CO - Shanann Watts (34, dec.), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4) - MEDIA, MAPS, TIMELINES - NO DISCUSS

New Posts

NOV 19, 2018
Chris Watts sentenced to life without parole in killings of young daughters, pregnant wife - CBS News
Calling the crime the most "inhumane and vicious" he had seen in his career, a judge sentenced Watts to terms of life without parole for each of the killings and to a consecutive sentence of 48 years in the killing of the unborn child, whom the couple called Nico. Watts received additional 12-year sentences on evidence tampering counts.

Prosecutors have said they agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for Watts' guilty plea, after seeking approval from Shanann Watts' family. First-degree murder charges in Colorado require a minimum sentence of life without a chance at parole for adults.

Members of Shanann Watts' family gave emotional testimony during the hearing Monday. Shanann Watts' father called Chris Watts and "evil monster."

"How dare you take the lives of my daughter, Bella, Celeste and Nico," Frank Rzucek said. "I trusted you to take care of them, not kill them."

Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said Watts strangled his wife to death with his hands in an "uncontrolled, vengeful manner" after an argument.

"The horror that she felt as the man she loved wrapped his hands around her throat and choked the life out of her must have been unimaginable," Rourke said.

He then smothered the girls, 3 and 4, Rourke said. Defensive wounds on Bella Watts' body showed that the child fought for her life, Rourke said.

Chris Watts, who appeared emotional during the testimony, elected not to speak. He is represented by the Office of the Colorado State Public Defender, which does not comment on pending cases.

'Monstrous' Chris Watts, Who Murdered His Whole Family, Will Spend the Rest of His Life in Prison
At Monday’s hearing, Shan’ann’s parents and brother read a series of emotional statements mourning the loss of her and her girls and excoriating Chris for his crimes.

“What kind of person slaughters the people they love the most?” Frankie Rzucek, Shan’ann’s brother, said in a statement read on his behalf.

Shan’ann’s father, Frank Rzucek, repeatedly referred to Chris as a monster and an evil person.

Said Sandra Rzucek, Shan’ann’s mother: “I have no idea who gave you the right to take their lives but I know God and his mighty angels were there in that moment to bring them home to paradise.”

At the sentencing, prosecutors said Chris strangled Shan’ann by hand and smothered his daughters.
 
NOV 19, 2018
Live updates: After emotional sentencing hearing, Christopher Watts will spend the rest of his life in prison
10:45 a.m. — Judge sentences Christopher Watts to life without parole for each of the three murders, 48 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and the maximum of 12 years for tampering with the bodies. Watts will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Shannan’s father calls Christopher Watts “heartless monster,” said he took his daughter, granddaughters out “like trash.”

“May God have mercy on your soul.”

District Attorney Michael Rourke, reading statement from Shannan’s brother: “Why? Why would you do this? Why would you slaughter the people who love you most?”

Christopher Watts’ parents, through a spokeswoman: Parents were misinformed in media interview. Said they did not have full information. “They accept that their son has done this.”
 
NOV 19, 2018
Chris Watts sentenced to life in prison in 'inhumane' killings of two daughters and pregnant wife - CNN
A Colorado judge sentenced Chris Watts on Monday to three consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole in the killings of his pregnant wife and two young daughters.

Judge Marcelo Kopcow said in his 17 years on the bench, "this is perhaps the most inhumane and vicious crime that I have handled out of the thousands of cases that I have seen."

Shanann Watts was strangled, and his two toddler daughters were smothered to death, Rourke said, citing disturbing details from the medical examiner's report.
"The man seated to my right smothered his daughters," Rourke said. "Imagine the horror in Bella's mind as her father snuffed out her life. ... She fought back for her life as her father smothered her."
An attorney for Watts followed Rourke's statement by saying her client is "devastated" and though Watts realizes his words are hollow, he is "sincerely sorry for all of this."
 
NOV 19, 2018
Father-in-law calls man who killed pregnant wife, daughters 'heartless monster'
Shanann's father, Frank Rzucek, said Chris Watts "carried them out like trash."

