NewsCovering Colorado

Actions

Prosecutors file charges against Chris Watts in killings of pregnant wife and two daughters

Posted at 3:51 PM, Aug 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-21 16:59:05-04

(Live press conference with Weld County District Attorney’s Office)

WELD COUNTY – Formal charges have been filed against Chris Watts, husband and father to slain Frederick mother 34-year-old Shanann Watts and their two daughters Bella and Celeste Monday.

According to court documents, Watts is facing nine felony charges. These charges include three counts of First Degree Murder, two counts of Murder – Victim Under 12 by Person in Position of Trust, one count of Unlawful Termination of Pregnancy in the First Degree,  and three counts of Tampering with a Deceased Human Body.

Recent court documents also revealed the body of the pregnant mom was found buried in a shallow grave near an oil tank where their daughters’ bodies were also found.

The bodies of 3-year-old Celeste and 4-year-old Bella were found in the same day inside oil tanks near the grave Shanann was found in.

A Weld County Judge denied motions filed by the defense requesting an expert be present at the autopsies of the family to collect DNA from the children’s necks and their mother’s hands.