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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
Woman buried in a Colorado work site; two little girls, their bodies discarded into pitch black oil tanks. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired August 20, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[18:00:00] B.D. WONG, SOMETHING`S KILLING ME SHOW HOST: -- Alzheimer`s. Thanks for watching. I`m B.D. Wong, good night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHANANN WATTS, VICTIM, WIFE OF CHRIS WATTS: 2018 is my year. I`m claiming it. It is my year. Everything I want for my family is happening in 2018.
CHRIS WATTS, SUSPECT IN KILLING FAMILY: I don`t know where my kids are, I don`t know where Shanann is. It`s not something I could have ever fathomed
would have happened.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were able to recover the bodies.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These two little girls had reportedly submerged in an oil well for days.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How could a superstar dad go from father of the year to inmate in protective lockup?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just didn`t seem like the type of guy to injure a fly. Let alone an entire family.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His wife said he was the best thing that ever happened.
S. WATTS: He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His daughters idolized their dad.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My daddy is a hero. He holds me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN CRIME AND JUSTICE: I want to get you to breaking news right away to Weld County in Colorado in Frederick. This is
where the district attorney along with the father of Shanann Watts is now speaking. Let us listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO LIVE FEED)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For working so hard to find my daughter, granddaughters and Nico. Thank you, everyone for coming out to the candle light vigil and
saying all your prayers, they are greatly appreciated. And keep the prayers coming for our family. Thank you very much.
MICHAEL ROURKE, WELD COUNTY DISTRICT ATORNEY: This afternoon my office filed formal charges against Christopher Lee Watts. The charges, that we
filed there a follows. Three counts of murder in the first-degree after deliberation. One count naming Shanann Watts, one count naming Bella, one
count naming Celeste. Each of those is a class one felony. We also filed two counts of first degree murder of a child under the age of 12 by a
person of position of trust.
Obviously you could tell based upon on the elements of those and the description that those accounts name Bella and Celeste as victims.
Those are both also class 1 felonies. We filed one count of unlawful tampering -- excuse me, unlawful termination of the pregnancy in the first-
degree, which is a class two felony as a result of Shanann being pregnant at the time of her death.
We filed three counts of tampering with the deceased human body. Each of which is a class three felony, each of account obviously names Shanann,
Bella and Celeste as victims. Please keep in mind that at this point, these are merely allegations, there are formal charges, the defendant is
presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The defendant will be advised of these charges and the possible penalties as well as his
rights tomorrow morning at 10:00 in division five.
As I talked about last week, we also filed this afternoon a motion to unseal the affidavit in support of warrantless arrest. That was granted be
the Judge this afternoon. That warrantless arrest affidavit will be available this afternoon at the conclusion of this press conference.
Please understand that because this investigation is still ongoing, I am not able to nor will I answer questions about the investigation itself or
the facts of this case or the facts of this investigation, but if there are questions about procedure or the charges themselves, I`m happy to answer
them at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At any point did you consider the death penalty?
ROURKE: Way too early to have that conversation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
ROURKE: Because I don`t have to make a determination on that until 63 days after arraignment. All right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to consider it?
ROURKE: I am not going to answer that question about that at this point. It is way too early, too early in the process. I simply file charges
today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is there a confession in this case?
ROURKE: I cannot speak about the facts of this investigation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you tell me about the charge for the unlawful termination of pregnancy. The way that is described, is that a result of
the unlawful termination.
ROURKE: Sure the elements of that depends on. It`s a fairly new crime that the general assembly in Colorado passed a couple of years ago. It
talks about with the intent to terminate the pregnancy, the defendant caused the death of an individual, there by resulting early termination of
the pregnancy. It is a class two felony because the mother of the child is deceased or died as a result of his actions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And after the mother died on the 12 and the children died on the 13th?
ROURKE: That is not what the documents suggest. The documents suggest the possible date range for the death of Bella and Celeste happened between and
including August 12 through the 13th. We know that on the 13th, Shanann had returned from her work trip and had been seen alive.
[18:05:07] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you have had a lot of cases. What has this been like for you personally and for the people?
ROURKE: Still ongoing so I`m not ready to answer that question yet.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you talk about the next step?
ROURKE: The next step is that he will be advice tomorrow morning, as I said of the charges and the possible penalties, following that he has a
right to preliminary hearing. I don`t know if the intention is to set for a preliminary hearing tomorrow or to set up a status conference somewhere
down the road. It will be something that we will discuss tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many prosecutors are working on this case?
ROURKE: Right now I have three attorneys assigned to this case?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).
ROURKE: It`s been a long week for the Frederick Police Department, obviously for Shanann`s family, it`s been a long week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What has been the most difficult part of this investigation?
