Original subtitles

[Shanann Watts] Bella, come here.

Hey, guys. My name is Shanann Watts.

I live in Frederick, Colorado.

Say, "Hi, CeCe." Say, "Hi, Bells."

Hi, Bells.

No, you've gotta say, "Hi."

Hi.

And, um...

We can't forget Dieter. Here comes Dieter.

[girls squealing]

[Shanann] Daddy won't do it if you keep falling off.

Baba!

[Shanann] When Chris and I got married, we moved out here after visiting,

fell in love with the area.

It's gorgeous in Colorado.

We created a life for ourselves out here.

Chris found an amazing job that takes care of him.

They respect him, which is huge

for any job that you have, and we love it here.

-[laughing] -[groans]

[Shanann] I'm making some Italian cookies today.

Gotta be careful 'cause CeCe's allergic to everything that we love,

like pistachio cookies and walnut cookies.

But this guy right here, he's gonna do all the dishes.

That's me.

I'd rather bake and he can clean.

-I'll do-- -I can eat it later.

See?

[all laughing]

Nice.

We'll come back with CeCe and Bella later.

And we'll do the "Here we go, Steelers!" chants.

'Cause they love it.

Say, "Go, Steelers!"

All right, guys. I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye.

[melancholy music playing]

[phone buzzing]

[phone chiming]

[Nickole Atkinson] My name's Nickole, and I'm calling

because I'm concerned about a friend of mine.

I dropped her off at her house at two in the morning last night.

I haven't been able to get a hold of her this morning.

I've gone to her house and her car's there.

But she won't answer the door. She won't answer phone calls.

She won't answer text messages.

They have two little girls, three and four.

I mean, there's no movement in the house whatsoever.

-[officer on phone] What's her name? -Shanann Watts.

[officer] Alrighty, we'll have an officer come out that way as soon as we can.

I would just advise you

to not try to make entry into the house or anything like that.

-[officer] How you guys doing? -Hi.

-[officer] Are you Nickole? -Yes.

Okay, what's going on?

So, my friend, um, we were out of town for a business trip this weekend.

-[officer] All right. -I dropped her off

at two o'clock this morning. She was very distraught over the weekend,

wasn't eating normally, or drinking, and we kept trying to force it on her.

[officer] Shanann, are you home?

[dog barking]

[Nickole] She had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9:00,

and she didn't go to the doctor's appointment.

[officer] Okay, no answer on the phone, husband's on his way.

[Nickole] Yes.

[man] You can't get in the house unless you see signs of...

[officer] Yep, I've gotta have more unless I get consent from him to go in.

Um...

[knocking]

It could be grandparents came and picked them up.

You know, it could be a lot of things. She left her phone, her phone's dead.

How you doing? You seen your neighbors today?

-[neighbor] Uh-uh. -[officer] No? Okay.

[neighbor] Why? What's going on?

[officer] We're just trying to get a hold of her.

Felt like she wasn't feeling too good.

They're just concerned.

Is there a key code, Sandi,

to open the garage from the outside?

What is it?

This is her parents.

[Sandi Rzucek] Frank, what's the key code for the garage?

Shanann's house. The cops are there.

[officer] Well, I can't go in, but if they... allow you to go in,

I have to have the property owner's permission to enter.

[Sandi] What's going on?

Okay... well, he's the property owner.

[Sandi] He told me Shanann was at a girlfriend's house.

-[officer] Do we know who that is? -Do we know who...

[officer] Or a phone number?

[Sandi] He didn't say.

[officer] Shanann, are you home?

Police department, if anyone's inside make yourself known!

-[Sandi] Nicky. -[Nickole] I'm here, keep talking.

-[Sandi] Yeah, keep me on the phone. -Okay, getting out the way.

-[officer] Scott, how you doing? -How's it going?

[officer] So, this is the only vehicle she would have?

-[Scott] Only one that... yeah. -[officer] She would drive? Okay.

[Nickole] Can we go in the house?

Well, he can.

[Scott] I mean, that's up to him. It's his house because...

[Sandi] Nicky, I'm giving you permission to walk into my daughter's house.

[Scott] Mind if I come in, Chris?

-[Chris] Okay. -[Scott] All right.

[mutters]

Yeah.

[Scott] I'm checking the house, with consent.

And you checked upstairs? She's not there?

I just want to make sure she's not passed out somewhere. Is she diabetic?

[Chris] No, if she has low blood sugar, her...

[Nickole] I'll ask her.

[Scott] Her parents are out of state?

They're across country, North Carolina.

[Scott] Oh.

[Chris] Yeah, so that's not happening.

All the girls' blankies are gone.

[Scott] Um...

[Chris] Their blankies they sleep with. They don't leave without them.

[Scott] Okay...

Nothing else appears to be missing? Just stuff you'd take for a quick trip?

-[Chris] Her phone. -[Nickole] Her phone's here?

Her phone's here.

[Scott] Does she work?

-Yeah, she works from home. -[Scott] From home?

She works and this is her lifeline.

[phone clatters]

When that thing turns back on, it's going to start blowing up.

-Oh, yeah, trust me. -[Nickole] That's what Chris said.

-[Scott] And it was shut down? -Yeah.

[Chris] So, that's 1... 31... 8... 19.

[phone chiming]

What's the first thing?

'Bout to blow up.

[Scott] What does she do for work?

She works at a direct sales company called Thrive.

-[Scott] This is her purse? -That's her purse. Is her medication in?

She takes these, uh...

Her medication's still in here.

[Sandi] What about the mobile home?

[Shanann] Hey, everybody.

So, I'm gonna wait till a couple more people hop on here...

and I just want you guys to know a little bit of my story.

I was in a place for a long time where I felt very insecure.

I was married,

went through a really awful divorce,

and that relationship really took a lot from me.

It took my confidence. It took everything.

It literally took everything.

But I'm not a quitter.

And my goal was to buy a house.

My family doesn't come from money. We always worked hard for what we had.

And so I worked and worked and worked and worked.

And I was 25 years old when I built my first house.

And that was the biggest accomplishment I felt I've ever done,

because I did it by myself.

I did it by working my tail off.

[laughs]

Then, ten years ago, I went from being super energetic, super happy...

I started losing a lot of my hair.

I felt like I had the flu all the time.

I felt miserable.

And then I was diagnosed with Lupus, which is an autoimmune disease.

I went through one of the darkest times of my life,

and then I met Chris.

And I couldn't have asked God for a better man.

[Scott] She doesn't ever black out or have seizures or anything?

No, I mean, she... A long, long, long, long time ago.

She got in a car wreck, and they believe that's what happened.

But Imitrex is something she takes for migraines.

