Colorado father Christopher Watts pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant wife and their two children on Tuesday after striking a deal with prosecutors which means he will not face the death penalty.
Watts had initially denied the murders which happened in August this year. Now, he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Watts’ wife Shanann, 34, and their two daughters Celeste, three, and Bella, four, were found dead in August in oil tanks days after he reported them missing and made shifty television appearances pleading for them to come home.
Shanann was found in a shallow grave in a crude oil field where her husband worked. She was 15 weeks pregnant with a baby boy who she planned to name Nico. It later emerged that Watts, 33, had been cheating on his wife.
The plea deal was approved by Shanann’s family who told the district attorney they did not want to end his life as he did their daughter’s and grandchildren’s.
They did not speak after the hearing on Tuesday but watched somberly as the DA announced the outcome of the hearing.