ROURKE: I don`t think there`s anything more difficult about this investigation than any other. We endeavor to do a complete thorough
investigation on every case we work on this office and we will do the same on this case, and I promised that to his father and too -- excuse me, her
father and her brother today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible). What are you suggesting?
ROURKE: I am not suggesting anything at this point, because I can`t talked about the facts of the case. Other than what we charge.
All right? Thank you very much.
(END VIDEO LIVE FEED)
BANFIELD: The mood is somber, and the mood is sad, but make no mistake, the mood is highly clinical when it comes to the law. And you just heard
that from the district attorney of Weld County out in Colorado, where it is now official, the husband of the woman in those pictures is now formally
charged with their murders, and not just a little either, but five counts, yes there are three bodies, but five counts for the way in which they were
murdered.
And although they are not giving up a lot of information, we know at least there`s an accusation that this was deliberate and we know for sure that
this was a murder from someone the children trusted. Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashley Banfield, this is a special edition of Crime and
Justice. For this entire hour, we`re going to dig deep into the bewildering story that is unravelling in Colorado, from the work site,
where the body of a beautiful mother was dumped not far from her two little girls who were submerged into the blackness of oil tanks. Two little
angels, just 3 and 4 years old. Who someone dragged to the top of the tank, likely hauling their limp little bodies up a steep ladder before
cranking open the rigging and dumping them into the oozing oil below. Until their tiny little blonde pigtail finally disappear into the dark.
Those little bodies would be suspended in that black hell for four days before the police would finally recover them. And who knows if the DNA of
the monster who killed could have slipped away in all of that oil, but there may well be DNA left on the body of their pregnant mother, Shanann
Watts. She was buried in a shallow grave nearby. A woman who could not stop talking about how much she loved her husband. A husband named Chris,
who`s now just been formally charged with their sickening murders.
Joining me now, Jenna Ellis who`s a radio host for KLZ 560 in Denver. Also certified death investigator and professor of forensic from Jacksonville
State University, Joseph Scott Morgan, former police officer and the Director of police training for the eastern states, ICE investigator
association, John Garafalo, and defense attorney, David Lee Windecher.
Thank you all for joining me, and I`m sorry that it is under the circumstances that we are about to discuss, because there are cases that
you can clinically discuss and there are cases that you can`t. And this, Jenna, seems to be one of those cases that is hard to even talk about.
JENNA ELLIS, ATTORNEY AND HOST, KLZ RADIO: Yes, and I think that Michael Rourke, who`s the district attorney that we just heard from in the opening
segment of this program, I mean, it was very difficult it seems for him to even talk about this, not only what he couldn`t talk about legally, but
then it just seemed like a very emotional press conference, because these types of things are always difficult, both from the perspective of the
prosecuting attorney, but then also from the perspective of the defense attorney, we know that the public defender has now been assigned to
represent Chris Watts.
And he does have the presumption of innocence and that is a very difficult to talk about in these cases. Especially when it seems like there is so
much evidence, there is an alleged confession that may have happened here and so what the presumption of innocence really looks like, that is what`s
going to be very difficult and emotional for people to talk about in the coming weeks as this case open.
[18:10:12] BANFIELD: What we do know about this case and make no mistake, that D.A. was incredibly tight lipped about the facts, but there are a lot
of things we do know, and that is that Shanann Watts, and her two kids, Bella and Cici didn`t go missing, their dead and there were likely buried
by Monday. And we also know by Monday, Chris Watts was taking to the national and local airwaves and any camera who showed up at his porch,
begging for the rest of us to help find his missing family, but if those reports are true, that he did confess, which the D.A. will not confirm,
that man on your screen knew full well what was wrong, knew full well where they were when he appealed to all of us for our help.
Now he is sitting as we`re told in solitary, for his own protection, and it is highly unlikely that if his story is true or if that confession is true,
that he will ever see the light of day again. And may I remind you that Colorado is a death penalty state. It is not keen to use its penalty, it
has not done it very much, they don`t use it very much, but in this case I wouldn`t be surprised if they don`t raise that specter. The D.A. just
saying that he has 63 days after indictment in order to make that decision as to whether to progress, but one thing I do want to get to is this new
charge that has surface today. And that charge is unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
Joseph Scott Morgan, critical to note with you as a death investigator, the termination of the pregnancy shouldn`t be confused with other states that
charge murder for an unborn fetus. This is something very different. This is another kind of case, but you have to explain to me what oil might have
done to the forensics in this case.
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, PROFESSOR OF FORENSIC, JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY: Well, it does create an interesting scenario, Ashleigh. The idea that the
bodies of these two little angels as you well termed them were essentially in stasis, in this suspended in these drums. I think, more than likely
from a physical evidence standpoint, we`re talking about fiber and certainly DNA which has, you know, that has been raised already, I think
that is going to be diminished greatly.
