Shanann Watts sent a series of last text messages that describe her marriage to Chris Watts. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. According to Watts, his wife suspected he was having an affair. She knew something was not right). I dont even talk to this woman anymore It was just like, (whistles) Nope!. Well he rejected me, she texted a friend. Nearly 2,000 pages of documents show a crumbling marriage and Chris Watts' secret affair with a co-worker. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotOnload', function(event) { even my friend Jeremy Lindstrom he even invited me, cuz like it was his daughter that came and watched the kids Saturday..that Saturday night and he was like Hey instead of going to a Rockies game you wanna go with me to a Broncos game and watch the Arizona Cardinals?. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? "She was a woman of determination," said Father John Forbes. As he was sentenced, the world finally saw him express emotion, as tears rolled down the murderer's cheeks. gads_event = event; You know, I figured that was a test after Ive gone through everything in my head. Watts then drove out to an oil site owned by his employer, Anadarko, with all three and a gas can with the intention of killing the daughters and disposing of the bodies. Shanann told another friend that Chris was becoming distant and said they werent compatible anymore. During interrogations, he pointed tosix crucial weeks before the murder. They talked about it during that whole weekend. Investigators noted Watts has photos of Shanann and their daughters in his cell which he claims to talk to every morning and evening, along with reading a book to his daughters. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Chris mother, Cindy Watts,bought pistachio ice cream for the occasion, according to, a 2019 interview between Chris and investigators, obtained by, Chris told investigators, according to the interview obtained by, My mom just never thought she was good enough, Chris told investigators, . He refused to hug me. Im over here crying in silence, she texted. In 2019, just three months after Watts was sentenced to life in prison, Watts gave a grim account of the killings to authorities. eventAction: 'load' eventAction: 'click_image_ads' Original Document (PDF) . She called and texted him repeatedly, but he changed his story about the divorce, showed little emotion about his family's disappearance, and tried to change the subject. Chris: I I part of me just wants to say Nikki could you pay for this? (laughs). Prayers for a safe flight. Watts claimed his wife wasnt feeling well. Chris: Yeah I was just like mom, I told her you need to think, you need to pay attention, just because another kid could have something doesnt mean another kid could have something (*meaning just because he other grandchildren could have ice cream with nuts and be fine, doesnt mean CeCe could have ice-cream with nuts and be fine due to allergies), cuz we were at that birthday party at Jeremys that Sunday, they had this cake there. Maybe she was crying out "Oh God" which is why he said she may have been praying. When I get home I will update you," Chris had texted in response. Hes serving 3 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. The marriage began to change when Shanann was in North Carolina for a visit with family, friends told police. Chris: Itll be fine, youll have a rash, itll be fine. Love you.". Newly released texts show Chris Watts lied and urged Shanann's friend not to call the police in the wake of family's disappearance. let gads_event; She appeared to be proactive abouttrying to save the marriage. hitType: 'event', And she was like, What happenedwhat was last night?. It was first released on 30 September, 2020. Chris parents didnt show up to Celestes birthday party, which took place shortly after. Cruel cold blooded murder. },false) Watts later told police they had an "emotional conversation", in which he said he wanted to end the relationship, and she had walked out but police found she had not taken any of her things. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. According to People, the couple texted about groceries and dinner plans on the same day that the Colorado man, now 35, killed his spouse, 34, and their two daughters. You have not called one time since weve been here on your own., He told her he was extremely sorry and that he felt like a jackass., Youd think you missed us, she texted him. He then returned to the truck for Bella, who asked, Is the same thing gonna happen to me as Cece? Watts recalls telling her, yes. He then covered Bella with the blanket and strangled her. During the killer's arraignment the next day, Shanann's father Frank Rzucek wept in court. Kessinger and Watts had been seeing each other for two months before he murdered his family. As he believed Bella knew something was wrong and Celeste had just woken up, he had both girls sit on the back seat in the pickup just above their mothers body. On the morning of Aug. 7, just six days before was she was murdered, Shanann Watts texted her close friend, "Chris told me last night he's scared to death about this third baby. Many have praised the family's neighbour after the documentary revealed he alerted police when he noticed Watts acting strangely. Her brother Frankie posted on Facebook: "My blood is boiling. One of them, Cassandra Rosenberg, revealed texts from Chris Watts in which he urged her not to call authorities and fed her lies about the whereabouts of his wife and children. She noticed her husband's "suspicious behaviour" and credit card notifications for restaurant bills while she was away for work, prosecutor Michael Rourke said after the sentencing this week. However, Rosenberg told him she didn't really care about him at the time and was just worried about her friend and the children. We missed it because the journalist used that moment to rejig his camera, and so as the question is being lined up, the image is temporarily off-camera. Shanann revealed details about her crumbling marriage in a text exchange with a friend from August 8, 2018: Taylor, Nicki just told me you want to cancel the gender reveal. OK honey. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. By Ethan Harfenist Heartbreaking Watts Family Text Messages Released 3:04 Digital Original Heartbreaking Watts Family Text Messages Released 1:47 Preview What kind of vegetables do you want with dinner tonight? Shanann texted Watts. He then dumped his children's bodies on an oil site owned by the company he worked for. [ Begin Chris Watts Confession Transcript Part I]. District Attorney Mr Rourke asked the court. She expressed even more grief over texts to a friend when she felt sexually rejected by Chris. I wish I woulda just said Yeah, lets go! (*Agreeing to go with his friend Jeremy to the game instead of going out with his mistress) I think that woulda just put me on a different trajectory. All rights reserved. Chris: I think it was more anger from me and more like desperation from her, cuz she wanted to fix it. A coworker of Chris Watts said he was humble and quiet and he told the man about marital problems but they were trying to "talk things out" and loved their children. Market data provided by Factset. His parents didnt even attend their wedding for that very reason. This resetting throws Watts off camera and throws off our concentration as well. My dad was always cool. