard and understood
 
Oh boy!!! I could be way off here and I hope I am, but the Watts recently filed a motion stating they are victims. Was this because they were not heard at his plea hearing? It clearly states that victims have the right to be heard at any court proceeding accepting a plea. :eek:


24-4.1-302.5 - Rights affording to the victim

d) The right to be heard at any court proceeding:

(I) Involving the defendant's bond as specified in section 24-4.1-302(2)(c);

(II) At which the court accepts a plea of nolo contendere;

(III) At which the court accepts a negotiated plea agreement;​

https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/4923-colorado

Well according to the statute below victims are afforded rights to be heard at any court proceeding where the courts accept a plea and I recall Mrs. Watts stating she wasn’t allowed to be heard at the hearing.

24-4.1-302.5 - Rights affording to the victim

d) The right to be heard at any court proceeding:

(I) Involving the defendant's bond as specified in section 24-4.1-302(2)(c);

(II) At which the court accepts a plea of nolo contendere;

(III) At which the court accepts a negotiated plea agreement;​

https://law.lclark.edu/live/files/4923-colorado
Do you mean something like, can they call themselves victims of this crime as the grandparents then ask for leniency for the perpetrator because they find him a good person who didn't mean it?

ETA: @Tippy Lynn - I'm not being snarky to your comment. Just asking if it's a way for the Watts to insert an opinion on a plea deal for the defendant by using their status as victims of the crime. Is that what you were getting at?
 
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The timing of the order seems to align with his parents going public with not being heard.
jmo
With the plea deal only just occurring, and the sentencing so close to the plea, this is the time period where these requests are made.

If they were going to speak, this is the time they would file that request.

I always thought they’d speak at sentencing, regardless of whether or not they had input about the plea in the first place.
 
I wonder if they will actually mention the grandchildren in their victim impact statement or if they will just stand there and beg Chris to “fight”.

I read somewhere that all impact statements had to be reviewed and approved by the judge. Is that true?
Can he edit these statements for anything derogatory?
 
A statement should include the impact the crime has had on them and recommendations for sentencing. They are not supposed to be statements to the defendant. In a major case like this the court typically gives a little leeway, but they don't allow a circus. My GUESS is the court will allow them to talk about their own impact and what a star Chris was and how unfathomable this is. My GUESS is the court will redirect if they start blaming SW. If they ignore redirection, my GUESS is he'll move on to the next statement.

Statements are intended to influence sentencing and be heard as a victim. There's very little sentencing to be heard on in this case. Several consecutive life sentences are what they are.

All MOO
Is it possible they will ask the Judge to reject the plea deal because they are concerned about their son's state of mind after insisting to his father that he is innocent of the girls' murders?
 
Chris Watts’ Mistress Breaks Silence About Affair with Triple-Murderer: 'He Lied About Everything'

A source close to Watts tells PEOPLE, “It’s very clear that this wasn’t a healthy marriage for many months before Shan’ann and the girls died. He had checked out, and from what he says, she had checked out, too. Nichol Kessinger showed interest, and in his mind he was single, so it happened. He really regrets that Nichol got pulled into this.”

Boy, these "People" articles kind of burn my biscuits. Ugh. Really? "regrets that Nichol got pulled into this" ???? "this"???? As hard as it may be for Nichol, she's walking away alive. How about let's regret doing "this"? We could regret lying, cheating, causing horrendous grief and pain to Shannan's family. Most of all, we could regret brutally cutting short the lives of innocent children and a loving wife. Yes, I feel bad for the AP. She was obviously snowed. But in comparison to what he's done to his babies, Shannan, and Shannan's family, it's nothing.
 
I think his relationships with both women were dominated by the fact that he chafed under what he perceived as control but he also liked the attention he got, and he was too passive-aggressive to ever address his issues like an adult. With his mom, he liked being her golden boy but hated being her little boy, so he'd never tell her he was driving her crazy, though he is more than happy for someone else to keep her at bay. Likewise, with SW, I think he liked being gushed over on social media and having her wait on him and do all the other stuff she did, but he resented that the marriage was a two-way street and came with responsibilities on his end. But he would never suck that up or have a grown-up conversation with his wife about his feelings. Just like he used SW to fight his own battles with his mom, he used his mom to fight his battles with SW.

Until he lost it! JMO
 
With the plea deal only just occurring, and the sentencing so close to the plea, this is the time period where these requests are made.

If they were going to speak, this is the time they would file that request.

