The father of two girls whose bodies were found submerged in oil told police he killed his wife after seeing her strangling one of their children on a baby monitor.
Christopher Watts – accused of murdering both daughters and his wife – claimed in an interview that his pregnant partner had killed the children after learning that he wanted a divorce.
Investigators later discovered Watts was "actively involved in an affair with a co-worker," which he had denied during an earlier interview.
Watts told police that after discussing the separation with his wife, he walked downstairs before returning to his bedroom to witness Shanann Watts, 34, killing three-year-old Celeste on the baby monitor.
He told officers he strangled her to death during a fit of rage at their home in Denver, Colorado, and claimed the other girl, four-year-old Bella, had already been killed.
The details about his alleged confession to police were revealed in court documents.
Before being arrested and charged, Watts, 33, had allowed investigators into the property last Monday so they could help find his family after friends of his wife reported her missing.
The following day – with the whereabouts of Shanaan, Celeste and Bella still unknown – detectives ramped up their investigation with the aid of the FBI – and Watts made several emotional appeals in interviews with local TV stations.
But he agreed to "tell the truth" to officers last Wednesday, and admitted he had loaded their bodies into the back seat of his truck and driven to an oil and natural gas company he worked for.
His wife was buried there and the girls were submerged in crude oil, with their remains found by police on Thursday after using a drone to search areas identified by Watts.
The land owner – Anadarko, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in Colorado – has fired Watts, who is preparing to make his second appearance in court over the deaths.
He faces three first-degree murder charges, two counts of murdering a child under 12, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Watts is due back in court on Tuesday.
The case has continued to leave friends and family stunned, with Mrs Watts having written upbeat social media posts about her daughters, pregnancy and love for her husband not long before she died.
She had only recently revealed she was pregnant with a son the couple had hoped to name Niko.
Family friend Ashley Bell said he did not understand why Watts killed his family, describing him as a loving father and his wife as "pretty happy" at the time of her death.
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It emerged last week that the couple had tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, with some student loans and medical bills adding up to $70,000 (£54,876) in unsecured claims – on top of a sizeable mortgage.
The case has also focused attention on the lack of a law in Colorado allowing homicide charges in the violent deaths of foetuses, which is the case in 12 other states.
The father of two girls whose bodies were found submerged in oil told police he killed his wife after seeing her strangling one of their children on a baby monitor.
Christopher Watts – accused of murdering both daughters and his wife – claimed in an interview that his pregnant partner had killed the children after learning that he wanted a divorce.
Investigators later discovered Watts was "actively involved in an affair with a co-worker," which he had denied during an earlier interview.
Watts told police that after discussing the separation with his wife, he walked downstairs before returning to his bedroom to witness Shanann Watts, 34, killing three-year-old Celeste on the baby monitor.
He told officers he strangled her to death during a fit of rage at their home in Denver, Colorado, and claimed the other girl, four-year-old Bella, had already been killed.
The details about his alleged confession to police were revealed in court documents.
Before being arrested and charged, Watts, 33, had allowed investigators into the property last Monday so they could help find his family after friends of his wife reported her missing.
The following day – with the whereabouts of Shanaan, Celeste and Bella still unknown – detectives ramped up their investigation with the aid of the FBI – and Watts made several emotional appeals in interviews with local TV stations.
But he agreed to "tell the truth" to officers last Wednesday, and admitted he had loaded their bodies into the back seat of his truck and driven to an oil and natural gas company he worked for.
His wife was buried there and the girls were submerged in crude oil, with their remains found by police on Thursday after using a drone to search areas identified by Watts.
The land owner – Anadarko, one of the largest oil and gas drillers in Colorado – has fired Watts, who is preparing to make his second appearance in court over the deaths.
He faces three first-degree murder charges, two counts of murdering a child under 12, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.
Watts is due back in court on Tuesday.
The case has continued to leave friends and family stunned, with Mrs Watts having written upbeat social media posts about her daughters, pregnancy and love for her husband not long before she died.
She had only recently revealed she was pregnant with a son the couple had hoped to name Niko.
Family friend Ashley Bell said he did not understand why Watts killed his family, describing him as a loving father and his wife as "pretty happy" at the time of her death.
More from US
It emerged last week that the couple had tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, with some student loans and medical bills adding up to $70,000 (£54,876) in unsecured claims – on top of a sizeable mortgage.
The case has also focused attention on the lack of a law in Colorado allowing homicide charges in the violent deaths of foetuses, which is the case in 12 other states.