As far as anything that transferred over to the body, that could very well have been lost. Now on the other end of this, we have evidence of
injuries. The oil is not going to necessarily impact that at all. Any kind of scrapes, marks, anything that there might be either on the surface
of the skin or beneath the skin, where we`re talking about hemorrhage into the muscle tissues.
BANFIELD: It`s so distressing to think of that, but so critical as well. Because the autopsies were performed before the weekend and we still don`t
have the information on cause of death and what could have possibly happened with some of the forensics and the DNA regarding the way these
beautiful people died, this family died.
John Garafalo, to you quickly, the notion that Shanann Watts was found in a shallow grave, near one of the tanks, and that the children were thrown
into the tanks, as an investigator, why do you supposed this is the way these people were disposed of?
JOHN GARAFALO, DIRECTOR OF POLICE TRAINING, ESVIA, RETIRED DRUG AGENT: First of all, I think that he -- she got home at 2:00 a.m. on the 13th. I
think that he killed her and the children within a three-hour period, and then went to a place that he was comfortable with, a place he worked or
used to work, and he already had in mind what he was going to do, which was to bury Shanann and then put the two precious little girls in an oil
container. So, I think that was what he was comfortable doing. That was part of his plan. I think he was thinking about this or had planned this
before.
BANFIELD: Can I ask you, is it possible, in that extremely short window, three hours, in the dark of night, that it`s possible whoever killed this
woman and her two children may have just run out of time and may have planned to bury all three and realized as the sun was coming up and the
shift was going to arrive, there just wasn`t any time to continue burying.
GARAFALO: Absolutely, yea, definitely, it could have been close proximity, or he could have picked a closer place. Again, I think he was most
comfortable with that place, but he had a window of I would say about between 3 hours and 3 hours and 45 minutes to commit the murders.
BANFIELD: David Lee Windecher just announced formal charges being leveled against Chris Watts, for the murder of his pregnant wife.
[18:15:00] By the way, today, I believe is the day the party was planned to reveal the gender of the baby that she was carrying, the baby she was
planning apparently planning to name Nico, a little brother to Bella and Cici. Today was the day that announcement was supposed to go public with a
party. But the five murder charges, two of them after deliberation, excuse me, three of them after deliberation, two of them child under 12, person of
trust. Walk me through the significance of five different charges and the wording the way they were worded?
DAVID LEE WINDECHER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, the reason he is charged that way is because there`s three victims here, there`s three people who have
been murdered and so when those people were actually moved, those were the other charges come in. It was shocking to me that the district attorney is
actually holding some information confidential, especially that he could easily put the community`s mind at ease by releasing whether or not and
affirming if there is in fact an admission to know if there`s anybody else out there. It seems to me that this is all circumstantial evidence in my
mind. Circumstantial evidence is enough to raise suspicion, hold somebody for questioning, maybe obtain finding a probable cause, but it`s not going
to be enough to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, so I think the D.A. is trying to put as many charges together to make sure that in fact
probably going to get a conviction or an get an admission down the road from somebody else who might be involve as well.
BANFIELD: As I mentioned, today is the day that was supposed to be the gender reveal day, but there was a day not that long ago when Shanann
decided to tell Chris that in fact, they were expecting a baby. She actually videotaped it. She videotape his reaction. And I want you to see
that reaction now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATTS: So pink means? So pink is going to be girls?
S. WATTS: I don`t know.
WATTS: I guess when you want to, it happens. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Wow is right. So imagine how the announcement went over when little Bella and Cici were told they were going to have a baby brother or
sister.
[18:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. WATTS: We`ll be able to enjoy our children. Bella, say hi.
I just wanted to come on here live. Say hi.
BELLA WATTS, DAUGHTER OF SHANANN WATTS: Hi.
S. WATTS: Hi. I`m not going to lie. My kids are crazy, but I love them. We`re not promised tomorrow, you know? We`re not promised anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: We all probably know a family just like them, a young couple seemingly in love, and their kids are all over their Facebook feed. They
got a summer chunk full of adventures and they`ve got another baby on the way after that, but for the Watts family in Colorado, all of those happy
plans have come to a horrible halt. Because Shanann Watts` body was just found in a shallow grave, near the oil tanks where her little girls were
submerged. Where 3-year-old Cici and 4-year-old Bella were hauled up a metal container and dumped inside, until they disappeared down into the
thick dark oil. And their own dad has just been charged with doing it all. Killing all three of them. Getting rid of all three of their bodies.