I always thought they’d speak at sentencing, regardless of whether or not they had input about the plea in the first place.

The statue states victims have the right to be heard at court proceedings when a plea is accepted. Isn’t his mom stating she wasn’t allowed to be heard when he plead guilty?
 
Chris Watts’ Told His Mistress He Was Divorced — and She Was ‘So, So Sad’ When Arrest Exposed Lies
A woman who was having an affair with triple-murderer Chris Watts didn’t realize he was cheating on his wife with her until his many lies were revealed after his family went missing, she said this week. Kessinger noted that Watts seemed unperturbed about his missing family — “It seemed off,” she said — and she soon cut off contact with him.

A source close to Watts tells PEOPLE, “It’s very clear that this wasn’t a healthy marriage for many months before Shan’ann and the girls died. He had checked out, and from what he says, she had checked out, too. Nichol Kessinger showed interest, and in his mind he was single, so it happened. He really regrets that Nichol got pulled into this.”

Earlier this week, Shan’ann Watts’ family issued a statement in response to claims by Watts’ family that the couple had a stormy relationship, describing Shan’ann as “a faithful wife, and the most gentle and loving mother in the world to her children Bella, Celeste, and Nico [her unborn child],” according to local TV station KMGH.

The family slammed Watts’ parents claims as “vicious, grotesque and utterly false.”
I am not sure I have ever been so disappointed in People Magazine. They keep using (and I hope NOT PAYING!) obvious CW family sources. How about at least pointing out that the lying liar who lies and murders probably is lying here again regarding his wife checking out and regretting pulling in his mistress into his busy, murderous, family annihilating life? Ugh, it just galls me! IMO
 
The statue states victims have the right to be heard at court proceedings when a plea is accepted. Isn’t his mom stating she wasn’t allowed to be heard when he plead guilty?
Who knows. His mom says a lot of stuff, mostly lies.

She had no right to be heard when he plead guilty. She’s lucky she has the right to speak here.
 
The statue states victims have the right to be heard at court proceedings when a plea is accepted. Isn’t his mom stating she wasn’t allowed to be heard when he plead guilty?
24-4.1-302.5 - Rights affording to the victim

d) The right to be heard at any court proceeding:

(I) Involving the defendant's bond as specified in section 24-4.1-302(2)(c);

(II) At which the court accepts a plea of nolo contendere;

(III) At which the court accepts a negotiated plea agreement
An attorney would know better, but the phrasing you cited specifically involves a victim, and they had not yet filed to be considered victims, so they would have had no right to speak.

Edited to add: they didn't file as victims until a couple of days ago and they were not recognized as such until yesterday. The language does not declare that anyone can speak--seems they need to meet certain requirements his parents had not yet been granted by the court because they had not asked for them.
 
Who knows. His mom says a lot of stuff, mostly lies.

She had no right to be heard when he plead guilty. She’s lucky she has the right to speak here.

I understand your opinion. :) I’m trying to understand the statue.
 
Is it possible they will ask the Judge to reject the plea deal because they are concerned about their son's state of mind after insisting to his father that he is innocent of the girls' murders?
They have no legal authority in which to make such a request. They had absolutely no legal right to have input on that plea deal in the first place.

If the court has determined that he was of sound mind in accepting a plea, then that is all that matters.

I hope they do ask though, and the judge laughs at them.
 
The only reason she wants to speak at the hearing is because her one and only son won't talk to her.
Right, I’m thinking the order claiming paternal grandparent victim rights was filed on their behalf so they have a right to be heard regarding his guilty plea. I don’t see an order for any of the other victims. Seems out of place and odd. Or maybe I’m completely off my rocker.
jmo
 
Chris Watts' parents given permission to speak during son's Monday sentencing in murder case
The parents of Chris Watts will get the opportunity to provide victim impact statements at their son’s sentencing hearing Monday but their attorney will not be allowed to address the court, the judge in the case ruled on Thursday.

19th Judicial District Court Judge Marcelo A. Kopcow ruled that Cindy and Ronnie Watts should be able to speak in court Monday and deliver victim impact statements in which they could ask the judge for a more-lenient sentence for their son. They can also deliver such statements through a designee, according to the judge’s order.

He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at Monday’s sentencing hearing, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. MT.

Denver7 will stream the sentencing hearing live and will have coverage throughout the day.
Thanks for this! It confirms that by the Court not authorizing the Entry of Appearance filed earlier by Watts private attorney, their attorney will not be allowed to address the court on Monday, and Cindy will speak on her on behalf.
 
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