Found Deceased CO - Shanann Watts (34), Celeste"Cece" (3) and Bella (4), Frederick, 13 Aug 2018 *Arrest* #7

[CM0709]

Good idea about the sheet as a marker, particularly because he would probably be coming back after dark.

ETA, also agree, he assumed no one would be out there, why would they be?

I don't think it was a marker I think it got forgotten. I don't think he was planning on coming back. I think he went to work clocked in or however they do it. Went to the site to dispose of bodies. Him going back at night would draw too much attention especially if he had to go through badged access gates.

 

[Herat]

CW was a field operator for Anadarko. You can go to their website and read the job description. Basically, he was responsible for maintenance of the field equipment. So he drove to different oil fields and worked as a mechanic, more or less.
Interesting because his alleged mistress is quite educated and has a higher level position than he.

So he has all the tools and knowledge of how to access the tanks.

I note LE pickedup his truck the evning of 8/13 (Monday). Interesting that LE removes it to search it, after examining the house & contents. Even then, they can tell there was foul play ( sheet in garbage, phone, purse, keys, epipen inside locked house)

So as they always look first at the SO and last person to see missing persons, they are already looking at him as a suspect. Next steps: 1. Examine that truck ( neighbor has a time it left home) 2. Call workplace to discuss his whereabouts - talk to his supervisors, his colleagues.

I'm surmising that on Tuesday, 8/14 with the knowledge his job is out in the fields - ask Anadanko if they have any info on his whereabouts prior to work. Anadanko checks their truck GPS & notes he has been at well CERVI 319 prior to work that am ( which would be very unusual - likely not on his maintenance work schedule) Anadanko & LE go out there & note the disturbed ground. LE calls for drone & they find the bedsheet. It would only take a cellphone photo to compare it with the one in the trash at the home. I think LE knew there was a grave by Tuesday evening. But there's only one body. By then neighbors have called CBI & FBI.

Either Tues eve or Wed am, LE confronts CW with this info. Wed am he picks up Dad at airport. Anadanko fires him on Wed in anticipation of arrest. LE confronts him Wed with the info & he "confesses" about killing SW & burying her. To confirm his stupid story about her murdering the children, he has to account for their bodies. Takes a while but he finally has to fess up to putting them in the oil tanks.

But why put the kids in oil tanks to cover the scent of decomposition, but put her body in a grave where it would be more easily detected? His plan was to find a tank for her than evening after cleaning up the scene of the crime. If not for NA....

Again, I think there will be ample evidence if premeditation, completely destroying his statement to LE

 

[CarolinaMoon]

My theory is, once he started having an affair, he became increasingly dissatisfied with his home situation. Then he finds out another child is on the way (adding more responsibility to a situation he wanted out of). What I'm not sure of is if he planned this well in advance, or in the moment. I believe he killed his daughters before SW came home (maybe in a rage? Maybe he lost his temper?) Then he had to follow through once SW came home.

If you find it, take another look at him receiving the baby news. His last "Wow" is followed by him clenching his teeth!

 

[dixiegirl1035]

So far, all we know is that they had around $1500 in delinquency to the HOA. A delinquency which can lead to foreclosure in Colorado.

Since they had a mortgage, and did not pay cash for the house, the onus to pay property taxes and homeowner’s insurance is usually on the mortgage company via an escrow account.

With all of my mortgages, it was done outside of escrow and I paid them myself. I was able to do this because I put more than 20% down on the house.

 

[Deleted member 182072]

IIRC SW put the money down on their 1st home, I am not sure if its the home included in the bk ... but clearly when the new wife (SW) is putting the downpayment down on the house, the husband thinks she's going to continue to provide .. we know how that ended up, them in bankruptcy and maybe or maybe not losing the house (soon).

CW's new GF could have been a major bread winner for him..and hmm, how to keep all of her money and his money for himself, get rid of SW and her kids..

So Shanann's funds were used for the downpayment? The Weld county clerk site makes you register to review recorded documents, so I couldn't tell how much their down payment amount was. But that would have been even more incentive for CW because they had $178K in appreciation since 2013 AND he would have gotten her money which was locked up in the house when he sold.

