Colorado Killer Dad Chris Watts Admits He Murdered Wife And Daughters

Killer dad Chris Watts has pleaded guilty to murdering his entire family in a bid to save himself from the death penalty, RadarOnline can confirm.

The former oil worker admitted in a Colorado court he strangled his pregnant wife Shanann and their two children – Celeste, 3, and 4-year-old Bella — in order to reach a plea deal, resulting in the state removing the death penalty as an option for his punishment.

With the Nov. 6 deal, Watts has agreed to five counts of murder in the first degree, one count of unlawful termination of pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.

Watts' family had all flown out to Colorado in order to be in court today to support him.

Immediately following his decision to plead guilty, Watts’ loved ones were "all incredibly upset” and “have a lot to deal with right now," a family insider told RadarOnline.com.

Watts, 33, was taken into custody on August 15, days after 34-year-old Shanaan and the two girls were reported missing — a day after he had given an emotional TV interview pleading for them to come home.

Police found Shanann’s body in a shallow grave Watts dug on the property of Anardarko Petroleum, where he had worked. Hours later, police discovered the bodies of their two children in oil tanks close to where Shanann was buried.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Watts initially claimed he had found his wife strangling their two daughters to death at their home after he had asked her for a separation, prompting him to go into a rage and kill her.

He later confessed to murdering his wife after a “heart-to-heart” conversation with his dad.

Watts' family had previously said they were keeping an open mind about what had happened the night his family went missing in light of his initial version of events.