Man to spend life in jail for killing pregnant wife, 2 daughters
News & Trends •
we love you cindy watts said into a microphone before turning to look directly at her son. and we forgive you son1 a man who strangled his pregnant wife and suffocated their two young daughters wanted to escape his marriage and growing family prosecutors said monday as a judge imposed a sentence of life without parole after a plea deal kept the killer from facing the death penalty1 prison is too good for you1 this is hard to say but may god have mercy on your soul rzucek said1 prosecutors have said shanann watts relatives who live in north carolina asked them not to seek the death penalty when defense attorneys made the proposal1 watts 33 was formally sentenced to consecutive life sentences for the murders1 he also received a 48-year sentence for unlawful termination of a pregnancy and 12 years each for tampering with a corpse totaling 84 years1 the girls bodies were found submerged in separate oil tank on property owned by the company watts worked for1 his wifes body was found in a shallow grave nearby1 as a prosecutor detailed the injuries found on the bodies rzucek leaned forward gasping1 michael rourke said shanann watts was strangled but her lack of significant injuries suggested that her death came slowly1 the girls were smothered and rourke said there were signs bella fought for her life. celeste had no visible injuries he said1 christopher watts parents cindy and ronnie watts were permitted to speak as the girls grandparents1 christopher watts who pleaded guilty two weeks ago did not speak during the hearing. one of his attorneys said watts was sincerely sorry1 watts wiped away a tear with his shirt after his parents left the podium. he kept his head down for much of the hearing speaking only once to confirm that he did not want to make a statement before judge marcelo kopcow imposed his sentence1 friends of shanann watts lined up inside the courthouse monday morning. more people filed into an overflow room to watch a video stream1 the killings captured national media attention and became the focus of true crime blogs and online video channels which showed dozens of family photos and videos that shanann watts shared on social media showing the smiling family1 prosecutors said the images belied a hidden truth that christopher watts was having an affair1 a friend asked police to check on shanann watts on aug. 13 after not being able to reach her and growing concerned that the expectant mother had missed a doctors appointment1 rourke said police later found that watts spoke to a real estate agent about selling the familys home and called the girls school to report that they could not be present when fall classes began1 investigators quickly became suspicious of him after he was unable to square his claims that his family had disappeared from a tightly secured home in a busy subdivision1 meanwhile watts spoke to local television reporters from the front porch of the familys home in frederick a small town on the plains north of denver where drilling rigs and oil wells surround booming subdivisions1 he pleaded for his familys safe return telling reporters their house felt empty without bella and celeste watching cartoons or running to greet him at the door1 within days he was in custody charged with killing his family1 rourke said watts has never discussed a motive for the killings with police but investigators could find no explanation other than his ongoing affair with a co-worker1 i cant speak as to why anyone would take the steps that he did we couldnt find anything else that was a significant enough motive to annihilate your family he said1