Lenox | Leyden Rock | Arvada, Colorado | D.R. Horton
Found another Colorado community with a DR Horton "Lenox" floor plan, although the square footage and elevations are slightly different.

 

[enelram]

I think we've inferred that SW got the home in NC in the divorce from 1st husband King, and the sale of that house may have provided a down payment for the CO home she bought with CW. Does anyone know how much they bought that home for? The reason I ask is that they list it in their bankruptcy filing as owing $400,000 on it in 2015 (they bought it in 2013). Did they buy it for more than that?

Another possibility is that they used the downpayment to try to pay down their debt, before finally deciding to declare bankruptcy. Looking at their filing, it appears that there was student loan debt (not sure who that belonged to, maybe both), which isn't discharged in a bankruptcy, medical bills (which I assume were SW's), the house they bought in 2013, and miscellaneous credit card debt (Nordtrom, Macy's).

We know SW was very ill with Lupus at the time they met, and had either lost or had to quit her job because of it. Once they moved to CO, she worked at a call center at a hospital for several years until she began selling THRIVE.

I think she was actually ill, unemployed, and in debt when they met. She may have had the money for their downpayment (we probably can figure that out if we know how much they bought the house for in 2013, seeing as they owed $400K in 2015). But, I think CW was the breadwinner. At least at the beginning.

Just interesting to note. We know they were still having financial difficulties. And mistress had a good job and good education....

They paid $400,000 for Co. home in 2013
Zillow estimates it's worth $509,000 now.
They may have taken out a 2nd mtge to pull cash out prior to BK.

 

[MerryB]

This case just gets more and more sinister
Isn't it murder 101 not to return to the crime scene however it's possible with CW.

So , if we take this as a possibility he would then report her missing the next day? ( because he still has so much clearing up & staging to do .)

Then he would have to send texts from her phone surely - imagining that SW would contact family & Level distributors at least once a day. ( thinking out loud)

BTW why is the phone found between cushions in the sofa in the loft area? He hid it or in a scuffle it got flung there?

I just don't imagine he was thinking straight. He was racing against the clock.
I think he planned on "setting the scene" later that day, and then saying he assumed she took off with the kids because they'd had this "emotional conversation" about separating and she got upset & left without telling him where she was going.
It would be a great way for him to save face, to say "she took off and left me, took my kids...I've been abandoned....I don't need this big house, too many memories....I'm going to have to sell (before the foreclosure signs go up)...."
I think SW probably put the phone by the bed that fateful night as many of us do, and while she was brushing her teeth or changing or whatever, he quickly hid it in the couch cushions so she'd have no chance of being able to get to it once he attacked her. I think disposing of the phone was part of the "clean up" plan that was to take place later...

 

[dixiegirl1035]

Jnol


we all are assuming he he disposed of the bodies then went to work what if he went to work then disposed the bodies so maybe time wasn't as big of an issue until NU showed up on doorbell cam and he had to hurry to get home.

Well, he had his phone with him obviously at one point so we shall see if the law enforcement agencies can track his movements during that day and what time he was where. Unless, he turned his phone off at one point in time. But if he was burying his wife, and he did turn off his phone, they would not be able to get in touch when the doorbell application went off.?

 

[MerryB]

They paid $400,000 for Co. home in 2013
Zillow estimates it's worth $509,000 now.
They may have taken out a 2nd mtge to pull cash out prior to BK.

YIKES.

 

[MerryB]

So Shanann's funds were used for the downpayment? The Weld county clerk site makes you register to review recorded documents, so I couldn't tell how much their down payment amount was. But that would have been even more incentive for CW because they had $178K in appreciation since 2013 AND he would have gotten her money which was locked up in the house when he sold.

Lenox | Leyden Rock | Arvada, Colorado | D.R. Horton
Found another Colorado community with a DR Horton "Lenox" floor plan, although the square footage and elevations are slightly different.

Upon further sleuthing, it does not appear that way.