She took more Imitrex this last month than she ever had before,

but that's because she was in North Carolina with the humidity

and everything like that. She was there for six weeks, and we got back...

Monday or Tuesday, and then she flew out to Arizona Friday morning.

And then she got back last night... about 2:00 a.m.

Flight got delayed. She left about 11:00. She got here at 2:00.

[Scott] Okay.

I went to work this morning around 5:15, 5:30.

[Scott] What do you do?

I work at oil and gas, Anadarko.

[Scott] What do you do for them?

-Operator. -[Scott] Oh.

[Nickole] Her wedding ring's here?

[Chris] It was on the nightstand next to her side of the bed.

[Scott] There was no note or anything by the wedding ring?

[Chris] No.

[indistinct chatter]

[Shanann] I wasn't looking for a boyfriend,

and all of a sudden, I get a friend request.

I said, "What the heck, I'll never meet him.

He's just a Facebook friend. I have a million of them."

But thing about Facebook is you eventually probably meet the person.

When I met Chris, I pushed him away. I gave him an out every single day.

He went to my colonoscopy.

I tortured him. I rejected him.

But he stuck around.

And he stuck around because he was the one for me.

[Frank Rzucek] I couldn't ask for a better man for her.

He makes her smile, and she makes him smile.

God bless you both.

I just want to say I love you both. You look great together.

She's been looking her whole life for a good guy.

I couldn't ask for a better one.

I love you guys.

[applause]

[all cheering]

[Shanann] And now we have two kids. We live in Colorado.

And he's the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Don't eat Turtle!

Ah, he got Turtle! He's got Turtle!

[Bella growling]

[Scott] Definitely an odd one.

[Chris] I don't know what I should do.

Should I drive around, like, the normal route that she would be?

-[Scott] Where does she normally go to? -I mean, just like...

Drive where, like, she would normally take the kids to school. Um...

People that I know that live down... Kristen lives down that way.

That's the only people... only routes I know she'd take.

[Scott] Does she go to their house frequently, or...

Not much, but...

[phone ringing]

[man] Neighbor over there said he has a camera that sees out into the street.

[door closes]

[Scott] Now, is this on continually?

-[man] Yep. -Recording?

-Yep, any motion that it-- -[Scott] Okay, so it's motion.

[neighbor] Any motion event that happens, I got.

But I get cars driving from this street, from this street.

This is him at 5:17.

[Chris] I usually park out there on the side so I can get everything back in.

Be easier instead of lugging everything out there, tools I had to bring in.

[neighbor] Because if there is any sort of action out there, I would have got it.

-[Scott] Right. -Like, we had issues the other week

when people were stealing stuff out of garages and stuff like that.

-And I had to park my truck-- -I have you parked right here.

I had seen someone tried to jimmy with a flathead screwdriver.

-Over there. -[neighbor] Yeah, I've got nothing.

[Scott] Nothing for the rest of the day?

No, that's it.

She's pregnant as well, sir.

-[Scott] How far along? -Fourteen, 15 weeks.

We did it again.

[laughing]

I like that shirt.

-Really? -[Shanann] Really.

[Chris] That's awesome.

So, pink means?

-[Shanann] That's just the test. -I know.

I was just... 'cause pink is gonna be girls?

[Shanann] I don't know.

-It's just the test. -That's awesome.

I guess... guess... guess when you want to, it happens.

Wow.

[Shanann] Guess what, girls?

Guess what, guess what, guess what, CeCe?

There's a baby in mommy's belly.

Belly... a baby.

[Shanann] It's in mommy's belly, you silly.

It is in my belly.

[Shanann] Boy, boy, Chris wants a boy. I hope it's a boy for him.

It'll make him happy.

We go for our first ultrasound at three... ish, 3:15.

And I'm kind of nervous.

'Cause every time you go you're like, "Is there one? Is there two?

Is there three?"

Hey, Bella, how many babies do I have in my belly?

Five.

-Whoa! -[Chris] Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

[Shanann] That's a lot of babies.

I can't tell you guys how much I am blessed.

I was told I couldn't have kids.

That CeCe, Bella?

Say, "CeCe."

But I had two beautiful girls, little baby monsters as I call 'em.

[Chris] She looks shocked.

Say, "Hi."

CeCe doesn't stop, literally.

Bella is just now getting old enough to know what she's wanting in life.

She wants to be, um...

Uh, Elsa when she grows up.

-[Scott] All right, appreciate your time. -Thank you so much.

-[neighbor] Hopefully something comes up. -Yeah.

[Scott] You mind if I...

You just wanna go talk to him? I'm gonna get his info real quick.

He's not acting right at all.

[Scott] No?

He's never fidgety.

He's never rocking back and forth. And if you look here...

He never loads his stuff in and out of the garage, ever.

[Scott] Right.

[neighbor] He's normally... You can ask them.

He's normally quiet, real subdued.

He never talks. So, the fact that he's over here blabbing his mouth

makes me kind of suspicious of something.

[Scott] Yeah, but, I mean, put yourself in his situation.

Oh, I agree.

[Scott] You know, anyone's gonna be nervous.

You don't know what to do.

[officer] Do all your friends have kids the same age?

[Chris] Mmm-hmm.

-[officer] It's hard to-- -It's really hard.

I mean, we've exhausted... I've exhausted every option I know as far as friends go.

Nicky knew more of them because, uh, she's a woman... and...

that's about as far as we could go as far as all the friends that we could think of.

-[officer] Do you want my card? -[Chris] I'll take it.

[officer] Just call that number, someone will answer that phone 24/7. So...

-[Chris] Okay, sweet. -And then just leave your contact info,

-and an officer will call you back. -[Chris] Thank you.

-[officer] All right, thank you. -[Chris] Thank you.

[dog barking]

[Nickole] I'm just worried sick. I don't know where she's at.

This is completely unlike her.

[Chris] This isn't right. I don't know what to do right now.

If they're not safe, that's what's... that's what's tearing me apart.

[phone ringing]

This is Officer Goodman, Frederick Police Department.

[on phone] Yeah, this is Chris Watts.

[Goodman] We're just trying to get some of your wife and kids' information entered in

to put some alerts out there.

Bella, do you know her height, weight, hair color, and eyes?

[Chris] Height would be 42 inches.

[Goodman] Okay.

[Chris] Weight would be 40 pounds.

Hair color would be brown, eye color would be brown as well.

[Goodman] Okay, does she have any scars, marks, tattoos?

[Chris] No.

[Goodman] Okay, and then on Celeste.

[Chris] She is... 37 inches tall.

Thirty-seven pounds, blond hair.

-[Goodman] Eyes? -[Chris] Hazel eyes.