A man who was such a super star husband and father, Shanann, just couldn`t stop posting about him. My panel is still with me as we continue to try to
unravel this incredible mystery in Colorado. When we say that Shanann Watts posted lovingly about her children and about her husband that is not
an understatement. In fact, it`s hard to find anyone who seemed to love her husband more. I want you to look at how she talked about Chris Watts
on her Facebook page, especially since she met him in a low point of her life when she was gravely ill and how he changed everything.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. WATTS: How my health challenges happened. I was diagnosed with some health challenges and then I met Chris. I met Chris because of those
health challenges and because of my health challenges, because I got so sick, I let him in. And he only knew me at that time. He knew me at my
worst. And he accepted me. And, you know, through your vows, like through sickness and everything, he is been there and it`s hard for people to get.
It it`s hard for me to understand, but he stuck around and he stuck around because he was the one for me. And he is amazing. And I can`t tell you
how wonderful he is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Not if what the reports say are true, that he confessed to the police that he actually murdered her and his two little girls. And you
know, she wasn`t the only one who thought that daddy was amazing. Bella thought he was pretty amazing too. What you just saw was Shanann four
months ago, what you`re now about to see is Bella Watts form just two months ago and just a few days before father`s day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
B. WATTS: My daddy is a hero he helps me grow up strong, he helps me snuggle too. He reads me books. He ties my shoes, if you`re a hero
through and through my daddy, daddy, I love you
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: And three months ago, that daddy had a birthday and for his birthday, Shanann said something on Facebook, after putting together a
beautiful collage of their family. 16 different photographs, all put together with this. Today I celebrate you, Chris, you are absolutely the
best thing that ever happened to me in 2010.
That year, you were placed in my life when I was at my worst. I was just diagnosed with lupus and fibro and I felt like my world was crumbling
around me. Then I met you. We have so many incredible memories of these past eight years, two beautiful girls, moved halfway across the world, sold
house, built our home for our family and you constantly do for us. You work your ass off, you`re an amazing husband, an even better dad.
You are the blessing I`ve been looking for my whole life. You are chasing big goals and dreams and never stop, you support me in so many ways. I
hope you have an amazing birthday. I love you, baby.
It is hard to believe that she is talking about the man who is now facing five counts of first-degree murder. Jenna, how much is social media going
to play into this case in terms of trying to figure out a motive.
ELLIS: Probably a lot. And you know, the district attorney again in that press conference was very tight lipped about what may or may not be
contained in an alleged confession. And that if it is accepted as evidence, which of course the defense would probably want to suppress and
there are a lot of laws around that. That may, if it`s published to the jury, if it is published and we get to see it, that may shed light on what
possibly could have happened. Because these social media postings do look like any typical, average, very happy family.
And we know that is not what resulted in the deaths of these three beautiful girls as well as the unborn child that we know was a boy. And
that is just so very sad. So we will be able to look at some of those social media postings, see if there was any hints and also what any other
friends and family of Shanann and the girls, what they have to say about what possibly could have happened in the weeks, days, hours leading up to
ultimately this.
BANFIELD: I know a lot of average loving families, and I tell you what, they may be really loving, but this is way above average, the amount of
effusive love and praise that she lays out to this man. June 17th, father`s day, Shanann says this, Chris, we are so incredibly bless to have
you, you do so much every day for us and take such great care of us. You are the reason why I was brave enough to agree to number three, presumably
a reference to the unborn baby they planned to name Nico.
From laundry, to kid`s showers, you are so incredible, and we are lucky to have you in our life, happy Father`s Day. And if his reaction is any
indication of his happiness, we have this post from father`s day as well, just a few months ago, her post says he loves one of the shirts the girls
and I made for him. And if you can read that post, it says on his shirt, I`m a proud dad of two awesome daughters who love the Steelers and yes they
bought me this shirt.
And who even knew there was something called husband appreciation day. She did. It was April 21st, so she posted on national husband appreciation day
happy national husband appreciation day, I couldn`t imagine a better man for us. You spoil us with love and attention. You put up with three
impatient demanding women in the house. You work so hard every day to provide for us. I love you so much.
And so grateful you hung around when I tried pushing you away in the beginning. David, as a defense attorney, is there any way that all of this
social media could actually work to his advantage? Meaning, his defense attorney could stand up in court and say it isn`t possible that this man
did that crime.
DAVID LEE WINDECHTER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Oh, absolutely, Ashleigh. I mean this speaks to substance of the relationship. The relationship seems to be
intact. He`s the one that seems to be persuasive in asking for number three based on the last post we just had up. And so these will be used
favorably for him to show that there was nothing wrong with the relationship, that there maybe there was somebody else involved.
So I keep saying I am curious about that admission, because what if he -- you know, I just don`t see with those posts him being a murderer. We don`t
have enough information. But those posts just say that they had a loving, kind, generous relationship with one another. And it`s going to help him
out.