 

[bowler]

I'm bewildered as to why he buried his wife instead of putting her into the oil tanks with the kids. Did he mean to separate her from her kids? Or did he give her a burial because he was subconsciously still fearful of her overbearing personality? I think all "calm" people can snap because they bury their feelings. Of course fiery people can snap just as easily but for different reasons.

At this point I think she was just too much for him to handle physically. So quick bury was answer and may have planned then to return and move. His timeline got butchered when her plane was late...........girls dead much earlier. Then Nickole butchered his after work plans too. He would have made inside of house fit his lies. MOO

 

[CM0709]

They paid $400,000 for Co. home in 2013
Zillow estimates it's worth $509,000 now.
They may have taken out a 2nd mtge to pull cash out prior to BK.

No second mortgage at least not one that was recorded. Which I highly doubt. I don't think they would have qualified anyway. The housing market wasn't great in 2015 and they had little equity in home at time of filing or they wouldn't have been able to keep it. If they had a lot of equity they would have been required to sell it in the bankruptcy.

 

[pocketaccent]

One thing I noticed from the affidavit that showed he may have been coached prior to his confession(since I don't think he is intelligent at all), is that he confession states that after observing Shanann killing the girls, he 'went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death'. This clears him of first degree murder.

He was hoping for manslaughter (heat of passion killing) charge at most. Plus of course the 'tampering with deceased human body' charge (there was no way getting around that one).

https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Court_Probation/19th_Judicial_District/caseofinterest/2018CR2003/001/Warrantless Arrest Affidavit.pdf

 

[Satchie]

I just don't imagine he was thinking straight. He was racing against the clock.
I think he planned on "setting the scene" later that day, and then saying he assumed she took off with the kids because they'd had this "emotional conversation" about separating and she got upset & left without telling him where she was going.
It would be a great way for him to save face, to say "she took off and left me, took my kids...I've been abandoned....I don't need this big house, too many memories....I'm going to have to sell (before the foreclosure signs go up)...."
I think SW probably put the phone by the bed that fateful night as many of us do, and while she was brushing her teeth or changing or whatever, he quickly hid it in the couch cushions so she'd have no chance of being able to get to it once he attacked her. I think disposing of the phone was part of the "clean up" plan that was to take place later...

He may have planned to report his wife missing Tuesday am: she didn't come home last night. Agree, he might have planned to send a text to himself from her phone.

I'm remembering the Helen Bailey case in the UK, he didn't report her missing for 4 days. Claimed she'd left a note saying she needed some 'space'. Meanwhile, he'd hid her body in the secret septic tank.

I think having a 'perfect hiding place' encourages these murderers to go ahead with their crimes.

 

[NanZDrew]

CW was a field operator for Anadarko. You can go to their website and read the job description. Basically, he was responsible for maintenance of the field equipment. So he drove to different oil fields and worked as a mechanic, more or less.
Interesting because his alleged mistress is quite educated and has a higher level position than he.

Oh, wow! So his being at those various sites would not have seemed strange at all! Not only that, he could have prepped the site beforehand...loosening the bolts on the manways. Even digging some would not have been suspect because sometimes they dig some dirt up to put on a crude spill so they can shovel it up and put it in a container.

 

[GraceG]

One thing I noticed from the affidavit that showed he may have been coached prior to his confession(since I don't think he is intelligent at all), is that he confession states that after observing Shanann killing the girls, he 'went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death'. This clears him of first degree murder.

He was hoping for manslaughter (heat of passion killing) charge at most. Plus of course the 'tampering with deceased human body' charge (there was no way getting around that one).

https://www.courts.state.co.us/userfiles/file/Court_Probation/19th_Judicial_District/caseofinterest/2018CR2003/001/Warrantless Arrest Affidavit.pdf

Agreed! Also, someone on an earlier thread that was closed so I couldn't reply talked about whether this would meet the death penalty.

There are 17 grounds for capital punishment in the State of Colorado. Chris’s actions meet the grounds for four of them. They are not going to take the death penalty off the table unless a plea agreement was reached earlier without the public knowing it. I doubt that happened, not when you are dealing with the death of two children and their pregnant mother. Here are the four:

It was committed in an especially heinous, cruel, or depraved manner

The defendant unlawfully and intentionally, knowingly, or with universal malice manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life generally, killed two or more persons during the commission of the same criminal episode

The victim is a child under 12 years of age.