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Reader discretion is advised. Two years later, he is housed at Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison, in Waupun, Wisconsin. In fact, just days before the murder, Shanann called Chris' mom "evil" in a lengthy text message, according to documents obtained by Oxygen.com. He takes care of us girls unconditionally! While the officers were waiting at the dig site the next day, they received word that Chris confessed to killing Shanann, Celeste and Bella. Aug. 6was just days before he killed Shanann and their children. (Getty Images) Chris had already killed Shanann, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste on Monday, August 13. ", Watts responded by telling his mistress he 'didn't hurt' his family. And my mom and my dad was gonna go, but then there was a post on Facebook about allergies and stuff like that Shanann had made and my dad was like nah, I just cant do it anymore. He then dumped his children's bodies on an oil site owned by the company he worked for. In July, Shanann texted him: "I realized during this trip what's missing in our relationship! According to investigators, he planted items across the home to make it appear as if she had abandoned the marriage and left the house. When the 34-year-old missed a doctor's appointment the next morning and did not answer her phone, her friend Nicole Utoft became worried. The family killer claimed that he had . Shanann spent much of the summer working and staying with her parents and daughters in North Carolina, while an infatuated Watts wined and dined his new girlfriend, researching jewellery and holiday destinations online. I dont even know what to say., Taylor, We will get together when I get home, Shanann Ive cried myself to sleep over a week now. He was to kill Shanann before the son they decided to call Niko could take his first breath. Like, in my mind it was like you know, Dont. . Im using this card.? With that, I have done my best! The full 5 and a half hour long interview was released in two parts. Watts told investigators that he pleaded guilty to avoid a lengthy trialand did not feel pressured by his attorneys to make an agreement with prosecutors. Chris: This one, like, cuz I think she had done like Origami Owl and something called It Works and then like a couple other different things, some bags and stuff like that, but this supplement stuff, cuz it worked with her and it worked with me, and she was like Ok, I can kinda like use this as like, alright this is what its doing for us and then like after a little while she could see how people were above her, how it was helping them, and then it was just like trickle down effect. My mom just never thought she was good enough, Chris told investigators. What Happened to Foxcatcher Farm Estate in Pennsylvania? The following day, he led police to where he had dumped three bodies on the property of Anadarko Petroleum. He insisted that the baby wasn't his. His voice remained low and even toned. He said, 'No. The Quoirins have requested a Second Autopsy, and still believe there was a "Criminal Element" in Nora's Death. ", Why would an outwardly loving spouse & father murder his pregnant wife & kids? Grahm:: Oh okay, and youre going to work out? Grahm: He perceived that as her taking a shot at him? Chris: One of them My parents have told me there was like a going through like text messages its like all..pretty much they all kinda just told her hes with someone else typea deal. And maybe that would have been like, you know, a light switch in my head goes offa light switch in her head goes offmaybe just like, goes different directions. To share the news of her pregnancy with Watts on May 29, Shanann donned a T-shirt with the words "Oops we did it again," and wore it in the video recording that she filmed as Watts came home that day. But nothing was set right. One person immediately suspected he was guilty. "Those are the questions that will always haunt anyone who was involved in the investigation. But according to court documents obtained by the outlet, Watts alleged tohis mistress, Nichol Kessinger, that he didnt know Shanann was pregnant until she was reported missing. Dozens of messages the pregnant Shanann sent to friends leading up to her murder s how just how much emotional agony she was going through. "On my way. pg.acq.push(function() { "What kind of vegetables do you want with dinner tonight?" "I couldn't wait to celebrate 8 years with you If you are done, don't love me, don't want to work this out, not happy anymore and only staying because of kids, I NEED you to tell me. Legal Statement. Have a great time., Taylor, I am here for you and whatever you need. I love you!. hitType: 'event', It was Atkinson's call that spurred the search efforts that ultimately led to the discovery of the remains of the Watts family and Chris' subsequent arrest. Market data provided by Factset. Chris: Yeah it was one it was just like one of those..it was just a fiery argument I never raised my voice to her or anything, I just got mad and I slammed the door and shes like like, ahh, shouldnt have slammed the door. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), In one of the messages, Rosenberg pleads with him and warns him to search for his pregnant wife and two young children "unless you want the police to bust your damn door down," with Watts begging her not to get the police involved, according to documents released by the Weld County District Attorney's Office on Friday, Oxygen reports. Chris told investigators he now thought thatif he hadnt spent so much time cheating on his wife, perhaps he could have eased the family tension. 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A week later, Watts did the unfathomable. Chris used to post on Facebook how proud he was of Shanann and the kids. Chris: That was kinda like, my last opportunity to get out it seems like. You can also stream the show daily at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on People.com, PeopleTV app (OTT) and PEOPLE's Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. "I didn't see those FaceTimes and I'm sorry I missed those calls. WARNING: The story below contains graphic content that is disturbing and includes specific details about how Watts killed his family. In November 2018, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A new documentary on the Watts family murders shines a spotlight on the deteriorating relationship between Colorado family annihilator Chris Watts and his wife, Shanann. Watts said he felt more in control and could be himself with Kessinger, unlike his relationship with his wife. According to the texts, Rosenberg told Chris she was "worried about her", referring to Shanann. ga('create', 'UA-67136960-15', 'auto', 'ads'); He strangled Shanann while she was 15 weeks pregnant with their unborn son before smothering their young daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.