BANFIELD: So I want you to hear what Shanann Watts` plan for 2018 was like, because she had a pretty good outlook for 2018. You should hear it
from her. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am super, super, super pumped about 2018, 2018 is my year. I am claiming it. It is my year. Everything I want for my
family is happening in 2018, or at least it`s going to be in process. I have a lot of goals and dreams.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joseph Scott Morgan, I dare say one of those goals and dreams was not to be on an autopsy table with DNA under your fingernails or DNA on
your neck, as the defense has suggested might be the case. But since she wasn`t submerged in oil, whatever DNA is there they will be able to find
it, Joe, won`t they?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: Yeah. They should be able to, depending upon the care that the investigators took with the body,
the crime scene technicians, this sort of thing, and also the morgue staff. And what they`re try to do is -- the defense is not trying to get,
obviously, whether or not the husband`s DNA is there, but some unknown entity.
You know we can expect that the husband`s DNA would be present in the home. So what they`re hoping to find is some type of foreign DNA that might be
there, either beneath the fingernails, which you would get from nail scrapings and also these areas around the neck. Because one of the
indications has been thus far, Ashleigh is the fact that they`re talking about they keep throwing around the word strangulation. So that means some
intimate contact might be going on.
BANFIELD: Well, even if the defense has mounted that somebody else did this, and perhaps the one who is accused says I was afraid they would think
it was me, so I only disposed of the bodies. I didn`t kill them, hence avoiding a death penalty. It does require one massive leap of faith, and
that`s what we call in the system reasonable doubt, reasonable doubt.
Chris and Shanann had what few too many people a perfect life that we now know they may have had money problems. So what exactly are their friends
saying? That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:35:00] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a friend suggestion from Chris. I was in a really, really, really bad way. Eight years later, we have two
kids. We live in Colorado. Because I got so sick, I let him in. And he is the best thing that has ever, ever happened to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: It`s easy to fill in friends and family when your life is going well. And if you were watching Shanann Watts` Facebook videos, life seems
to be going great, maybe even better than before. The family had an action packed summer planned with trips across the county and a little baby
brother on the way. But despite what it looked like on Facebook, the Watts family may not have had the dream life.
And a few friends even knew about some problems. Though they probably could never have imagined this twisted turn of events. Shanann, found
buried at Chris`s work site, with their lifeless little girls soaking in nearby oil tanks. My panel is still with me. There is an indication from
at least one person that perhaps the marital bliss, at least as expressed a couple of months ago on Facebook, may not have been all it seemed.
[18:40:04] Shanann`s mother works in a salon. And Shanann traveled this summer for six weeks to North Carolina to see her family and took those
little girls with her. And Chris came for one of those weeks as well. And they all as the family went to that salon to stop in for some hair cuts and
little catch up. But this is what one of the colleagues at the salon now says about the marriage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was definitely one of those people that when she walked in the room it`s just like sunshine. Chris was very standoff-ish.
He didn`t really say anything (Inaudible). He kept his head down. She mentioned, you know, about them having problems, Shannon and Chris.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And said you thought they were going to separate?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They -- that was the plan. That was definitely the plan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Separation was the plan. That was definitely the plan. Why, you might ask? Well, if there`s any indication, and it`s a thin indication
at best, but two other people enter the picture, friends of the Watts, the Thayer`s. They spent weekends together, pretty close in fact. And in
fact, when Chris Watts appealed to all of us to help find his missing family, he was taken in by the Thayer`s.
They looked after them for those two days, and boy do they feel bad about that now. This is what they had to say about what Shanann had told them
about a possible infidelity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It came to her mind that possibly he could be cheating, but at the same time, she was like, you know, he has no game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Jenna, it`s probably best to look at the entire picture. Whether there was infidelity, who knows, on either side, right? But the
truth is there are facts about their financial existence that are starting to emerge, that start to create the canvass of their lives. What are some
of those facts?
JENNA ELLIS, RADIO HOST, KLZ560: Yeah. And so the reports are coming out that there may have been at least $500,000 worth of debt that was
accumulated by the family, not to mention, you know, mortgages and other financial obligations, and also just difficulty surrounding employment.
And some of those things are just coming out.
And what`s interesting, Ashleigh is that of course, you know, social media paints one picture that most of us I think are hesitant to put anything
negative on social media. So it can appear that everything is going just fine. But now that these stories are emerging from families and friends,
as well as the hard facts of their financial situation, that`s probably what the district attorney will look at in terms of a potential motive.
BANFIELD: John Garafalo, I want you to look at what the Thayer`s had to say in an interview about the financial story, specifically about putting
the house up for sale, albeit, their information comes from Monday. Monday, the day apparently that Shanann was murdered, possibly the day that
the children were murdered, although they`re now saying that the range of dates could have been any time Sunday or Monday for the children.
