Why didn't Chris Watts receive the death penalty? Here's why he got five life sentences instead
The murder of Shanann Watts and her two daughters shook the world as the truth came to light. For weeks, Chris Watts had been trying to stir the media and police by misguiding them about the whereabouts of his wife and daughters. However, the truth finally came to the fore after the police found several pieces of evidence that had them convinced that Watts was the killer.
The murder gained attention once again after Netflix released a documentary titled 'American Murderer: The Family Next Door'. The documentary allowed viewers to have a glimpse of how the events played out that in turn led to the arrest of Watts on account of murdering his wife and daughters. When he was first found guilty and was set to appear in the court, everyone was convinced a death penalty might be in the future for him. However, once the verdict was declared, it was revealed that Watts had admitted he was guilty and was given five life sentences without the option of parole.
One of the main reasons for this was Shanann's mother, Sandy Rzucek, who did not want to be the one to decide if Watts should be given the death penalty. "I didn't want death for you because that's not my right. Your life is between you and God, and I pray he has mercy for you," she said at that time, as reported by CNN. After the hearing, Weld District Attorney Michael Rourke also broke his silence on the verdict and said, "He made the choice to take those lives. I do not want to be in the position of choosing to take his." He added that gubernatorial election also had a part to play in this and people were uncertain the governor at the time would enforce the death penalty.
While Watts is expected to share the rest of his life in prison, it seems like he has found someone in prison who thinks he is handsome. The pair have been exchanging letters with each other. "Some of the letters are angry. A lot of them are from people of faith who want to pray for him. But then he gets letters from women who want to connect with him, you know, romantically. He responds because he doesn't have anything better to do," said a source.