CO - Shanann Watts (34, dec.), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4) - MEDIA, MAPS, TIMELINES - NO DISCUSS

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Christopher Watts’ attorneys want Weld DA out of autopsy battle
Attorneys for Frederick triple-murder suspect Christopher Watts filed a motion Friday objecting to Weld District Attorney Michael Rourke's attempt to intervene in a civil case between the Greeley Tribune and Weld County Coroner Carl Blesch.

The Tribune, along with a coalition of print and broadcast media partners, contested Blesch's attempt to keep sealed the autopsy reports of Shanann Watts, 34, and her two daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.

The civil hearing about the autopsy reports has not yet been scheduled.
 
OCT 26, 2018
Update: Court rules Watts attorneys, Weld DA can join scrap over autopsy reports
A Weld District Court judge has ordered both the Weld District Attorney’s Office and the Colorado Public Defender’s Office can be parties to a lawsuit between the Greeley Tribune and Weld County Coroner Carl Blesch over the release of autopsy reports in the Christopher Watts triple homicide case.

In the past week, both the district attorney’s office and the public defender’s office, which is defending Watts in his criminal case, petitioned to join the lawsuit to determine whether or not the autopsy reports for Shanann Watts, 34, and her two daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, will remain under seal. Weld District Court Judge Todd Taylor granted the public defender’s motion on Wednesday and the district attorney’s motion on Friday.

Taylor also ordered Friday the petitioner, Blesch, has until Friday, Nov. 2 to request a hearing. Taylor said in his order he has room on his docket Nov. 5, 6 and 7. The hearing about whether or not the autopsy reports will be released to the public will likely take place on one of those three days.
 
OCT 26, 2018
Judge asks for filing for hearing in Watts autopsies case, or request will be denied
A Weld County District Court judge has set a deadline for the coroner to file a hearing notice in his request to seal the autopsy reports for Shanann Watts and her children.

If a hearing notice isn't filed by Nov. 2, Judge Todd Taylor said he would deem the request "abandoned" and subsequently deny it, according to a court order filed Friday.

Taylor also has approved requests to intervene in the hearing from both Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke and Watts' defense attorneys.
 
OCT 27, 2018
A look at some of Weld’s most heinous crimes
Christopher Watts, 33, was later charged with several counts, including first-degree murder. He is accused of killing his pregnant wife, Shanann, 34, and their two daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, and then dumping their lifeless bodies at an oil and gas site near Hudson.

The Watts triple homicide case immediately attracted widespread media attention because of the gruesome nature of the alleged crime. As we await Watts' next appearance Nov. 19 in Weld District Court, we take a look at some of the other heinous crimes in Weld County history.
 
OCT 31, 2018
Shanann Watts' family could secure estate with slayer statute, or civil lawsuit if no conviction
In Colorado, the slayer statute would prevent Christopher Watts from benefitting from his wife's estate if he is convicted in her murder. But, if he is found not guilty, his wife's family still has legal options it could pursue against him.

For now, Shanann Watts' father, Frank Rzucek Sr., has been made the personal representative of her estate, according to documents filed in September in Weld County District Court. Shanann Watts did not leave behind a will.

In an October court hearing held by telephone, other members of the Rzucek family and Christopher Watts agreed to letting her father become the personal representative.

According to Brantz, there is room for Rzucek to make partial distributions and manage the estate now. For the most part, though, Shanann Watts' estate "will just sorta be on hold until the criminal case is completed," he said.

Shanann Watts' family could secure estate with slayer statute, or civil lawsuit if no conviction
If he’s convicted in his wife’s murder, Watts essentially forfeits his inheritance and her life insurance under the slayer statute, according to David Brantz, an attorney at Kottke and Brantz, LLC in Boulder who focuses on estate planning and probate law. But if he is found not guilty, Brantz said he thinks it’s “extremely likely” that Shanann Watts’ family would file a civil lawsuit alleging Christopher Watts is responsible for her wrongful death.

