US man who killed pregnant wife and daughters jailed for life

Colorado man Chris Watts has been sentenced to life in jail for killing his pregnant wife and their two young daughters.

Two weeks ago, Watts entered into a plea deal with prosecutors in order to avoid the death sentence.

He had previously claimed that he had seen his wife, Shanann, strangle their daughters on a baby monitor and said he had then killed her in a fit of rage.

However, he eventually pleaded guilty to killing all three of them, and also pleaded guilty to unlawful termination of a pregnancy and tampering with a deceased human body.

A friend reported Shanann missing back in August, as she was worried when the 34-year-old missed a doctor’s appointment and was uncontactable.

Chris Watts gave a teary interview on his front doorstep, begging for his family’s safe return.

However, a police investigation revealed Watts had killed his wife and daughters, four-year-old Bella and three-year-old Celeste, inside their Denver home.

Shanann’s body was discovered in a shallow grave close to the family home, while the children’s bodies were found submerged in an oil tanker nearby. 

The 33-year-old is not eligible for parole.