Chris Watts Pleads Guilty To Killing Pregnant Ex-NJ Mom, 2 Kids

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The husband of a former New Jersey woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder in her death and the death of their two young daughters.

Christopher Watts admitted murdering his pregnant wife, Shanann, 34, and two daughters, Celeste and Bella, ages 3 and 4, in August, the Weld County District Attorney's Office in Colorado announced. The family lived in Weld County, Colorado.

Watts pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body. (See related: Pregnant Mom, 2 Daughters Killed In Colorado Had Strong NJ Ties)

Originally, Watts faced the possibility of the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Because Watts agreed to a plea deal, the Weld County District Attorney's Office eliminated the death penalty from consideration.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 19.

Shanann said on her Facebook page that she was from Passaic, though she eventually moved with her family to North Carolina. They moved to Colorado five years ago.

She posted a loving video on Facebook about a year ago for the couple's anniversary. She posted a slideshow of the couple and a paragraph declaring her love for her husband.

Watts gave an interview with Denver7 in August where he said Shanann and his daughters had disappeared, leaving her keys on the table. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant.

"I just want them back. I just want them to come back," he told the station. "If they're not safe right now, that's what's tearing me apart right now."

Watts claimed in the interview Shanann had returned from a work trip to Arizona and arrived home from the airport around 2 a.m. and he had left the house around 5:30 a.m. while she was still in the house. He claimed she was not responding to texts from him around 12:30 p.m., "but she didn't get back to any of her people as well."

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Christopher Watts is in court for his arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Aug. 21, 2018 in Greeley, Colorado. (Photo by RJ Sangosti - Pool/Getty Images)