[Goodman] Hazel.

Okay, and again, no scars, marks, tattoos?

-[Chris] No. -[Goodman] Okay.

Does Shanann have any scars, marks, or tattoos?

[Chris] She has a scar on her forehead that only pops out every once in a while,

from that car wreck she had a long time ago, but no tattoos.

[Goodman] Okay, yeah, well, if you hear something,

obviously let us know as soon as you can,

and if you can think of anything, of anything that might help us.

-Okay, thank you very much, sir. -[Goodman] All right, bye.

[Chris] Bye.

[officer] Hi. Officer of the Frederick Police Department.

We were out earlier and left a flyer on your door?

Yes.

-[officer] Have you seen this lady? -Oh my gosh, I've seen her on Facebook.

[officer] Facebook, okay.

-Does she live in the area? -[officer] She does, yep.

I'll be on the lookout.

[officer] Anything different over the last,

I don't know, two days, three days?

Odd vehicles, odd noises, odd lights?

There was a truck out here yesterday.

In fact, that's why I thought you were here yesterday.

-Maybe someone complained about... -[officer] Okay.

That I hadn't seen... seen before.

[officer] What type of truck?

Um...

it was kind of almost a steel gray.

-Don't ask me the make. [chuckling] -[officer] Okay.

Or year, but that was late afternoon.

The dad has a great big truck and it's gray.

But this one was smaller.

-[officer] Okay. -This one was smaller.

[officer] Hey, Chris.

So, we need to have everybody step out of the house.

-Okay. -[officer] Um...

[officer] Mostly we don't want the dogs to get confused

-with all the scents. -[officer] Correct.

So, you can leave that there. You can leave your camera there.

I'll bring it outside. I don't wanna mess you guys up.

Because my scent has... yeah.

[indistinct radio chatter]

[officer] There's an upstairs, yep. All the bedrooms are upstairs.

You know, maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but this

almost seems like this place is a little bit too immaculate to be normal.

[officer] It's amazingly clean.

[reporter] You wanna give me your first and last name?

[Chris] I'm Chris Watts. W-A-T-T-S.

[reporter] Do you think she just took off?

I mean, right now I don't even wanna just, like, throw anything out there, like...

I hope that she's somewhere safe right now and with the kids.

But, I mean, could she have just taken off? I don't know.

But if somebody has her and they're not safe, like, I want them back now.

[reporter] This might be a tough question, but did...

did you guys get into an argument before she left?

It wasn't like an argument. We had an emotional conversation,

but I'll leave it at that, but it's... I just want them back.

Well, police really don't have a lot of information right now.

We do know that this neighborhood where Shanann Watts

and her two little girls live

is the last place that anyone saw the three missing people.

-[officer] Do you want this shut? -Probably, you know.

-Do you have a preference? -It doesn't matter to me.

[agent] All right, let's do this.

So, I know it's hard to talk about.

You mentioned that there was a hard conversation

the two of you had about your marriage.

Can you really get into that conversation with me?

I talked to her about how I was feeling, about how I felt.

What's been going on with us for the last six weeks,

'cause she was in North Carolina, and I was down there just the last week.

But, just being apart and just, like, figuring out who people are...

Honestly, like, the best way for people to find out who they are

-is to spend time apart. -I agree.

When we were together, we could feel, like, it wasn't there, that spark.

I know it's kind of cliché, but that spark wasn't there anymore.

And that's why I got so emotional right there.

Okay... emotional for you, too?

-Oh, yeah. I was bawling my eyes out. -Yeah.

Looking back on that conversation, can you connect the dots between

both of you being upset and crying...

and here we are now, she and the kids are gone?

I think about, like, did I cause this?

Like, did I make her feel, like, she needed to leave?

Maybe she sat there and thought about it, like,

"Do I really need to stay here right now?

Like, if he doesn't love me, maybe I should just go."

[Shanann] CeCe!

[Frank] This way. Come on.

[Shanann] You wanna go see the airplane?

Bella, CeCe, my dad and I are flying to North Carolina for six weeks.

We're gonna spend time with our families

and friends and everything else.

And Chris will be coming at the end of July.

One day, Chris can travel that long with us.

We're going up.

[Sandi] Who's here?

Hi!

[laughing] Hi, Nana.

Careful, oh, my goodness.

[laughing]

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear Nana!

And on...

Happy birthday to you!

-[Frank] All right! -[Shanann] Wow!

[agent] Hi, there.

-Are you Nickole? Hi. -[Nickole] Hello. We're gonna... yeah.

Agent Greg Zettner with Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Okay.

So, I understand you and Shanann are pretty good friends.

[Nickole] Yeah, we hang out a lot, we have kids the same age.

[Greg] Did Shanann ever say anything to you about their relationship?

[Nickole] I think it was the second or third week

she was in North Carolina.

She got in a fight with Chris's mom,

because she went to Chris's mom's house to visit,

and the grandma, her name's Cindy...

Cindy bought ice cream that has everything CeCe's allergic to in it.

So, Shanann asked Cindy, "Please do not give this to CeCe. She cannot have it."

[keys clacking]

I knew that Shanann and his mom, Cindy, were fighting again.

This is coming from Cindy that CeCe had a food allergy.

And Shanann came into the living room and was just yelling at Cindy,

telling her she's trying to kill her baby or something,

because of the food allergy, and Cindy claims she had no idea about it.

[Mark] They had this huge argument

and she ended up kicking Shanann out of the house.

Can you cut the lights?

[Nickole] So, they argued and Shanann got back to her parents' house.

As far as I know, she did not go back and see his parents.

But they celebrated CeCe's birthday while they were down there,

and the parents did not come to the birthday party.

[all singing] Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear CeCe

Happy birthday to you

Yay!

[phone chiming]

[keys clacking]

[Chris] There was an incident

where she had some ice cream that CeCe couldn't have.

That kind of drove Shanann to where, like,

"All right, they can't come over ever again

if you're gonna have this in this house." And that's why that happened.

l was hurt. I was like, you know, I wanted my parents to see their grandbabies.

-[Cindy] "Silly monkeys." -[girls] Monkeys, jumping on the bed!

Growing up and in high school, if you hurt my feelings,

I never told you, because I didn't like conflict.

I really wasn't a big conflict person.

I always lived for other people until recently.

Now I live for me and for my family, my kids. I live for them.

[Greg] Does your gut tell you that Shanann and the kids walked out,

or that they were taken out?

At first, I really thought maybe she was just at somebody's house,

-just decompressing. -Just blowing off steam.

Yeah, but after today, like, with the onslaught of all the cars,

I mean, all the police cars, all the news, all the K-9 units,

it's making me lean the other direction about someone took her.