A wrongful death lawsuit requires the plaintiff to prove “beyond a preponderance of evidence” that the person is responsible for the death, a lower standard than the criminal case requirement of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
 
NOV 2, 2018
Frederick homicide suspect Chris Watts to appear Tuesday in Weld District Court
The Weld District Attorney's Office announced late Friday that Frederick triple murder suspect Christopher Watts will appear Tuesday in Weld District Court for a status conference.

The hearing is scheduled for 30 minutes beginning at 2 p.m. in Division 17. The district attorney's office didn't release any other information.

Watts wasn't scheduled to return to court until 10:30 a.m. Nov. 19 for a status conference in Division 16. That court appearance remained on the docket as of Friday afternoon.

https://www.courts.state.co.us/user...strict/caseofinterest/2018CR2003/18cr2003.pdf
 
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NOV 2, 2018
Hearing For Chris Watts, Man Accused Of Murdering Wife, Children, Moved Up
A status hearing for Chris Watts, the Frederick man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and two young daughters, was moved up in Weld County Court.

A spokesperson for the Weld County District Attorney’s Office said Watts would appear on Election Day, Nov. 6, instead of the previously scheduled Nov. 19 court date.
 
NOV 2, 2018
Christopher Watts expected to appear in court on Tuesday
Another status conference set for Nov. 19 remained on the docket on Friday afternoon, and DA spokeswoman Krista Henery in an email stated that her office would know more on Tuesday about whether the later hearing would remain on the docket.
 
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PommyMommy said:
NOV 2, 2018
Christopher Watts expected to appear in court on Tuesday
Another status conference set for Nov. 19 remained on the docket on Friday afternoon, and DA spokeswoman Krista Henery in an email stated that her office would know more on Tuesday about whether the later hearing would remain on the docket.
Click to expand...

What all is involved with a status conference hearing? Is it a "check in"? Was it already scheduled or recently added? Could it indicate a plea agreement in the works? New motions from defense or prosecution?
 
SweetPeas56 said:
What all is involved with a status conference hearing? Is it a "check in"? Was it already scheduled or recently added? Could it indicate a plea agreement in the works? New motions from defense or prosecution?
Click to expand...
Hi @SweetPeas56 , this is the media thread - see title "no discussion." Please join us in the discussion thread where lots of thoughts are being thrown around. :) Found Deceased - CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #45
 
NOV 5, 2018
Chris Watts to make last court appearance before arraignment
A Frederick man accused of killing his wife and children, and then dumping them in a shallow grave and oil tanks, will make another appearance in Weld County District Court Tuesday for a status conference.

This will be the last court hearing for Christopher Lee Watts before he is scheduled for an arraignment, where he may enter a guilty or not guilty plea.

Watts waived his right to a preliminary hearing at a previous court hearing. This can't be used against him in court. He was previously scheduled for a status conference on Nov. 19, and it's not clear why the date was moved.
 
AUG 16, 2018
'It's unimaginable': Queen Creek woman remembers slain Colorado family
Last weekend, the two attended a leadership seminar in Scottsdale. CD says Watts appeared to be upbeat.

"Every single person that connected with her felt her light," CD said.

And at the end of the weekend, CD dropped Watts off at the airport. It would be the last time she saw her.

"I didn't want to let her go," CD recalled.
 
NOV 6, 2018
Chris Watts reaches plea deal to avoid death penalty in deaths of wife, 2 daughters

Chris Watts pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing his pregnant wife and two daughters in Frederick, Colo. in August in a deal that will allow him to avoid the death penalty.

Watts, 33, appeared in court Tuesday for a status hearing two weeks before he was set to appear at a Nov. 19 status conference in the case.

He pleaded guilty Tuesday to all nine counts he was originally charged with in August: three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation, two counts of first-degree murder – victim under 12/position of trust, one count of first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.

In court Tuesday, Watts was wearing a bulletproof vest and wept between pleas. Shanann's family was sitting in the front row of the courtroom as Watts pleaded guilty.

Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said at a news conference that followed the plea hearing that he went to North Carolina to speak with the Rzucek family -- Shanann's family -- in order to talk about the possibilities of prosecution in the case.
 
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