Chris Watts was “actively involved in an affair with a coworker” before he allegedly murdered his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, according to allegations in an arrest affidavit obtained by Us Weekly.
The document from the Frederick Police Department in Colorado states that Chris, 33, denied cheating on Shanann, 34, in previous interviews with authorities. However, the affidavit claims police confirmed his infidelity after conducting a two-day investigation. Additional details about the alleged affair were redacted.
Close friends of Shanann also claimed that Chris may have been unfaithful. Nickole Atkinson told Good Morning America on Monday, August 20, that Shanann had “entertained the idea” because Chris “wasn’t being the loving Chris that he normally was.” Amanda Thayer told Denver7 News, “It came to [Shanann’s] mind that possibly he could be cheating, but at the same time she was like, ‘He has no game.’”
Chris was formally charged on Monday with nine felonies, including the first-degree murders of Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant, and their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3. He had been arrested five days earlier, hours before police found the bodies of Shanann and the couple’s little girls.
The affidavit also claims Chris told police that Shanann killed their daughters, which prompted him to strangle her. “Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann to death,” the document alleges. “Chris said he loaded all three bodies into the back seat of his work truck and took them to an oil work site.”
Chris is due in court on Tuesday, August 21.
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