Death Penalty Possible For Colo. Dad Chris Watts: Judge

GREELEY, CO – Christopher Watts appeared in court in Greeley Tuesday for the first time since being charged with nine felony counts for the deaths of his pregnant wife and two young daughters in Frederick.

Watts was told by Weld County District Court Judge Marcelo Kopcow that if found guilty, a minimum sentence would be life imprisonment without possibility of parole and that the maximum penalty would be the death penalty.

Watts, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit, stared straight ahead responded with short sentences. Frank Rzucek, father of deceased pregnant woman Shanann Watts, 34, sat in the front row next to his son Frankie Rzucek, and quietly wept as charges were read.

Judge Kopcow set a status hearing for the case on Nov. 19.

Prosecutors on Monday charged Watts with three counts of first-degree murder of his wife Shanann, and the couple's daughters Bella, age 4 and Celeste, age 3. They also charged Watts with two counts of murder of a child by a person in a position of trust and one count of the unlawful termination of the pregnancy of his wife, plus three counts of tampering with a deceased body.

When 19th Judicial District Attorney Michael Rourke was asked Monday about whether he has considered the death penalty for this case, he said it is still "way too early to have that conversation." He said the district attorney's office did not have to make a determination about appropriate sentence until "63 days after arraignment."

The charge of "unlawful termination of pregnancy," which Rourke said was a class 2 felony, is a new crime passed by the Colorado general assembly in 2016. The most recent case where the charge was used was in the trial of Dynel Lane, who was convicted of cutting the fetus from a Longmont woman's womb. The baby, age 36 weeks, died, but the mother lived.

Watts was arrested Aug. 15 after his daughters and wife had been missing for two days. According to an arrest affidavit, Watts claimed to police his wife had strangled the two girls after he told her he wanted a separation and that he then strangled Shanann Watts in "a rage." He then said he took the bodies in his truck to an oil well site owned by his employer, Anadarko Petroleum, and buried Shanann's body near an old drum. He told police he dumped his daughters' bodies into different oil drums on the site. All three bodies were recovered last week.

Prosecutors didn't believe him and charged him with the deaths of all three family members.

Christopher Watts was having an affair with a colleague from work, the arrest affidavit said. Watts's defense attorneys petitioned the court not to reveal the colleague's name.

Watts gave multiple television interviews pleading for the safe return of his family.

Friends told news reporters that Christopher Watts had stayed at their home after his wife disappeared. Amanda Thayer said Shanann had confided to her that she feared her husband was cheating.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, before being taken into custody, Christopher Watts gave interviews with multiple news stations. He said Shanann and his daughters had disappeared with his wife leaving her purse and keys on the table.

"I walked in the house and nothing. Just vanished. She wasn't here, the kids weren't here," he told Denver7. Watts claimed he and his wife had "an emotional conversation, I'll leave it at that."

The Watts family had undergone financial difficulties, and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2015.
The family had moved to Colorado from Moore County, North Carolina, according to television reports. Chris Watts was remembered by a retired former high school teacher as "the smartest student in the class" with "a photographic memory."

Police declined to say if they know the motive for the killings, saying the investigation is ongoing.

Public records showed the family had financial difficulties, including a bankruptcy in 2015, when the couple reported they were $448,000 in debt. They were also sued by their homeowner association, Wyndham Hill Master Association Inc., in July, 2018.The Thayers said Christopher Watts mentioned on Monday that his wife and he wanted to sell the house.

• Related: Colo. Dad Blames Wife For Girls' Deaths, Says He Killed Her In Rage: Cops
• Related: Chris Watts 2012 Video May Hold Clues To Killings Motive: WATCH
• Related: Vigil Held For Slain Pregnant Frederick Woman, 2 Girls
• Related: Colo. Girls May Have Been Strangled, Court DNA Filing Suggests
• Related: Frederick Couple Faced Economic Pressure, Had Filed Bankruptcy
• Related: Christopher Watts Was "Smartest Student:" Former NC Teacher
• Related: 5 Fast Facts About Homicide Of Shanann Watts And 2 Daughters
• Related: Bodies Found On Anadarko Property May Be Missing Children, 3, 4

Image: Christopher Watts, booking photo via Weld County Sheriff

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