A Colorado man has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering his pregnant wife and two young children. The reason for his committing the alleged crime is unknown.
Christopher Watts, 33, was arrested at 11:30 p.m. on August 15, on three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body. He has not yet been charged by the District Attorney.
His victims were the his wife Shanann, 34, who was about 15 weeks pregnant with the couple’s first son, and their two daughters, Bella, age 4, and Celeste, age 3.
NBC affiliate KUSA reported that Watts has confessed to police to killing his wife and children to police, but that has yet to be confirmed. The 33 year-old however has to appear before a judge by Aug. 20 to be formally charged or released.
A Happy Life on the Surface
Shanann Watts appeared to be an effervescent, optimistic young mother, who was satisfied with her marriage and family life. In an Instagram post from their fifth wedding anniversary, Shanann wrote, “Chris these have been the best years of my life! Our love just grows strong everyday! We have two beautiful little girls that call us mommy and daddy!”Since Jan. 2016, Shanann Watts had worked for a multi-level marketing firm called Le-Vel, selling Thrive health and wellness products, according to her LinkedIn profile. She was popular and performing well in her job.
She was so successful at Le-Vel, she and her family were featured in a May, 2018 article in the company magazine.
Shanann Watts also worked as a human resources specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
By most accounts, Shannan Watts appeared to be content with her family circumstances. Her husband however, was perceived by some to be less satisfied with their life together.
The Watts had visited Shanann’s family in North Carolina several weeks before the killings. While there, they met Shanann’s mother, Sandi Onorati, at the hair salon where she works.
A co-worker, Danell Search, recalled their visit.
“Chris was very standoffish. He didn’t really say anything. I said, ‘Hi’ to him, and he kept his head down.”
According to Search, Shanann’s mother had said there were problems in the marriage and that the couple was considering separation.
Bankruptcy, Lawsuit, Debt
While the true state of their marriage may be unclear, it is obvious that the Watts were experience significant financial problems.The family filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June 2015, and was granted it in October of that year. Watts had been working at Anadarko for six months, earning $61,000 per year. Shanann brought in about $30,000 working at the hospital call center. But the couple was struggling with student-loan and credit-card debt.
There are no records showing how much Shanann made at Le-Vel, but multi-level marketing businesses often require sellers to buy large amounts of inventory to get started. She traveled a lot on business, but whether that ultimately added to or lessened her income is not known.
Also, the homeowner’s association in the neighborhood where they lived, Wyndham Hill Master Association Inc., had filed a lawsuit against the couple for $1,533.80 on July 12, 2018 for financial reasons—presumably unpaid homeowner’s association dues.
Impossible to Understand
It remains a mystery as to why Watts committed the alleged acts of murder.
The couple showed no major signs of marital problems. Watts showed no notable signs of excessive anger or despondency. People who knew the couple are shocked by what Chris Watts has allewge
Nick and Amanda Thayer were friends with the Watts. When Shanann and the children were reported missing, they invited Christopher to come stay with them.