"I trusted you to take care of them, not kill them. And they also trusted you," said Rzucek, who was overcome with emotion. "You disgust me."

"They were loving and caring people" who "had all their lives to live," the grieving father and grandfather said. "Life will never be the same."

Both daughters died from smothering, prosecutors said.

"Imagine the horror in Bella's mind as her father took her last breaths away," a prosecutor said at Monday's sentencing, adding that "Bella fought back for her life."
 
NOV 19, 2018 - District Attorney, Michael Rourke - Video

Chris Watts sentencing: DA Michael Rourke describes how Watts
During a sentencing hearing for Chris Watts, District Attorney Michael Rourke delivered what the testimony would have revealed if the case had gone to trial. Watts pleaded guilty to killing his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters.
 
NOV 19, 2018
Denver7 News on Twitter
MORE: Chris Watts sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his pregnant wife and two young daughters. http://bit.ly/2QRsGul

DsYkXG4X4AY3k_n.jpg
 
NOV 19, 2018
Chris Watts' parents tell son at sentencing they love him, hope he will atone for murder of family
Chris Watts’ parents told their son Monday they accepted that he had murdered his pregnant wife and two daughters and said they hoped he would give a full confession and take responsibility in due time for the killings that upended multiple families.

Ronnie and Cindy Watts were given the opportunity to provide victim impact statements at their son’s sentencing hearing Monday in a Weld County courtroom because they are the grandparents of Bella and Celeste, Watts’ two young daughters whom he killed along with his wife Shanann in August.

The two initially addressed the court and their son as a couple through a representative, though Cindy Watts also spoke individually, and Ronnie Watts spoke individually through the representative as well.
 
NOV 19, 2018
He killed his wife and daughters ‘for a fresh start,’ a prosecutor said. He’ll spend the rest of his life in prison.
“You buried my daughter Shanann in a shallow grave and then you put Bella and Celeste in huge containers with crude oil, you heartless monster,” Frank Rzucek told the court as his son-in-law sat behind him clenching and unclenching his jaw, having already pleaded guilty to the murders.

“I hope you see that every time you close your eyes at night,” he said.

At Monday’s hearing, the district attorney alleged that Shanann had been trying to save the marriage for weeks — texting her husband and buying self-help books as he shopped for jewelry and vacation spots to take his “new love.”

“His motive was simple, your honor,” Rourke said. “He had a desire for a fresh start.”
 
NOV 19, 2018
Chris Watts murder case: Potential motive, evidence revealed in court
“Chris strangled Shanann to death. According to Rourke, it takes 2 to 4 minutes to strangle someone to death. He said Christopher "slowly took her life," that it was not done in an uncontrolled manner. If that were the case, he said you would expect to see viscous bruising, a broken neck, defensive wounds on his body. Shanann didn't have defensive injuries on her body; she only had one set of fingernail or fingerprint bruising to the right side of her neck.

Chris then smothered both of his daughters to death. "Bella fought back for her life," Rourke said, adding that she had cuts in her mouth and she bit her tongue multiple times. Celeste did not have external injuries.”
 
NOV 19, 2018
Rourke said Chris Watts is now headed to the Regional Diagnostic Center in Denver. The DOC will ultimately decide if he'll be housed in Colorado or out-of-state.

9NEWS Denver on Twitter

Rourke said a lot of the speculation about this case on social media has been a "false rumor." Outside of the girlfriend, he doesn't know what other discussions on social media had merit as a potential motive in the case.

9NEWS Denver on Twitter
 
NOV 19, 2018
Christopher Watts is sentenced to life in prison for murdering pregnant wife and their two daughters | Daily Mail Online
His motivation, Rourke said, was to start a new life with his mistress NK.

'He had a desire for a fresh start. To begin a relationship with a new love that overpowered all decency and feelings for his wife, his daughters and unborn son.

'While Shanann texted the defendant over and over again in the days leading up to her death, he secreted photos of his girlfriend into his phone and texted her at all hours of the night.

