Auction of Chris Watts murder home postponed as grisly new details emerge in letters from prison
The auction for the Frederick, Colorado, home of convicted triple-murderer Chris Watts has been rescheduled for the third time.
Watts, 34, strangled his pregnant wife, Shanann, at their home on August 13 last year before dumping her body in his truck and then driving her and his two children, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, to his worksite, where he then smothered the two young girls to death. He proceeded to dispose of their bodies in separate oil tanks before digging a shallow grave for his wife's body.
Later that November, in a bid to avoid the death penalty, Watts pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder, as well as additional charges of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and tampering with a deceased body. He was sentenced to five life sentences—three consecutive and two concurrent— without the possibility of parole.
In a series of revealing letters that are set to be published as a part of author Cherlyn Cadle's explosive new book, 'Letters from Christopher: The Tragic Confessions of the Watts Family Murders,' Watts has detailed the horrific August 13, 2018, murders.
Watts contradicted his previous claims that he killed Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their son Nico, in a spontaneous outburst of rage so he could be with mistress Nichole Kessinger, and confessed he had been plotting their murders for quite some time.
The 34-year-old also recalled the grisly details of how he killed his wife, including how she looked moments before her death when he told her he wanted a separation and that he no longer loved her. "Isn't it weird how I look back and what I remember so much is her face getting all black with streaks of mascara?" he reminisced.
His house, at 2825 Saratoga Trail in the Wyndham Hill neighborhood, has remained unoccupied since the gruesome murders, with neighbors, as well as those from around the state, visiting the property to leave flowers as a tribute to Shanann and the two girls.
The residence was initially scheduled to be auctioned off on April 17 over failure to pay principal and interest. However, that date was postponed to September 18, then October 23, and now, has again been moved to January 8, reported Times-Call, who accessed Weld County Public Trustee records.
The reason for the repeated postponements is shrouded in mystery. Public Trustee Susie Velasquez said she could not speak on the issue and revealed the decision to move it was taken by law firm McCarthy & Holthus, LLP, which represents the lender JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Online records obtained by the Daily Mail show Watts had purchased the five-bedroom, four-bath home in May 2013 for a sum of $392,709, but that, six years later, the residence still had an outstanding principal amount of $349,938.09. At one point in time, the home had been assessed to have a value close to $550,000, though that value had fallen to $484,339 as of April 2019.
David Owen, chief administrative officer for Mcarthy & Holthus LLP, said the company was "not at liberty to discuss pending litigation," with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. similarly refusing to comment on the issue.
A bidding amount for the house will be announced two days before the sale date in January.