Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #43

[LittleFleurDeLys]

I personally think if it was fully pre-planned, his easiest route would be to murder them all in their sleep and not risk backlash and things going wrong if SW fought back while she was awake. That said, he might have had a lot of confidence in his physical ability to over power her. While it would be very risky to murder the children before she got home (what if her flight was re-routed at the last minute? what if she noticed when she got home or fought back at the door?), he very well might have done it this way. It will be interesting to see what if any wounds SW sustained other than strangling. If he had a little bit of a conscience, IMO, he would have slipped all three a heavy dose of a sleep agent before they went to bed in a drink, IMO. The whole thing still boggles my mind that these men in their quest to be free do not see that they will be the primary suspect from the get go and should at the very least have a solid alibi rather than be the last person seen with their families.

I can totally see him offering Shannan something like a "Thrive Shake" (with sleeping pills or something similar in it). I think she really believed in it and would have taken it after a long flight feeling totally exhausted. He could have even made the kids drink it before they went to bed and before she arrived because they than just would "sleep" when she would check on them (regarding the time Shannan arrived nothing suspicious). But I don't know if he was thinking that far...

 

[Mellowmelly]

But what would the motion be about? They are seeking to file a motion for something - to request something - but they want that motion to be under seal because the motion itself will include HIPAA info.

I mean I suppose it could be possible they are wanting to file a motion for special medical treatment or housing due to health status? But I'm not sure how that works.

@Amandaaa - when you worked as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, would defendants ever try to file motions under seal due to HIPAA and if so, what for?

And did they ever file motions due to health care status or for special treatment or something to do with jail conditions and if so, what would the name of the motion be and what could they possibly need to request via motion, related to health care or health care status?

TIA.

I wish I knew, and was more educated about the law and motion filings .

 

[WildWest]

I think Gitana1 corrected us on this many threads back, but I'm glad this came up because it reminded me of this article:

Homicide is actually the second leading cause of death among pregnant women after car accidents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere spoke to Inside Edition what leads men to commit these heinous crimes.

"What we typically see is in killing their child or children, killing the wife, killing the family, these are individuals who feel that this is an act of desperation – this is something they must do in order to go on with their lives," he said.

Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, author of "Inside the Mind of Scott Peterson,” spoke to Inside Edition.

"In every case I have looked at, they all make sense – it may be a terrible kind of sense but the narrative makes sense – that the birth of that child represented a kind of death, an impending death for the man," he said.
Inside the Troubling Pattern of Pregnant Women Being Killed by Loved Ones

Just scared the beegeebies out of myself with a thought only out of a horror movie. How terrible would it be if he forced SW to take out the first two little girls in exchange for keeping her life and the life of her unborn child. But ended up strangling her anyway. aaacckkk I feel dirty typing that.

 

[Amandaaa]

Family law is very different than criminal. So I'm not sure. I think it's supposed to be at the arraignment. But @Amandaaa apparently worked as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney in Colorado so hopefully she can answer this quickly.

In the meantime, I have texted my law partner. I imagine the rules are similar between California and Colorado. But I can't be sure.

I assume you have answered this one already but want to clarify that I was NOT a criminal defense attorney in Colorado.

 

[PommyMommy]

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.

 

[bonjoviblonde]

Just scared the beegeebies out of myself with a thought only out of a horror movie. How terrible would it be if he forced SW to take out the first two little girls in exchange for keeping her life and the life of her unborn child. But ended up strangling her anyway. aaacckkk I feel dirty typing that.

I don't think he would have been able to force her to kill her own children. She would rather die first I'm sure.

 

[WildWest]

Yes! Indeed.

A woman who experienced a failed marriage, at least two debilitating medical conditions (Lupus and fibro), sick children, and a cross-country move away from family and friends. This was a woman who was so organized that her organizers were labeled. And despite how we may feel about Thrive (I don't particularly get into that kind of thing) it takes a LOT of work. Yet she was able to build a downline, become a part of that very supportive community, rise several levels, and even become someone that a lot of sellers looked up to. In what, like, two years?

From what we can see from the outside, SW was an organized, ambitious, go getter who appeared to give 110% to whatever she was doing-whether it was socializing with her "people", keeping her house spotless, or organizing games and playtime for her children. Though, like many people, she probably cared about appearances, she also appeared to put in the actual work. And while she may have gotten emotional on a few FB posts, she didn't seem to let things hold her back. As a member of the Lupus and chronic pain communities, I've seen many people more or less give up when their health just becomes too much to handle; SW seemed to tackle her issues head on. I've seen nothing in any of her online activity to suggest that she couldn't have handled a new wrench in her life plans.

Don't forget her business back in Carolina too.

 

[WildWest]

I don't think he would have been able to force her to kill her own children. She would rather die first I'm sure.

Just so sad, she is dead regardless.

 

[Deleted member 229974]

I thought it was odd that he saw one of his children sprawled out and blue yet waited for the camera to switch over to his second daughter’s room before doing amything. If it had been me, the instant I saw my child blue I would be dashing to them as fast as I could...

Absolutely! I’d be speed dialing 911 on speaker, throw her across the room and tend to my children.

 

[NuttMegg]

I can totally see him offering Shannan something like a "Thrive Shake" (with sleeping pills or something similar in it). I think she really believed in it and would have taken it after a long flight feeling totally exhausted. He could have even made the kids drink it before they went to bed and before she arrived because they than just would "sleep" when she would check on them (regarding the time Shannan arrived nothing suspicious). But I don't know if he was thinking that far...

Since he seems to include little nuggets of truth that he spins lies around, like his fixation with mentioning the baby monitors, that kind of sedative (or poison?) could have made Bella appear to be "sprawled" out on the monitor.