-Okay. -But this is... if someone took her,

it would have to have been someone she knew,

because there's no sign of anything, like, being disturbed or broken.

And it's freaking me out.

[phone ringing]

[phone chiming]

She texted me and said things were bad and that she didn't know what she did.

Or what was going on with Chris and she thought that it was his parents.

The only other time he's ever acted like this in the marriage

was right after they got married.

-[minister] I will love you. -I will love you.

-And stand by you. -And stand by you.

-As long as we both shall live. -As long as we both shall live.

[Nickole] And it was because his parents didn't go to their wedding.

[Greg] So, his parents did not like her?

[Nickole] No, they do not like her. Yeah, they do not like her.

His parents do not.

Chris, you may kiss your wife.

-[Greg] Do you know the reason for that? -[Nickole] She can be bossy.

[chuckling] But in a good way.

I mean, it's not like... I've teased her, because I'm like, "You're so bossy."

But it's... she's trying to push you to do good things and, like, motivate you.

It's not like a... bitchy bossy.

[Chris] My mom just never thought she was good enough.

[agent] So, what was the blow up at the wedding about?

[Chris] It was just... my mom.

And very much my sister. They just didn't like her.

[agent] Oh.

[Chris] They just thought that Shanann had taken me away from them

and taken me off to Colorado.

I'm definitely the... dominant one in the relationship.

Um, he's very... sweet.

He's very calm. Um...

I'm the high-strung one in the relationship.

[Celeste screaming]

Santa's here, but the kids are freaking out.

Hey, Santa, where's your phone?

-In the garage. -[Shanann] I wanted it.

Oh.

[Shanann] I always say I have more patience for children than I do adults,

and I guess that goes for my husband.

He's such a great guy to put up with me over the years.

[door closes]

Sit down, Santa. Have a seat.

I'll try to get the kids.

Ho, ho, ho!

-[Shanann] You're Santa? -Yes.

[Shanann] Where's the phone?

On top of your car in the garage.

[Shanann] I needed it for pictures, hold on.

I gotta get the phone. This is hard as one parent.

I wanna get the phone, so I can get pictures. Hold, please.

[automated voice] ...period garage door.

My husband's a genius.

Doesn't listen.

[agent] Is there anyone that you think that maybe your wife got close with?

If she did, it was very, like, secretive then, if that was the case.

'Cause I had no inkling. No, it wasn't even a suspicion.

Not one guy? Or girl.

I'm... if that was the case, I mean, I didn't have one suspicion about it.

Like, if it happened...

it wasn't even like...

I wasn't aware.

-Now, let's talk about you. -Okay.

I see pictures of you from a few years ago,

and I see you standing before me now.

-Okay. -You've gotten pretty fit.

You can imagine when guys start cheating or want to cheat, that's what happens.

-So, tell me about it. -I did not cheat on my wife.

-I went from 245 pounds to about-- -[agent] You were 245?

-I was 245 pounds. -[agent] Jeez, you look great, man.

[Chris] Thank you, I'm 185, 180 right now.

Okay, and I've got to imagine that maybe there was a girl that inspired that.

No, I have never cheated on my wife.

Okay, you know that we have to get to the bottom of this.

-You know that. -Yeah.

Okay.

-Would you take a polygraph? -Sure.

Okay.

My name is Chris Watts.

I'm doing my speech on relationship deterioration and repair.

You have to ask yourself three questions when you're in a relationship.

"Do I have a desire to keep this relationship going?"

"Do I have a moral obligation to stay in this relationship?"

Or, "Is it a necessity for me to stay in this relationship?"

Sometimes a necessity could be children.

Sometimes, when you have children,

and your relationship starts to deteriorate,

a child could help repair it.

When somebody is not faithful to their partner,

the partners realize that the relationship cannot be sustained.

Gradual would be if you met somebody at work

or a new friendship has occurred, and you...

as it goes on you see that maybe this relationship has more potential.

[phone line ringing]

[Luke Epple on phone] Anadarko, this is Luke.

Hi, Luke, this is Agent Lee calling

from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Are you Chris's supervisor?

[Luke] Yeah, I'm his direct supervisor, yes.

[Lee] Do you have any idea if, like, he has like a girlfriend,

or if he thought his wife had a boyfriend or anything like that?

[Luke] He never indicated or said anything to me that would make me think that.

He never came out and said that for him or his wife.

[Lee] Sure, okay, can you explain to me Monday morning?

Where would he go to go to his job site?

[Luke] He was out on what's called the Cervi Ranch.

-[Lee] Cervi, is that what you said? -[Luke] Yeah.

-[Lee] Okay. -[Luke] We have several wells out there.

He and a few of my other guys were out there pretty much all day with him.

[Lee] Do you have any concerns about him?

[Luke] I don't, other than what he's going through right now.

Go ahead and have a seat right here, Chris.

-Sit on this? -Yep, I know.

I'll explain what that is in a little bit, but you don't have to worry.

It's not on or anything right now. It's not gonna...

[laughing] It's not gonna buzz you or anything.

I've never done this before.

I know, a lot of people haven't had polygraphs before.

It's not a normal thing that people go through.

We're gonna first start by going over from the beginning and telling someone.

Maybe, you know, a friend that you hadn't talked to

since any of this has happened,

and you're basically going to relay all the details of exactly what happened.

So, like, I woke her up after I got ready and everything,

and then we had a talk about, like, uh...

selling the house, and about separation.

Did she accuse you of anything?

I mean, being a woman, I mean, she's like, "Is there somebody else?"

I'm like, "No, there's nobody else. I mean, this is...

This is me talking to you about it.

This isn't, like, somebody came into my life and took me from you.

This is, you know, me talking to you."

Okay. So I want you to have confidence

in the fact that you had nothing to do with this disappearance.

We're gonna find that out today.

And obviously, I mean, I hope that you know

if you did have something to do with their disappearance,

it would be really stupid for you to come in and take a polygraph today.

-Exactly. -Right? Like, it would be really dumb.

Like, you should not be here right now sitting in this chair

if you had anything to do with Shanann and the little girls' disappearance. Okay?

[officer] We're just handing out flyers on this missing person.

[man] Uh, okay.

[officer] If you see them, know them,

or if you have cameras on your house that might have seen something...

-[man] It's a mess. -[officer] It is.

-Do they think she's in the area? -[officer] We don't know. I don't...

I got nothing for you on that one, so...

...a flyer with a missing lady and her kiddos? Do you know her?

[officer] There's a phone number at the bottom,

give us a call if you find anything, okay?

[reporter] Police are canvassing a small town with a big mystery.