'While Shanann sent him self-help and counseling books, he was searching the internet for secluded vacation spots to take his new love and was researching jewelry.

'Even the morning after he killed them and disposed of their bodies, he made several phone calls. One was to the school where the girls were supposed to start, telling the school that the girls were being un-enrolled.

'He contacted a realtor to start discussing selling his house and he texted with his girlfriend about their future.

'None of this answers why. If he was so happy [with his girlfriend], get a divorce! You don't annihilate your family and throw them away like garbage,' Rourke said.
 
NOV 19, 2018
Meghan Lopez on Twitter
-DA Rourke doesn't believe Watts has any remorse for what he did. -Rourke believes the only thing he feels bad for is himself. -DA says one of the big red flags they had is Watts said Shanann strangled the girls but they were smothered. Watts allegedly even demonstrated it

More: -Watts made phone calls early on August 13 with the girls' school and a realtor. -Sheet that was used to wrap Shanann's body was found before Watts confessed to the killing. It was found via a drone that was searching areas where his truck went that day.

DsZHPGsWkAAQ6V4.jpg


More from Watts case: -DA Rourke says he still wants to know why and how this all happened. -Investigators say Watts had no wounds on his body to indicate a struggle -Plea deal was defense team's idea -On Watts' work truck, there was a GPS that lead investigators to bodies

The autopsy reports will be made public this afternoon of Shanann, Bella and Celeste. For Shanann's autopsy, her blood alcohol content was .128, which can be consistent with human decomposition and doesn't mean she was drinking. All substances found in toxicology were from oil.
 
NOV 19, 2018
Autopsy reports for Shanann, Bella, Celeste show cruelty of killings, body disposal in Christopher Watts case
Autopsy reports released Monday afternoon reveal in the greatest detail so far what, exactly, Christopher Watts pleaded guilty to, and why he'll serve the rest of his life in prison.

The reports for Watts' wife, Shanann Watts, 34; Bella Watts, 4; and Celeste Watts, 3; show Watts killed his family intimately, by strangling Shanann and smothering his two daughters even while Bella fought back, biting her tongue and cheeks in the process.

When it was all over, Watts stuffed Bella's 38-pound body through an 8-inch hole in an oil tank, scraping her arms and legs in the process. She was found three days later, in a pink, pajama-style top featuring hearts and butterflies.

Her sister, Celeste, was found in a pink top and diaper in another oil tank, according to the report.

Shanann had paper bags around each of her hands. Her baby was covered in dirt and sand.

The girls, Bella and Celeste, sitting for days in oil tanks containing unprocessed crude oil, had the stuff in their throats and stomachs and lungs.
 
NOV 19, 2018
Chris Watts' Daughter 'Fought Back for Her Life' as He Smothered Her: 'Imagine the Horror'
The killings of Bella and Celeste Watts and their mother, Shan’ann Watts, were not quick and they were far from painless, Colorado prosecutors revealed Monday at the sentencing for their killer, family patriarch Chris Watts.

Addressing the court at Chris’ Monday morning sentencing hearing for the murders, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said the killings were violent almost beyond comprehension.

“There are no words to adequately describe the unimaginable tragedy that brings us before this court today,” he told the judge.

“I’m not even going to try to express the horror, the pain or the suffering the defendant has caused to these families and to this community and to all who were part of this investigation,” Rourke continued.

Daughters Bella and Celeste were smothered, Rourke said. Celeste, like her mother, showed no external injuries. But Bella fought for her life. Rourke said her body showed that she bit her tongue as she was killed.

“She fought back for her life as her father smothered her,” he said. He told the judge: “Imagine the horror in Bella’s mind as her father took her last breaths away.”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 80 more.
Total: 2,971 (members: 81, guests: 2,890)

Online statistics

Members online
81
Guests online
2,890
Total visitors
2,971
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,396
Messages
17,968,328
Members
228,766
Latest member
Mona Lisa
Back
Top