But this is what the Thayer`s had to say about the plan that Chris talked about to put the house up for sale.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We had no idea that they were financially in any trouble until we spoke with Chris on Monday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He mentioned putting the house up for sale.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So honestly, John Garafalo, that`s got to be a red flag or at least a point where investigators will zero in if they`re looking for
motive.
JOHN GARAFALO, DIRECTOR OF POLICE TRAINING, ESVIA: Yeah, absolutely. They were having a lot of problems financially. But this has been going on for
months and months. This is not just recent. And this has all come to a head now. And unfortunately, that was, in my opinion, one of the reasons
that these murders were committed. They were having problems for quite some time, and they just couldn`t pay their bills.
BANFIELD: I mean problems, you`re not kidding. A 2015 bankruptcy filing, a $400,000 five bedroom, four bathroom home, a combined income in 2014 of
only $91,000, a lot of money unless you have that much debt. Seventy thousand in debt from student loans and debt from credit card purchases
back in 2014, and two savings accounts listed back then.
One with $9 in it and another with $864 in it, that`s all very difficult when you start to paint that financial picture. We`re not going to hear
Shanann`s side of the story. You know we`re certainly not going to hear it from her. But what her marriage to Chris was like, we may start finding
out about that, why he might have killed her.
[18:45:03] We might start finding out more about that. And the people who will fill it in, friends of theirs with more dark details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:49:58]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They`re playing with daddy. I want to be that person that shows my kids -- don`t steal CC`s food or her stuff because
(Inaudible), right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: It couldn`t have been easy to find the bodies, a beautiful woman, three months pregnant, buried on a Colorado work site. And nearby,
two little girls, their bodies dumped into pitch black oil tanks. It also couldn`t have been easy to know that these bodies were the Watts girls.
The mom and her two young daughters who had disappeared days before, leaving behind what looked like a loving dad and husband home all alone.
But while investigators are scanning their bodies for clues as to how they died, we`re scanning the family`s back story for clues as to why they died.
Like the dark details now emerging about Shanann and Chris` marriage, which may have been less than perfect, and somehow caused this father of the year
to turn into the kind of man who would murder his own family if the allegations are true.
My panel is still with me. I want to play for you Nicole Atkinson. She spoke to ABC`s Good Morning America. She was the person who dropped
Shanann Watts off at home late Sunday night after a work trip. She was the one who called Shanann the next day, wondering why there was no response.
And then called Chris to say I am not getting any answer at your home, and I am worried.
Apparently, Chris wasn`t too worried. So instead, Nicole Atkinson called the police. Here`s what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She went inside, turned around and waved at me, and shut the door. He just kept saying he didn`t know where she was. That she
was on a play date, but he couldn`t give us the name of the friend. And there was no movement in between those times of me dropping her off, Chris
leaving, and me coming back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does that tell you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That there was something seriously wrong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Jenna Ellis, who else do we know investigators are talking to, to try to figure out the map of how this happened, when it happened, and
more importantly, why?
ELLIS: Well, all of Shanann`s friends and anyone who may have been in contact with her, I mean this is a district attorney`s office that is very
familiar, unfortunately, with a lot of these types of murder investigations. There have been a number of high-profile investigations
that have come out of Weld County. We know the Craigslist Killer a few years ago was out of Weld County.
And so the investigators will be talking to everyone who may have potentially had some information even in the past months that shed light on
a motive and may potentially have information that can lead to a conviction, which is what the district attorney`s office is hopeful.
What`s interesting, Ashleigh is that as these witnesses are going in front of the media and they`re giving a story, they`re locking down their story.
And that may actually prove to be helpful to the defense, because if they then get on the stand and say something even slightly different, then they
poke a hole in their theory. And so that unfortunately, may work to the defense`s advantage.
BANFIELD: Jenna Ellis, Joseph Scott Morgan, John Garafalo, and David Lee Windechter, I`m going to ask you all to stick around, if you would. What a
difference a week can make, small town in Colorado, a neighborhood shattered by the loss of Shanann Watts and her two little daughters. And
desperately now trying to figure out the answer to the question on the entire nation`s mind, why, why would they all three be killed.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[18:55:00] BANFIELD: When Shanann Watts and her young daughters disappeared last Monday, it was a beautiful summer day in Frederick,
Colorado. But their normally peaceful neighborhood turned frantic with police handing out flyers looking for clues, and Chris Watts on the front
porch in a t-shirt pleading for his family`s return.
But the scene tonight is very different. The front yard of their suburban home is a silent memorial to Shanann and her daughters, Bella and CC, and
it is growing by the hour. It is also a tribute to the little brother, Nikko, they`ll never know, and we`ll never know. There are photos, and
notes, and teddy bears, and roses that have been left behind as a tribute to this young and growing family.