The disappearance of a pregnant Frederick woman and her two children

has captured the nation's attention.

This is a very visible effort on the part of Frederick police

to make sure the word is out about Shanann.

Obviously, they said, "We want to leave no stone unturned.

We don't want to rule anything out."

Neighbors I talked to say this is scary.

They want some answers,

but right now all we have are a lot of questions.

[sobbing] I'm just concerned, and Shanann, if you're hearing this

or you're out there,

please, please let somebody know you're okay.

The coolest thing about this is right now,

there's only one person in this room that knows what the truth is,

and in about five minutes, there's gonna be two of us.

That's the coolest part, okay?

And then I'm gonna go share that with them out there.

-Okay? -Okay.

The test is about to begin. Please remain still.

Regarding Shanann's disappearance, do you intend to answer

-all of the questions truthfully? -Yes.

-Is your first name Christopher? -Yes.

Did you physically cause Shanann's disappearance?

No.

Are you lying about the last time you saw Shanann?

No.

I really need your breathing to be normal. You are, like, all over the place so far.

I'm sorry.

-That's okay. -Like, sometimes I feel, like,

I'm not breathing enough, and I'm, like, uh...

[inhales and exhales heavily]

-Like that. I don't want it to be that. -Yeah, yeah.

Before 2018, did you ever say anything out of anger to a loved one?

Yes. Uh, no.

-Do you know where Shanann is now? -No.

Did you physically cause Shanann's disappearance?

No.

Are you lying about the last time you saw Shanann?

No.

All right, how'd you feel? Same through all of it?

I think I was the same through everything.

Good for you.

-It's kind of hard to relax. -I know. I get it.

[Shanann] I'm in North Carolina, those of you that are watching.

Go get Uncle Frankie!

Go get Uncle Frankie!

Go get him!

[Chris] Shanann and the kids were in North Carolina to see my family,

and obviously her family, and just kind of, like...

'Cause they hadn't seen the kids in a while.

And I was here just going to work and working out

and just keeping the house up.

-[Shanann] Can I see, CeCe? -[Frank] CeCe, let Bella have one.

[Shanann] CeCe, let me see the frog.

[phone chiming]

[Shanann] She's not getting her.

She's like, "You growl, bark at me?"

My daddy is a hero

He helps me grow up strong

He reads me books

He ties my shoes

You're a hero, through and through

[Chris] My flight was July 31st.

And I flew out there for a week, so I could fly back with them.

[phone chiming]

[keys clacking]

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!

[Shanann] Can't run.

[indistinct chatter]

[Chris chuckles]

-Now, I can hug you. Come here. -Daddy.

Come here, little girls.

Hey. Hey.

Daddy was on a plane.

Airplane?

I know.

You went on an airplane?

I did.

You did?

Yes, I did.

Hey, everybody. So, this is the girls' first time to the beach.

Come here, girls. Get on the sand.

[Chris] Wowee. Look at that.

[Shanann] You like the sand, CeCe?

Yeah? You wanna go by the lifeguard?

[Chris] Not yet, Bella.

[Shanann] CeCe, come here.

Bella, come here first. Let's go over here. Let's go find...

a spot so we can sit.

-No, no no! [screams] -[girls laughing]

[phone chiming]

[Shanann] Turn her slightly this way. I wanna get a picture.

Turn her slightly this way.

Good job, B!

No, no, CeCe, let Pop Pop help you.

All right, CeCe.

[phone chiming]

I brought Graham in here, 'cause we wanted to talk to you about the results, okay?

So, um, it is completely clear that you were not honest during the testing,

and I think you already know that. Um, you did not pass the polygraph test.

[Chris] Okay.

Okay, so, now we need to talk about what actually happened,

and I feel like you're probably ready to do that.

I didn't... I didn't lie to you on that polygraph, I promise.

-Chris-- -I'm... I'm not...

Time to stop.

-It's time. -I'm... [scoffs]

Just stop for a minute, take a deep breath.

I want you to take a deep breath right now.

[Graham inhales and exhales deeply]

There's a reason you feel sick to your stomach.

When people hold stuff inside, it makes you physically ill.

I can just tell on your face. I could tell from the second that you walked in

that you were wanting to...

just come clean and just be done with this.

And I appreciate that, because you knew, sitting down in that chair,

that you weren't gonna pass today.

And you knew I was gonna find out, 'cause I told you that,

and then you continued to stay, knowing that you could at the end say,

"You know, what? I just need to get this off my chest.

Like, I just wanna tell you what happened."

We're not here to play games. We're not here to do any of that with you.

We just want to know what happened.

So, can you start from the beginning and tell us what happened?

Everything that I told you... I did not lie on this polygraph.

I am... I don't know how much I could... I... could tell you right now.

-Like, I did not-- -Chris, it's not even an option right now.

You did not pass the polygraph. I know you were being deceptive.

So, that's not even an issue right now. The issue right now is

what happened to Shanann...

Bella, and Celeste.

That's the issue right now.

-Okay. -Okay, so, let's talk about that.

[Bella] CeCe, you're making me more sad, because I miss Uncle Frankie.

[sobbing]

I miss him.

Can we go visit Frankie?

[Shanann] What's wrong, baby?

I miss Uncle Frankie.

[Shanann] You miss Uncle Frankie?

Yes.

[Shanann] Where's the truck going?

To the airplane!

[Shanann] That's the wrong way, Bella. Wrong way.

That would've been funny.

Turn your bag so it's easy. This way. You gotta carry it.

[Shanann] Missed you, Dieter.

[girls laughing and chattering]

I love my Dieter dog.

[girls exclaiming]

[phone chiming]

[detective] Today's date is August 15, 2018.

Interviewing, uh... Nichol Kessinger.

[detective 2] There's a whole bunch of us working on this,

and we will until we resolve it.

[Nichol] He has no idea that I'm talking to you guys. Nobody does.

I think he's a really good guy,

and, you know, I'm worried about his wife and kids.

[detective 2] And we appreciate any insight.

[Nichol] So, I met Chris at work,

probably around the beginning of June.

And he informed me that he did have two daughters.

Um, he also told me that he was currently in the process

of the separation from his wife,

and that's how it started.

[detective] Sure, okay,

and then did your relationship develop beyond friendship?

[Nichol] Yes.

[Chris] You're so damn sexy.

Thank you so much for coming out here with me, Christopher.

I'm having a wonderful time. You mean a lot to me.

And I'm glad that you're having a blast. I am so out of breath.

One thing I did wanna let you guys know is that...

I found out that she is 15 weeks pregnant.

I did not know that. Uh, I had to find that out through the media.

It's really concerning me that this woman and her children cannot be located.