The defendant knowingly killed a pregnant woman

 

[CFlo]

We all need to remember one fact here.

It will bother some. I do not create the facts!

Bear with me - it is a disnction that has gone over looked.

The media (bugged and bugged and confusted me)

The Watts had "allegedly" confessed to killing to his wife and children.

The alleged now makes sense.

As time went by with media diluted the allegedly and turned it into Watts confesses to killing wife and children.

He never did such. Never. I challenge anyone to find a presser where it was reported in that fashion.

It was more accurate.

What got blurred was that they charged him with three counts.

He never told anyone he killed the kids.

In the documentation released the other day - it described him explaining what happened.

This mess up is important in terms of public perceptions because it was interpreted as he lied again. Which then lead to the conclusion that he made that up.(She killed the kids) .

He never confessed to killing the kids. I know many don't believe that - but it is important to remain aware that he confessed to killing her and transport of all three.

The notion that was put out there that he changed it is not true.

that also results in the public perception (based on that erroneous conclusion by inaccurate information by the media for days) that he lying for his "reputation" and to get less "time"

He admitted to murdering a human being. Reputation already heading for the dumps.

He admitted he took his babies and placed them in crude oil.

From this point on there is no "reputation" left to rescue.

We all find crude oil rather disgusting and repulsive in this regard.

The notion he was attempting to get less time makes no sense at. First degree murder and placing children in oil is a life sentence.

No motivation to "try" a get a lesser sentence.

Words matter.

He never confessed to killing the children - if there is a presser where LE reported he confessed to killing all three in confession I missed it.

The paperwork clearly outlines his confession . It was nothing like what the media has been falsely reporting for days

just a fact !!

It is an impossibility to lie about anything you never stated !

I am certainly not saying what he owned doing is acceptable.

I however, have a different conclusion to the motivation behind the taking responsibility for what he did. He needed to talk to his father to explain to his father that is killing him that he put his children in there and he wants them removed . He wanted his dad to know what he did , before he confessed, becasue he just had to so that his babies would not remain in there.

I think he putting them in there has been devastating

I understand vile to do so in the first place and I concur. Frenzy confusion leads to crazy stuff at times No matter what any of thus think occurred - anyway you slice more than enough reason for any individual to make very very pathetic choices.

Differences of opinion is what makes the world and WS go around !!

Going to listen to the long presser now

jmo

He also had two days to research law and sentences in CO. Of course he didn’t confess to killing the kids! Only confession to Shanann and ONLY because it goes with hits STORY that she killed the girls (in all of two mins, yet he made zero attempt to revive or call 911 if true, which it’s not IMO) means he could possibly dodge the DP and get a lesser sentence for Shanann.
Then why throw out, burry and dump in oil evidence? Ya don’t, period.

 

[SaguaroSpirit]

If you find it, take another look at him receiving the baby news. His last "Wow" is followed by him clenching his teeth!

Just saw that again...so very telling.

 

[NanZDrew]

Jnol


we all are assuming he he disposed of the bodies then went to work what if he went to work then disposed the bodies so maybe time wasn't as big of an issue until NU showed up on doorbell cam and he had to hurry to get home.

Correct. I had assumed that he worked in the plant. If he was a field services operator, his job would have been traveling to various well sites to check out the wells, take some meter readings and such, so most likely he didn't have a set in stone schedule to stick to.

 

[CM0709]

He also had two days to research law and sentences in CO. Of course he didn’t confess to killing the kids! Only confession to Shanann and ONLY because it goes with hits STORY that she killed the girls (in all of two mins, yet he made zero attempt to revive or call 911 if true, which it’s not IMO) means he could possibly dodge the DP and get a lesser sentence for Shanann.
Then why throw out, burry and dump in oil evidence? Ya don’t, period.

What does his dad do? Is he a lawyer by chance? It's very interesting CW denies anything until confronted by LE with evidence and instead of asking for a lawyer he talks to his dad then confesses to SW but not the girls.