 

[sun16]

Absolutely! Bravo IMO the late flight was the catalyst for the chaos and confusion and mistakes that followed. For CW, everything began to fall apart from there; "Major wrench in the machinery"! Yes, indeed.

Isn’t it interesting (the late flight) - divine intervention, trying? But not enough. Too bad it wasn’t delayed till next day, later morning.

 

[MyBelle]

That doesn't make sense. He (CW) is not the holder of the privilege for SW and the motion definitely showed concern about violating their own client's rights and getting into trouble by divulging protected info while they aren't the privilege holder for him.

My professional opinion is this is about his own health care records. No one else.

Records of a deceased victim are an exception to HIPAA in a criminal case when relevant to the action. They'd just need to subpoena them and would have zero grounds to request that they be sealed.

Perhaps the couple sought joint marriage counseling and the defense wants to subpoena the therapist's notes? And the defense is trying to protect CW's HIPAA rights while sealing the information from public view?

 

[MassGuy]

Perhaps the couple sought joint marriage counseling and the defense wants to subpoena the therapist's notes? And the defense is trying to protect CW's HIPAA rights while sealing the information from public view?

We haven’t heard anything about any sort of counseling. Had this happened, we would almost certainly know about this by now.

Shanann certainly would have told her friends, had they received counseling.

 

[PrimeSuspect]

"if" they met that Friday night, I can imagine how the AP felt if he was talking about how he had to be back to get the kids from the babysitter, etc. Maybe it was just over the phone, hey AP, I can't meet with you because of the kids. A real damper on an outside romance. Whether she gave him an ultimatum, or she cut it off, I can imagine the anger would build in him and it would be logical for a coward like him to blame his family. I wonder if his phone logs will show calls to the AP on Monday. (no I don't think she had anything to do with the murders, just wondering how he would present the news to her that OMG the whole family ran away through the construction area in back. I'm free!) IMO

I agree! In CW's cartoon fashion of an 'abandoned husband and father', he most likely said those exact words to the AP on Monday! One of those crazy but true moments like SP's exploits!

 

[Colorado303]

Since I’m the one who posted the initial question about HIV positive results possibly being the reason for requesting health records be sealed, I’m safe to assume these comments were directed at me. My questions/statements were NOT biased or uneducated or a “sign of the times”, in fact, quite the opposite. My comments from the first thread have been consistent and from personal experience. As I’ve already stated on here but will again; my son came out as bisexual in HS but later admitted to me that he was gay. He said he did this to soften the blow. Little did he know, I couldn’t care less and love him more than anything in this world. In addition, one of my best friends from college died of AIDS ten years ago, one of my sons good friends just told him he was HIV positive (only in his 20’s) and I found the results of my sons HIV test on a card stuffed in a book bag in his car. So once again, my comments/questions do NOT come from biased, uneducated assumptions.

Edited to add my theory that I’ve held since the beginning - CW motive was that he is gay and couldn’t face his wife, kids, family, society, etc finding out and how society has not come far enough on this issue. MOO

@Backstroke10 I'm not sure you started it--I may well have. Since SW and the girls were discovered I've been trying to think of a motive that made sense. When I saw the ex parte request HIV clicked as a possible motive. Frankly, maybe the only one that made sense IMO. I wasn't thinking of his sexual preference or alleged male lover when I thought of it, but his apparent promiscuity did cross my mind. I have no idea if CW has HIV or anything else. It was pure speculation, and I was asking the legal experts if that might explain his HIPAA/ex parte request.

To make it clear, I also wasn't thinking nor did I mean to insinuate a male partner would lead to HIV. Several of my very good friends are gay, and none of them are HIV positive to my knowledge. However, I do know one straight woman who contracted HIV from a male partner.
MOO

 

[molly1255]

That doesn't make sense. He (CW) is not the holder of the privilege for SW and the motion definitely showed concern about violating their own client's rights and getting into trouble by divulging protected info while they aren't the privilege holder for him.

My professional opinion is this is about his own health care records. No one else.

Records of a deceased victim are an exception to HIPAA in a criminal case when relevant to the action. They'd just need to subpoena them and would have zero grounds to request that they be sealed.

I'm pretty sure this same attorney said in a separate video (discussing the Watts case) that everyone has a secret life. Maybe he is used to working with clients who have secret lives, but I don't have a secret life and I know I'm not alone!

 

[nwmouse]

Just scared the beegeebies out of myself with a thought only out of a horror movie. How terrible would it be if he forced SW to take out the first two little girls in exchange for keeping her life and the life of her unborn child. But ended up strangling her anyway. aaacckkk I feel dirty typing that.

NOOOOO.....I don't want to think about it.

 

[gitana1]

I assume you have answered this one already but want to clarify that I was NOT a criminal defense attorney in Colorado.

No I haven't. I'm still waiting on my law partner. You said you worked at the district attorney's office in CO? Found Deceased - CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #42

And that you've worked as both a criminal defense attorney and prosecutor.

I'm family law. I make appearances in criminal law here and there. Nothing major. So I do the best I can with research and asking my law partner (he does criminal defense both privately and for the alternate defender in LA).

But with your experience in criminal law in CO and in criminal law in general, I assume you can easily help us with CO criminal procedure? I assume you know it very well working as a prosecutor for the state of CO. And being a criminal law attorney in general?

A lot of stuff comes up that takes me awhile to answer.

 

[sun16]

We haven’t heard anything about any sort of counseling. Had this happened, we would almost certainly know about this by now.

Shanann certainly would have told her friends, had they received counseling.

Agree. But wondering, what health info is he trying to hide?

 

[MassGuy]

Agree. But wondering, what health info is he trying to hide?

We’re all curious about that. I’m not completely sold on anything.