It's... it's not okay. It scares me, and I'm worried for all of them.

[Lee] This is where the rubber meets the road, Chris.

Like, don't let this continue any longer, please.

I'm not trying to make anything continue.

I want them back home like...

But you know they're not coming back home. You know that.

I don't know... in the back of my head I hope they come back home.

-But you know they're not. -Uh, I hope they come back home.

We just can't figure out...

why there's two Chrises.

So we need to talk about that, okay?

[Chris] I cheated on her.

I know.

That five weeks I was alone, I was with her most of the time.

She's a wonderful person. I mean, she knew I was married, yes.

I told her we were going through issues, yes.

I told her that we were gonna get...

At the end, we were gonna be separated. Like, once I figured out what that was.

I didn't know what that was gonna be. I saw her, took my breath away, and...

I'd never thought in a million years that could happen.

I'm not proud of it. Shanann accused me of it, I denied it.

I didn't hurt her. I cheated on her. I hurt her emotionally. I cheated on her.

Here's the challenge that we have.

We knew about Nikki and so we didn't need to ask you about her in the polygraph.

I don't think this girl did anything to hurt anybody.

-We can leave her out of it. -[Chris] Okay. Okay.

[Graham] And get back to your wife and daughters.

-These are your baby girls. -My girls.

And you have not shed one tear.

Don't look into that, like, I don't love my kids or my wife.

Explain to me. You're crying with your wife that you're leaving her.

Yeah.

But you don't cry that your two little baby girls are missing?

I'm hoping they're still around somewhere.

But you don't have them right now.

You're not reading stories to them at night.

-I know. -You're not giving them midnight snacks.

-I love those girls to death. -Then show us that.

Show us that.

-Chris, did Shanann do something to them? -No, I don't know.

-I'm serious. -I have no clue.

No, you would've known, 'cause they didn't leave the house.

-I think when-- -Did Shanann do something to them?

And then did you feel like you had to do something to Shanann?

Chicks are crazy.

Can I talk to my dad or something?

Absolutely. Do you want to bring him in here?

No, I just can't talk to my dad. Like, he flew across the country.

-Hey, Chris. How about this? -I can't... I'm...

If we bring your dad in here, would you please tell him what happened?

Can I just go talk to him out there?

I've been in here for like, five or six hours and I'm, like...

[Graham] Absolutely. He deserves an answer.

[Lee] He's your best friend.

[Graham] Hey, Chris, we're gonna let you have as much time you need, okay?

[Chris] Okay. You're gonna leave us in here?

-[Graham] Uh, yes. -[Lee] Yeah.

[Chris] Okay.

[door closes]

-I'm not gonna tell anyone. -[Chris] I know.

You gonna tell me what's going on, or...

I messed up the polygraph.

I failed it.

-Failed it? -Yeah, because there's--

Too much emotions?

So, I mean they're...

not gonna let me go.

Is there any reason why they shouldn't?

[Chris muttering indistinctly]

They know I had an affair.

They... they... they know.

I came clean about that.

Is there anything else you wanna tell me? What's going on or what happened,

or anything you can think of?

When...

we had that conversation that morning,

it was emotional, and...

I told her about the separation and everything like that.

[Ronnie] Mmm-hmm.

-I don't want to protect her. -What?

I don't want to protect her.

You don't want to protect her?

I don't know what else to say.

Do you know what happened?

What?

-Did she hurt them? -Yeah.

[whispering] And then I had to kill her.

What now?

-I have to tell them I hurt her. -You hurt her?

So, she started hurting the kids?

[indistinct] Help me, Chris. What happened?

She...

-She... -What?

-She smothered them. -She smothered them?

Or choked them?

Did she kill them?

They were... they were blue.

Both of them? She choked both of them to death?

I freaked out and did the same thing to her.

Oh, my God.

So, she killed both CeCe and Bella, choked them to death?

And you lost it and then choked her, or...

Mmm-hmm. I just... that was just...

rage. I mean, I hadn't...

Good God almighty, son.

[dog barking]

I am live right now outside the home

of Chris Watts and Shanann Watts, and you can see behind me,

police are here right now, processing the evidence inside the home.

[officer] Folks are here to pick up the dog.

[officer 2] I'll try to catch her first.

[officer 3] Yep.

-[police radio chirping] -[dog barking]

[reporter] Police have been towing a truck

that was parked just a couple of houses down.

We didn't know it's connected to the house, but they towed that as well.

And they just came out with the family's dog in a cage.

Police have also went in there with evidence bags.

-[Lee] What's that? -Tell them.

You doing okay? You sure?

You did the hard part.

All you have left is to tell us where they're at.

We can help you get them out of the cold.

[Chris] They're gone. There's no bringing them back.

Well, where are they?

They're at the first location I went to that day.

Where did you put them out there? Chris, that's really important.

-I didn't know what else to do. -I know, just tell me, where are the kids?

I know.

I didn't know what else to do. I was so scared.

I know.

Will you show us?

What's going to happen?

We're gonna help them get out of there.

Chris, I know they're gone, but they're still your babies.

-You're still their dad. -You don't want them out there.

[sobbing] I don't want them out there.

And you don't want someone else to find them out there. You don't, I promise you.

Can you give us a second, so we can get some... things arranged?

Can you do that?

Ronnie, do you want to stay in here with him?

The problem is I don't even know if they believe me or not.

-Are they buried in something or... -Shanann is.

[Ronnie] What about the babies?

[Chris] That's what I'm worried about. They're in a freaking oil tank.

I didn't know what else to do.

Please, God... forgive me.

[Graham] I think we have a picture of, is it Cervi 319?

Does that look familiar to you? What is that?

[Chris] That's Cervi 319.

Okay.

Whereabouts...

is Shanann and the girls?

[Chris] How old is this picture?

-[Lee] Today. -[Chris] Oh, it's today?

Shanann's right here.

Is that "S" for Shanann, okay, and where are the girls at?

They're in here.

[Graham] Are they in the tanks?

[Chris] They're like... there's just a hatch on the top,

and they're, like, 20 foot tanks.

-[Lee] There was a sheet found down here. -[Chris] Mmm-hmm.

[Lee] What is that from?

[Chris] That was what Shanann was wrapped in.

[Lee] You're good with the public knowing Shanann killed her daughters?

[Chris] I did not hurt these girls.

[Lee] You okay with the public knowing that Shanann--

Yes, because I did not hurt these girls.

What it looks like is that...

you got a new life...

and the only way to get that new life was to get rid of the old life.

And I think that you killed these girls before their mom came home

-and then killed Shanann. -[Chris] No, no, no.

It just doesn't make sense. It just doesn't add up.

