Chris Watts is 'haunted' by memories of family two years after murdering pregnant wife and two young daughters
August 13 will always be a somber day for the people of Frederick, Colorado, with the day a permanent reminder of a brutal triple murder that caught national headlines two years ago and has continued to haunt the city since. Chris Watts' name will be one that will never be forgotten for all the wrong reasons. On August 13, 2018, he killed his pregnant wife Shanann by strangling her before turning his attention to their two young daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste. As per his confession, the children begged him to spare them but he did not listen. After killing them, he disposed of their bodies in oil tanks. His wife, on the other hand, was buried in a shallow grave.
Watts initially claimed they had gone missing and even appeared on television channels to give interviews begging for their return but eventually confessed to the murders in the face of overwhelming evidence. On November 6, 2018, he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of first-degree murder as part of a plea deal when the death penalty was removed from sentencing. He was subsequently sentenced to five life sentences — three consecutive and two concurrent — without the possibility of parole. He also received an additional 48 years for the unlawful termination of his wife's pregnancy and 36 years for three charges of tampering with a deceased body.
He is currently incarcerated at the Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison, in Waupun, Wisconsin, and is said to be "haunted" by actions, according to a jail source who spoke to the 35-year-old this past month.
"He knows exactly what he did," the source told People. "He's haunted by what he did. He says he can't shake the memories of his family, and they haunt him. He is in his own psychological torment, every day of his life."
"He knows he deserves it," the source added. "He knows that he made many mistakes in his life, and this is his punishment."
Watts is reportedly on lockdown for 23 hours a day and is only allowed to leave his cell for a shower or exercise. He has little to do inside his cell as well, and the only possessions he's allowed to have are a Bible and some family photos. Watts turned 35 behind bars in May, and a source who talked to him at the time said he doesn't have much hope for the future. "Nothing changes," the source said. "Every day is like the day before, and every day in his future will be the same as today."
MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) previously reported on Watts' mental state as the first anniversary of the murders had approached last year, with a source stating that, like every other day, he "will reflect on his sins."
"A day doesn’t go by — a minute doesn’t go by — where he doesn’t think about his family," the source had revealed at the time. "It will be over his head for the rest of his life, and there’s no escaping it. The anniversary isn’t going to be any different from any other day, where he’s in his own hell. He realizes that he’s in a hell of his own making, and he has to live with that."