COLORADO SPRINGS – After finding religion in prison, Chris Watts has reportedly confessed to the August 2018 murders of all three of his family members, according to a ‘Dr. Phil’ exclusive.
Watts’ previous accounts claimed his wife Shanann killed their daughters Bella and Celeste, and he experienced a fit of rage, then killing Shanann.
The confession came in an 5-hour plus interview with the FBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Frederick Police at the Wisconsin prison Watts is in for his protection. The information from it — which was relayed to attorneys for Frank and Sandra Rzucek, Shanann’s parents — was then aired in a ‘Dr. Phil’ exclusive on KOAA.
“Bella walked in and asked, ‘What are you doing with mommy,” said Steven Lambert, an attorney for Shanann’s parents.
“She knew something was wrong,” Dr. Phil responded in the episode.
Nearly seven months after the murders, Watts is now saying it happened after a fight with Shanann. He reportedly told investigators he admitted to having an affair and wanted a divorce.
“And (Shanann) had said something to the effect of, ‘Well, you’re not gonna see the kids again.’ As a consequence of that conversation, he strangled her to death,” Lambert said.
The story was shared on ‘Dr. Phil’ Tuesday as a way of debunking Chris’s first story and clearing Shanann’s name.
“These tapes put to rest any kind of that speculation, and that Shanann’s memory can be put to rest as a loving mother and a caring wife,” Lambert said.
It also is providing some form of closure for the Rzucek family, which will be interviewed in Part 2 of the special airing Monday.
“There’s so much of this that happens that we become a little hardened to it and a little immune,” said Thomas Grant, an attorney for the Rzuceks. “And they want people to know this was our daughter. These were our grandchildren. We loved them. They were real people.”
In the episode, the attorneys said Watts wrapped Shanann’s body in a sheet when Bella walked in asking about her. He told his daughters that Shanann was sick, and they needed to take her to the hospital.
Instead, Watts got the kids in his truck and drove 45 minutes to an oil field to bury her body.
His rampage wasn’t over.
“He walks over and takes Cece’s, Celeste’s favorite blanket and smothers her to death,” Lambert said.
As was pointed out in court proceedings, there were signs of struggle with Bella, who appeared to be trying to save her own life. Watts’ new confession now includes a plea to her father before he killed her.
“At that point, Bella said, ‘Please Daddy, do not do to me what you just did to Cece,'” Lambert said.
Watts is serving three life sentences and 84 years for the murders.