So... either you're this monster,

"So, I just want this young, hot girlfriend,

so I'm gonna kill everyone and hope it works out," or something.

So, I think we're very, very close to the truth,

but not quite there yet.

-So, if you're not that monster-- -I'm not a monster.

I didn't...

kill my babies.

Okay.

On August 10, Shanann flew out to Arizona with Nickole.

And I had the kids from Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

[Greg] How long have you known Shanann?

[Nickole] Three to four years, I would say.

[Greg] So, you guys... was there, like, a convention this last weekend?

[Nickole] There was a training in Arizona

that some of the top leaders of the company were putting on.

[Greg] Okay.

So, you picked her up from her house.

[Nickole] She was waiting on the front porch.

[Greg] Oh, she was, okay.

[Nickole] Then we drove to the airport.

[Greg] Do you remember when you picked her up?

[Nickole] It was around 4:30.

-[Greg] In the morning? -Mmm-hmm.

[keys clacking]

[Graham] Chris, come stand up for me.

I'm gonna have you face that wall over there.

That one, just face it.

Lift up your hands.

[reporter] In just the last ten minutes,

we have confirmed that Shanann's husband

and the father of her two children, Chris Watts, has confessed.

Neighbors here, some of them are still outside tonight. They're all on edge.

They are saddened by this horrific news if this indeed is the case.

Sir. Can you step over here for me, please?

Face this bar right here. Sir, you got anything on you?

[both talking indistinctly]

[spokesman] At this point, we have been able to recover

a body that we're quite certain is Shanann Watts' body.

We have strong reason to believe

that we know where the bodies of the children are,

and recovery efforts are in process on that.

This is absolutely the worst possible outcome that any of us could imagine.

[Frank] Thank you everyone for coming out to the candlelight vigil,

and saying all your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

And keep the prayers coming for our family.

[phone chiming]

[detective] You talk about...

children, and he's got his own kids,

and that makes you uncomfortable,

because you'd like to have your own family.

Put that in context for me.

Is that... is that a fair statement, the way I'm saying it?

I mean, I guess, but that was never anything I, like, said to him, though.

Okay, that's what I wanted to know. Did you ever say anything to him about...

Never, never...

-Anything about his kids being a problem? -No.

-Anything about his wife being a problem? -Never, never.

This shocked me just as much as I think it shocked the rest of the world.

All of it.

Like, he lies so much.

Now, I go back and think of all the shit, and I'm like, "It's lies."

I really thought she left. I was like...

"Let her fucking go. You know, she'll come back in a day."

"She'll get right. Let her cool down. She'll be here. It'll be okay."

You know, like, had me convinced, like,

"I think she's just upset." And then... and then...

[detective] Um, all right, we can move past that.

Did you meet at your house? Did you guys go to any restaurants?

Did you go to establishments?

[Nichol] He came to my house,

and this past Saturday, we went to, um...

What's the name of that bar that we used to go to?

It's not the same... the Lazy Dog.

So, he had to get a babysitter that night.

Chris said he went to a Rockies game on Saturday night.

They got a babysitter.

And then she checked her bank statement and he went out to dinner,

which, that's not odd, but the total was 60-some dollars.

-[detective] You remember where that was? -The Lazy Dog in Westminster.

-It's like a bar and grill type-- -You'd have to work at it to get 65 bucks.

[Nickole] Yeah, well, that's what we were talking about.

So, then she gets off the phone with him, and we come back.

She's upset and she was like, "Well, what did he spend that on?"

And I'm-- "Food. Like, I don't know," and she looked up the menu.

He said he had salmon and a beer, and she's like, "That's only 30 bucks.

Where's the other 40 dollars?"

So, then she started going through their bank statement

to see if there was any other kind of charges while she was gone.

[Nichol] We went back to my house for a little bit, and then he had to leave.

[detective] Do you recall the time he left?

[Nichol] I remember he was, like, gonna be late to be back at 10:00.

I think there's a text message where he starts texting me when he's at his house.

I remember, I texted him back, and I was like, "Damn, that was quick."

He's like, "Yeah, I even had time to stop at the gas station to get money

to pay the babysitter."

[Nickole] He didn't get home until 10:30, which she found that to be odd,

because it was well after dinner.

And she knows when he gets home,

because their security system tells you when you open the door.

A Colorado man charged in the murders of his pregnant wife and two daughters

will be back in court today,

but in an unsealed affidavit, he says he is not the one who killed his children.

I was just hoping he would be man enough today

to just be like, "Know what? This is what happened."

There's no doubt in my mind.

My sister would never, ever, ever hurt her children.

She loved her kids, loved them more than anything in this world.

[reporter] Chris Watts learned that he could get life in prison

without the possibility of parole or death.

Lots of you have asked about when the death penalty decision will be made.

That is not something that's going to happen, even in the next few weeks.

There is so much being said online in the dozens of Facebook groups

and the tens of thousands of followers of these Facebook groups, these members.

Everyone is tearing each piece of interaction between this couple apart.

[woman] I just have to wonder if she even wanted Bella and CeCe.

[woman 2] Her parent-raising ideas were disturbing.

[woman 3] The one that I would label the narcissist is Shanann.

[woman 4] I think she drove him to lose his shit.

[woman 5] Oh, my God, she did not drive him to do this shit.

[woman 4] She did, she did.

[woman 5] You don't know what went on behind closed doors.

[woman 4] She drove him insane.

[woman 5] Come on, why are you victim-blaming?

[woman 4] She was a bitch.

There are people out there who believe he is innocent.

And those conspiracy theorists are using social media

to relentlessly attack Shanann's family.

Shanann's father, Frank Rzucek, says his daughter and his grandchildren

have been ridiculed,

demeaned, slandered, and mocked in the most vicious ways you can imagine.

Please just stop. Get on with your lives.

Leave ours alone.

One, two, three. Four, Daddy!

Five!

Six.

[Nickole] She called him that night when we were at the airport.

She's like, "Will you watch my stuff, I'm gonna go talk to Chris real quick."

She came back, it couldn't have been more than five minutes.

I said, "Are you okay?" She's like, "No."

She's like, "I haven't talked to him all day or hardly at all this weekend,

and he wants to work out.

He started working out while he was on the phone with me.

So, I just let him go!"

[phone chiming]

[Nickole] I dropped her off around 1:45.

Then I went home and I didn't talk to her again that night.

[indistinct chatter]

Good afternoon, everyone.

For those of you not present in the courtroom today,

I want to take a minute to summarize the nature of the proceedings

on People v. Christopher Watts this afternoon.

