Chris Watts Says He Had 'No Control' Over Murdering Pregnant Wife Shanann and Two Young Daughters: 'It Was Gonna Happen'
Chris Watts murdered his wife and two daughters eight years ago.
Aug. 14 2026, Published 3:20 p.m. ET
On the eighth anniversary of Chris Watts' slayings of his wife and kids, the killer dad has claimed he had "no control" over his actions, adding it was "just gonna happen," RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Chris murdered his 34-year-old wife, Shanann Watts, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their third child at the time, and their two daughters, Bella Watts, 4, and Celeste Watts, 3, on August 13, 2018. He then dumped their bodies at the remote oil field in Colorado where he worked.
Chris Watts Played the Part of a 'Grieving' Husband
Chris Watts is currently serving multiple life sentences in prison.
Though Chris seemed to have a fairy-tale life, he was secretly harboring growing disdain with his wife and eventually began having an affair with a co-worker.
When his family suddenly went "missing," the now 41-year-old sat down for several live interviews to voice his supposed grief over their disappearance.
On camera, he shed tears, playing the part of the loving dad and doting husband, before eventually breaking down when confronted with police evidence.
At first, Chris told officials that hours after she returned home from a trip, he asked Shanann for a separation. He then claimed that she had killed their two daughters out of revenge, causing him to go into a "rage" and strangle her.
Chris Watts Confesses to the Crime
Chris Watts shed fake tears and claimed innocence at first.
However, after investigators found evidence tying him to the crime, Chris confessed to the killings during a February 2019 interview with authorities.
He recalled that after Shanann returned home from her trip, they did indeed fight. Chris confessed to having an affair and said he didn't love his wife anymore. When she threatened to leave him and take the children, he jumped on top of her in their bed and strangled her.
"I didn't want to do this, but I did it," Chris said on tape during an audio recording of his confession. "I don't even want to say it felt like I had to. It just felt like there was already something in my mind that was implanted that I was gonna do it, and when I woke up that morning, it was gonna happen, and I had no control over it."
After killing Shanann, he loaded her body into the bed of his truck and drove with their daughters to the remote oil field where he worked. He buried Shanann in a shallow grave, and then smothered Celeste and Bell – placing their bodies in oil tanks.
Police found their remains on August 17, 2018.
Chris Watts Had Multiple Affairs
He later broke down and confessed to the killings.
Earlier this year, Colorado hairdresser Amanda McMahon came forward and revealed she had an affair with Chris, but she was not aware that he was married, as he told her he was separated from Shanann and claimed she was using the kids against him in a bitter custody dispute.
Between the late spring of 2017 and early 2018, McMahon confessed she saw Chriss a handful of times and had s-- with him on at least two other occasions.
Chris Watts Badmouthed His Wife
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A mistress claimed Chris Watts 'did not like' his wife.
Throughout their relationship, McMahon said Chris would repeatedly bash and bad-mouth Shanann, calling her a "f------ psycho" and a "gold digger."
"He would say the most awful things… talking her down and making her seem like a horrible, unstable person… say[ing] he wished she'd work and complain that he had to support her," she claimed. "Any shot you could take, he took... he just did not like that poor woman."
