Chris Watts' Pregnant Wife's Heartbreaking Final Days: Shanann Confessed to Friend Convicted Killer Didn't Want 'Another Baby' in Bombshell Texts

Chris Watts is serving out a life sentence for the murders of his wife and children.
May 15 2026, Published 5:34 p.m. ET
Chris Watts' wife's final days were filled with intense emotion and doubt about the future as she prepared to welcome their third child, RadarOnline.com can report.
Newly surfaced text messages between Shanann Watts and one of her friends revealed that Chris allegedly told her he did not want to have another baby when she was in the midst of planning a gender reveal party.
Gender Reveal Plans

Shanann Watts shared daughters Bella and Celeste with husband Chris.
The party was scheduled for August 19, 2018, only six days after she would be brutally killed by her husband.
Shanann busied herself making sure everything was perfect for the festivities. She spent $89 on flowers, $168.40 on party supplies, $124 on a cookie arrangement and she shelled out nearly $500 on food for the guests, according financial records obtained by Daily Mail.
But her excitement was cut short when she had a difficult conversation with the father of her child, with whom she already shared two daughters.
'He Refused to Hug Me'

Shanann Watss confided in a friend that Chris told her didn't want another baby.
In a heartbreaking text chain with a close pal on August 7, 2018, Shanann admitted Chris had told her "he's scared to death about this third baby," and that he was "happy with just Bella and Celeste and doesn't want another baby."
"He said we're not compatible anymore," she continued. "He refused to hug me after he said he will try to 'work it out.'"
In another message from that day, Shanann recalled a moment when she "grabbed" her husband's hand during an ultrasound appointment, but he "didn't grab back."
Party Plans Cut Short

Shanann Watts was pregnant with a baby boy.
As Chris was seemingly pulling back from the pregnancy, his wife decided it was best to cancel the gender reveal party, despite the fact that she'd already spent nearly $1,000 on it.
"I haven't slept most of the week. My eyes burn from crying so much," Shanann said in a separate text message to a friend. "I canceled gender reveal. Nicki is going to tell me [the baby's gender] today. I need happy news today."
Her friend, Nicki Atkinson, was the only person who had been told the baby was a boy. He would have been named Nico, if he had been born.
Chris Watts Murders His Wife Over Divorce Talk

Chris Watts murdered his two daughters.
Later, Shanann suspected that Chris was having an affair and told him that she wanted a divorce.
Chris eventually confessed to cheating on her with a woman named Nichol Kessinger, causing Shanann to threaten to take their daughters away from him.
The 40-year-old has since confessed that he strangled Shanann to death with his bare hands in a fit of rage during that argument.
Preparing to dispose of her body, he wrapped her in a blanket and put her into the bed of his truck. He then took his two daughters with him to a job site for the oil company that he worked for. That's where he buried his dead wife.
Once he was finished, the brutal killer smothered both his children to death and hid their bodies in oil tanks.

Chris Watts Claims to Be a 'New Man'

Chris Watts claims to have found religion behind bars.
Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, years later, Chris claimed to be a "new man."
"I am not the person who committed those horrible acts," he said in a letter. "I know that God does not see me as a sinner who killed his family; he sees me as His child."