Mr. Watts entered a plea of guilty to all nine counts. Those counts include

murder in the first degree after deliberation as to Shanann Watts,

murder in the first degree as to Bella Watts,

murder in the first degree as to Celeste Watts,

unlawful termination of a pregnancy as it relates to Nico Watts,

and three counts of unlawful, tampering with a deceased human body.

As a result of his plea of guilty, he will not face the death penalty.

Sandi said it very, very poignantly to me.

"He made the choice to take those lives.

I do not want to be in a position of making the choice to take his."

[Graham] The last thing we talked about was where the girls were.

But we never really got to talk about that night.

[Chris] She got home, like, at two o'clock.

I just had a feeling that she knew, like,

you know, what I did.

Saturday night was the last straw.

Going out with somebody and using our actual bank account card,

and just, like, not trying to hide it at all.

I felt her get into bed.

She started rubbing her hand on me, and we ended up having sex.

When I woke up later on in the morning,

like, you know, I pretty much, you know, told her, like,

you know, I didn't think it was gonna work anymore.

And she was like, "What happened? What was last night?" You know?

She was like, "I knew there was somebody else."

I couldn't just say, "Yes, there is somebody else."

Then she said, "You're never going to see your kids again.

You're never going to see them again. Get off me."

If I'd never met Nikki, would I ever have thought our relationship was bad?

Probably not.

[Graham] So, then, when did it turn?

[Chris] I told her I didn't love her anymore.

That's when it happened.

[Graham] What happened?

[Chris] She told me to get off her, and then I put my hands around her.

I don't even wanna say I felt like I had to.

I felt like it was already something in my mind that was implanted.

I was gonna do it when I woke up that morning, and it was gonna happen.

I had no control over it. Why couldn't I just let go?

[Lee] What was she doing?

[Chris] She wasn't fighting.

Then Bella came in the room.

[Graham] What did she say?

[Chris] "What's wrong with Mommy?"

She had her little pink blanket with her.

[Lee] And where was Shanann at that point?

[Chris] Pretty much on the bed, but she was face down.

I put Shanann in that sheet, carried her downstairs.

I pulled my truck up.

[Lee] So, you put Shanann in the truck

and then you put the two girls in the truck?

[Chris] Sitting in the back with the... like, in that... that bench seat.

[Lee] So, Shanann was back there, too?

[Chris] On the floor.

[Lee] What did they say about Shanann being on the floor?

[Chris sniffling] "Is Mommy okay?"

[Lee] What'd you tell them?

[Chris] "She'll be fine."

When I was driving up there,

they were just sitting there, kind of asleep or kind of

just holding onto each other, laying in each other's laps.

Honestly, like, I try to picture that whole ride.

It's like 45 minutes to an hour ride out there.

And it's just like...

couldn't I have, like...

saved my girls' life?

Couldn't I have done something? Why did I do it? I don't know.

I wanted all my life was to be a dad,

just to have, you know, kids and they love me, they... all that.

I just haven't... nothing made sense.

[Lee] So what happened when you got out there?

[Chris] CeCe was... first.

I put the blanket over her head.

[Graham] Did she struggle at all?

[Chris] I don't think so...

[Graham] Then what happened to Bella? Tell me what happened there.

[Chris] She said, "What happened to CeCe?"

Every time I close my eyes,

I start to see her saying, "Daddy, no," and that was it.

I hear that every day.

[Michael] After he disposed of their bodies, he made several phone calls.

One was to the school, telling the school that they were being unenrolled.

He contacted a realtor to start discussing the selling of his house,

and he texted with his girlfriend about their future.

None of this answers the questions of why, however.

If he was this happy

and wanted a new start, get a divorce.

You don't annihilate your family and throw them away like garbage.

Why did Nico, Celeste, Bella, and Shanann have to lose their lives...

in order for him to get what he wanted?

Your Honor, Sandi Rzucek would like to address the court.

[Sandi] I wanted to say thank you for this moment.

We loved you like a son. We trusted you.

Your faithful wife trusted you.

Your children adored you, and they also trusted you.

Your daughter Bella Marie sang a song proudly.

I don't know if you got to see it, but it was "Daddy, You're My Hero."

[voice trembling] I have no idea...

who gave you the right to take their lives.

But I know...

God and his mighty angels were there...

at that moment to bring them home to paradise.

Thank you, Your Honor.

[judge] Introduce yourself for the record.

I'm Cindy Watts.

I am still struggling to understand how and why this tragedy occurred.

[sobbing] This might be hard for some to understand how I can sit here

under these circumstances and tell you all that we are heartbroken.

Although we can't imagine what could have led us to this day.

We love you...

and we forgive you, son.

[judge] Mr. Watts, as I indicated when we began,

you have the right to make a statement if you choose to.

Would you like to make a statement?

No, sir.

This is perhaps the most inhumane...

and vicious crime that I have handled

out of the thousands of cases that I have seen.

And anything less than the maximum sentence

would depreciate the seriousness of this offense.

Deputies, I would respectfully ask that you take this defendant into custody

and have him serve the rest of his life in the Department of Corrections.

[reporter] A dramatic showdown in court today

as a Colorado man received three life sentences

for murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters

in a case that shocked the nation.

[Frank] My daughter, even though she was pregnant, is a fighter.

I still say he did this while she was sleeping,

because he would not look the way he looks right now if she was up.

[Michael] What I can tell you most affirmatively today

is the spotlight that he tried to shine on Shanann falsely, incorrectly,

and frankly a flat-out lie has been corrected.

The spotlight shines directly where it belongs, on him.

[on phone] Hi, Stacy, my name's Nickole,

and I'm calling, because I'm concerned about a friend of mine.

-[officer] Scott, how you doing? -[Chris] How's it going?

All the girls' blankies are gone.

-[Nickole] Her phone's here. -This is her lifeline.

[phone clatters]

[phone chiming]

[Nickole] Her wedding ring's here?

He's not acting right at all.

[Scott] No?

She's pregnant as well, sir.

Shanann, Bella, Celeste, if you're out there, just...

just come back.

I need to see everybody again.

This house is not complete with... without anybody here.

I can say, at the end of the day, I've done everything

in my heart and my soul that I could do to make my family's life better

and to give my family what they deserve.

You guys are so silly. Okay, let's go to school.

I love school.

Because of my health challenges, because I got so sick,

I let him in.

He only knew me at that time.

He knew me at my worst,

and he accepted me.

We're not promised tomorrow, you know, we're not promised anything.

Oh, my goodness!

But we'll be able to enjoy our children and every crazy moment--

-I love you girls. -And give the baby a hug!

You wanna give the baby a hug?

[Shanann chuckles] It can be super crazy, but I love them.

[light piano music playing]