The lights of her life, she said time and time again on her Facebook page when referring to her husband, Chris, and her babies. The husband she
described as the best thing that ever happened to her. The husband who`s just been formally charged with her murder and theirs because prosecutors
say that father killed them all.
We`re going to dig into the latest details in the next hour of this special episode of CRIME AND JUSTICE. It starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS WATTS, HUSBAND OF SHANANN WATTS: I don`t know -- I don`t know where my kids are. I don`t know where Shanann is. If you`re out there, just --
just come back.
JOHN CAMPER, DIRECTOR, COLORADO BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION: We have been able to recover a body.
BANFIELD (voice-over): Those two little girls had, reportedly, been submerged in an oil well for days.
NICK THAYER, FRIEND OF SHANANN WATTS: I don`t know how anybody could do that. There`s no reason.
BANFIELD (voice-over): The triple murder of the Watts girls. Did the daddy really do this? Their home life seemed so perfect.
SHANANN WATTS, WIFE OF CHRIS WATTS: Everything I want for my family is happening in 2018. C.CC
C. WATTS: So this means --
S. WATTS: That`s the toes.
C. WATTS: Really?
S. WATTS: Really!
C. WATTS: That`s awesome.
BANFIELD (voice-over): But, now, Chris Watts is locked up.
LAUREN, BABYSITTER FOR CHRIS WATTS` FAMILY: I can`t believe that they`re gone. I can`t believe that Chris would do this.
BANFIELD (voice-over): Could the world`s best dad kill his kids with his bare hands?
BELLA WATTS, DAUGHTER OF CHRIS WATTS: My daddy is a hero. He helps me grow up strong.
BANFIELD (voice-over): And plunge their tiny bodies into a filthy oil tank? And why would the world`s best husband --
S. WATTS: He is the best thing that has ever happened to me.
BANFIELD (voice-over): -- murder his pregnant wife and then cover her with dirt?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He didn`t seem all that eager to look into this.
C. WATTS: We had an emotional conversation but -- I`ll leave it at that.
BANFIELD (voice-over): What was bubbling beneath the surface of a family that just seemed perfect?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And you said you thought they were going to separate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He mentioned the putting the house up for sale.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (via telephone): I`m wondering if there was anything and if, way back then, he may have kept from everybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield, and this is the second hour of CRIME AND JUSTICE.
Tonight, a special edition of the program and a story out of Colorado that has the same chilling effect as did the cases of Scott Peterson, Casey
Anthony, and Jodi Arias. Bewildering facts, sickening loss, and a community hell-bent on justice for a pregnant mother and her two healthy
and vibrant little girls after their own father reportedly confessed to an unspeakable triple murder.
The story started out with a horrified husband who was seemingly worried sick about his missing wife and daughters. But that father is now the
horrifying part of the story because that father has been formally charged with all three of their murders and formally charged with disposing of all
three bodies in a filthy and putrid way.
His 3-year-old and 4-year-old little girls were fished out of an oozing oil tank where they had spent four days submerged in a blackened hell. And now
that the body of his pregnant wife Shanann has been dug up from a shallow grave near the tanks that entombed his girls, what stories will the
forensics tell?
Joining me now, CNN national correspondent Kaylee Hartung. She is outside the courthouse in Frederick, Colorado.
Jenna Ellis is also with us, radio host for KLZ 560 in Denver. Also, certified death investigator and professor of forensics at Jacksonville
State University Joseph Scott Morgan is with me live. Former drug agent and director of police training for the Eastern States Vice Investigators
Association John Garafalo is here. And defense attorney David Lee Windecher, as well.
I`m going to begin with you, Kaylee, if I can. The very latest that is now just coming to us by way of this arrest affidavit. There are details in
here, Kaylee, that we`re just now finding about.
KAYLEE HARTUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are, Ashleigh, and I`m reading this as I speak with you, learning these details for myself for the first
time. But what we learned from this arrest affidavit that, until about 10 minutes ago, had been sealed by the judge overseeing this case is that
Chris Watts told multiple versions of his story to authorities.
At first, he feigned ignorance for what could have possibly happened to his wife and his two daughters. As he continued to speak with investigators,
though, details began to seep out.
[19:05:05] First, there was the admission that he and his wife had had an emotional conversation when she`d come back in the early morning hours,
Monday morning, from a work trip. Then the admission to authorities that he was having an extramarital affair with one of his co-workers.
In the final version of the story that he gives, Ashleigh, very descript details of a discussion between he and Shanann where he told her he wanted
a separation. He then made his way downstairs, gave her a moment to herself.
