true crime

The final decision Chris Watts made the night he murdered his family.

If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available. Please call 1800 RESPECT or visit the website. If you are in immediate danger, phone 000.

WARNING: Distressing content.

Murderer Chris Watts has admitted he felt he “didn’t deserve to be on this earth anymore” moments after strangling his pregnant wife and suffocating his two daughters to death.

But, bizarrely, considering he’d just committed three brutal murders, decided against it for fear of “hurting more people”.

Watts, 33, is serving three life sentences for the murder of his 34-year-old wife Shanann, and their daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three, in Colorado last August.

He pleaded guilty for his crimes, but hadn’t discussed the details of what happened until just over two weeks ago in a chilling prison interview.

Audio of the five-hour confession was released last week.

He revealed that after strangling Shanann in their home, he dragged her body into the back seat of his car, with his daughter, and drove to an oil field.

chris-watts-big
Chris Watts and his daughters. Image: Facebook.
ADVERTISEMENT

There, he suffocated each of his children before dumping their bodies in separate oil tanks and burying Shanann nearby.

“Honestly, I just felt like I didn’t deserve to live,” Watts told investigators in the revealing interview.

“Whatever judgement was going to come upon myself … I just didn’t deserve to be on this earth anymore,” Watts admitted.

He says he had considered ending his life, but in hindsight admitted he “wasn’t thinking” clearly, and decided against it because he "didn't want to hurt any more people" surrounding the site.

chris watts colorado
Chris Watts with his wife and two daughters. Image: Getty.
ADVERTISEMENT

“With the site, maybe it was like, I would’ve hurt more people than just me,” Watts said.

“I knew there was other people out there, at the site … maybe out in the area. I didn’t want something to catch fire and blow up and then other people around would get hurt.”

He returned home, and maintained to police that his wife had left him and taken the children. He later tried to claim that she had killed the girls, but eventually confessed to the crimes and pleaded guilty.

Watts said he made the decision to plead guilty to prevent his wife’s grief-stricken family from suffering further.

“I didn’t want them to go through this for two to four years,” he said. “I didn’t want my attorneys to lie for me for two to four years.”

ADVERTISEMENT

If this post brings up any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. It doesn’t matter where you live, they will take your call and, if need be, refer you to a service closer to home.

Want to have your voice heard? Plus have the chance to win $100? Take our survey now.

MMSurvey