DENVER — The Weld County District Attorney’s office released nearly 2,000 pages of documents Wednesday evening related to the murders of Shanann Watts and her two daughters.
The staff at FOX31 and Channel 2 deliberated how best to share this new information without inundating readers with too many details that are frankly difficult for all of us to read and hear.
Christopher Watts was sentenced Monday to multiple life terms in prison for killing his wife, two daughters Celeste and Bella, and unborn son Nico.
Information from documents
Text messages between Shanann and one of her friends revealed a crumbling marriage.
On the Tuesday after Shanann and her daughters were first reported missing, Shanann’s mother, Sandra, called police. She told them that she and her husband believed her daughter and granddaughters’ disappearance involved “foul play,” and that she honestly believed that her son-in-law was involved in the disappearance of Shanann and the girls.
She stated that Christopher was acting “weird” and out of the ordinary. She said that he was telling people, “he has to go to work,” and that just didn’t seem right. She also told them that she felt he was going out to pour oil on the bodies to dispose of them.
When police first checked the residence, an investigator said, “Christopher did come up to me holding Shanann’s wedding ring and stated he found it on the night stand.”
Moreover, while conducting an interview with Watts, an FBI detective said members of law enforcement believed Watts likely had something to do with the disappearances of Shanann and the girls.
“When you walk out of this room, there’s nothing I can say to a room full of police officers that’s going to convince them that you have nothing to do with this,” the FBI agent said, according to the transcript.
“I know,” Watts responded.
A short time later, the FBI agent told Watts that investigators would not stop until Shanann, Bella and Celeste were found. The agent also said Watts would continue to feel pressure from others during the investigation.
“I want to commit to you that there is going to come a time when you’re going to feel this pressure from other people. I’m not the only one who thinks that there’s a possibility you have something to do with this,” the agent said.
“Like another FBI agent, like, pressure like this? Like…” Watts said.
“Everyone,” the agent said.
“OK,” Watts responded.
The documents showed that Watts agreed to a polygraph test two days after he killed his wife and kids and unborn child. It was determined he was lying during that test. Moments later, he stuck to the claim that Shanann killed the girls and that he killed Shanann in a rage. He then admitted to putting the girls in oil tanks.
According a document summarizing an interview with the FBI, Watts spoke with his father while still being recorded after FBI agents left the room. Watts acknowledged that he was still being recorded.
Watts’ father asked if there was anything he wanted to tell him.
“I don’t want to protect her… I don’t know what else to say,” Watts said.
“Did she hurt them?” Watts’ father asked.
“Yeah,” Watts replied. “I didn’t hear anything… when I was downstairs, I came back up and they were gone.”
As Watts and his father continued their conversation, Watts claimed that Shanann killed both Celeste and Bella before he killed Shanann. Watts then described the places where he put his wife’s and daughters’ bodies.
When the FBI agents returned, Watts then told them the same thing he told his father. He told them he did not call 911 because he did not know what else to do.
RELATED: Read the transcript of the FBI interview and the summary of the FBI interview with Christopher Watts
Police checked Shanann’s phone, which had alerts about the garage door opening at 12:42 a.m.
A neighbor’s security camera “caught Chris backing his truck up into the driveway at [5:27 a.m.] and then leaving.”
A friend of Shanann’s later told investigators Christopher had been extremely nervous.
According to phone searches, Christopher Watts’ mistress Nicole Kessinger spoke with him on the phone for nearly an hour the day Shanann was reported missing. Early the next morning, Kessinger searched Shanann’s name on Google and had a number of conversations with the Frederick Police Department. She also searched the internet for topics related to Amber Frey, the mistress of Scott Peterson who murdered his wife and unborn son. One specific search asked, “did people hate Amber Frey?”
RELATED: Full Coverage of the homicides of Shanann Watts and her daughters
