Inside Chris Watts’s Life in Prison: Eight Years After the Murders

Chris Watts is serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole for the 2018 murders of his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their daughters, Bella and Celeste. He was transferred to a maximum-security facility in Wisconsin in December 2018 and, according to reports, filed paperwork in August 2026 to marry a woman named Lizzie Henderson.

Shanann Watts and Chris Watts with their two daughtersCredit: Netflix

Background

Watts was a Colorado employee of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and maintained an active public presence with his family on social media. Shanann and Chris married and welcomed daughters Bella (born 2013) and Celeste (born 2015). In 2018 Shanann discovered she was pregnant with a son they planned to name Niko. In the weeks before the killings, Shanann told friends that Chris had ‘‘changed’’ and was withholding affection; investigators later disclosed that Chris had been having an affair with a co-worker, Nichol Kessinger.

Chris Watts and Shanann Watts with their two daughtersCredit: Facebook

Crime, Confession and Conviction

On Aug. 13, 2018, Shanann and the girls were reported missing. Two days later, on Aug. 15, Chris Watts confessed to killing his wife and, ultimately, their children. He initially claimed Shanann smothered the children after he announced his desire to separate, but investigators rejected that account. The bodies of Bella and Celeste were recovered from oil tanks at a site where Watts had worked; Shanann’s body was later found in a shallow grave.

Chris Watts sits in court for his sentencing hearing at the Weld County Courthouse in Greeley, Colo., on Nov. 19, 2018Credit: RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post via Getty Images

In November 2018 Watts pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty. The plea covered nine charges in total: five counts of first-degree murder, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a dead body. He received five life sentences and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole; court records also cite additional year-based penalties tied to the unlawful termination and disposal counts.

Chris Watts and Shanann Watts in a photo shared on Facebook on May 5, 2018Credit: Shanann Watts/Facebook

Life Behind Bars

Although convicted and sentenced in Colorado, Watts was transferred to the Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin, in December 2018 for security reasons. While incarcerated, he has received at least two formal conduct reports — one in 2020 for unauthorized communication and transfer of property and another in 2021 for disobeying orders and possession of contraband.

Chris Watts' booking photo from the Weld County Sheriff's OfficeCredit: Weld County Sheriff's Office

In 2019 it was reported that Watts kept family photos in his cell; that disclosure prompted an online petition with more than 20,000 signatures seeking removal of the images, but the Department of Corrections said it had no legal basis to do so. Sources have described Watts as socially isolated in custody and placed in protective custody for his own safety; his routine reportedly includes exercise and custodial work.

Reporting also notes that Watts has corresponded with multiple women while incarcerated. Handwritten notes obtained by media in 2024 included statements attributed to Watts about his wife and his former partner, and a fellow inmate reportedly relayed comments about the relationship—material that has continued to generate public interest.

Recent Developments

Most recently, media reports say Watts applied in August 2026 to marry a woman named Lizzie Henderson while remaining incarcerated in Wisconsin. He continues to be the subject of media coverage and public scrutiny due to the nature of the crimes and ongoing reporting.

Sources: Reporting from The New York Times, People, New York Post and local outlets.