He says when he came back upstairs -- I want to read this from the affidavit. He says when he returned upstairs to speak with Shanann again
after telling her he wanted a separation, he saw via the baby monitor located on her nightstand their daughter Bella sprawled out on her bed and
blue. Shanann, meanwhile, actively strangling their other daughter, Celeste.
Chris claims he went into a rage, seeing his wife perform such actions and he then strangled her.
BANFIELD: Unbelievable.
HARTUNG: He then said he loaded all three bodies into the back seat of his work truck and took them and disposed of the bodies in the manner we had
previously learned, on that petroleum site where he once worked.
BANFIELD: So his story to the police, his so-called reported confession, is that he didn`t kill those two little girls, she did. And in a rage, he
killed her. But then instead of calling police, he loaded them up in a truck and took them out to the oil site where he works, dumped the little
girls into oil tanks, and buried her in a shallow drive. Do I have that right, Kaylee?
HARTUNG: That is correct, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: It is astounding to me. I mean, it is astounding to me to hear this version of events, especially the version of events after the
strangling of Shanann.
OK. So there is so much to unpack here which may then, at this point, Joseph Scott Morgan, explain why the defense submitted a motion to request
DNA be extracted from the necks of the children and under the fingernails of his deceased wife. Does this now make sense to you?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR OF APPLIED FORENSICS, JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY: Yes, I can see how they would want to go
down that road from an evidentiary standpoint. I think that it`s going to be very difficult, though, if these children had been submerged in oil as
they say that they were -- at least that`s been implied -- that you would be able to recover anything that`s usable from out of that environment.
Another thing that`s very important here, Ashleigh, is, what are we looking at as far as post-mortem interval? That is the time frame in which these
children passed away. The facts of science do not lie here, and this has to marry up with the story that he`s putting forth now.
How long had those children been dead as opposed to how long the wife had been dead? That is going to have -- require the crime scene investigators
to have done a very thorough investigation at the scene as well as at the morgue.
BANFIELD: Let me stop for a moment. Joe, I`m sorry to interrupt you, but I just want to point out -- and, Kaylee, I`ll apologize if you already
mentioned this, but I`m just seeing in the affidavit -- we`re all reading it live, you know, as it comes in.
A two-day investigation revealed Chris was actively involved in an affair with a co-worker which he denied in previous interviews. And I`m just
going to hold this up, if you could take a shot. You see this -- see if you can get the camera on me for a moment.
All of this redacted area here is what follows the statement that I just read. It may indicate who that affair, allegedly, is with and perhaps
they`re trying to protect the identity of whomever may yet maybe involved in this investigation.
But a two-day investigation, I`ll repeat, revealed Chris was actively involved in an affair with a co-worker which he denied in previous
interviews. In a subsequent interview, Chris -- and then there is something redacted -- asked to speak with his father who was present at the
police department. Chris said he would tell the truth after speaking with his dad.
And then he tells the story about the conversation, which began allegedly at 4:00 a.m., that he wanted a separation from Shanann. I`m actually just
going to read it verbatim.
I know, Kaylee, you did allude to a lot of it.
I`m going to give you exactly, in the words of the police, how he lays out the story from there.
After being allowed to speak with his father, Chris stated, after he told Shanann he wanted a separation, he walked downstairs for a moment and then
he returned to his bedroom to speak with Shanann again.
While in the bedroom, via baby monitor located on Shanann`s nightstand, he observed Bella sprawled out on her bed and blue, and Shanann actively
strangling Celeste. Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately, strangled Shanann to death.
[19:10:08] Chris said he loaded all three bodies onto the back seat of his work truck and took them to an oil work site identified as, blank, with GPS
coordinates, blank. Chris said he buried Shanann near two oil tanks and dumped the girls inside the oil tanks. Chris was presented an aerial
photograph of the tank battery area and identified three separate locations in which he placed the bodies.
I am assuming from that, we are to believe that one body, Shanann, was buried. One body was put in one tank -- one of the children -- and another
child was put in another tank.
Prior to Chris` confession, investigators arrived at this location with consent to initiate a drone search of the area. At approximately 4:15 in
the afternoon, investigators spotted a bed sheet in the field near the tank battery.
The sheet matched the pattern of several pillowcases and a top sheet recovered from a kitchen trash can from the Watts` residence early that
day. That search was conducted with prior consent provided by Chris. The drone search also revealed fresh movement of dirt consistent with a
clandestine grave near the oil tanks.
David Lee Windecher, if you were the defense attorney in this case, what would you be doing right now?
DAVID LEE WINDECHER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: If these admissions are in fact true, Ashleigh, this calls into question his mental health.
And if I was the defense attorney, I would immediately file a motion to have him evaluated for a mental illness or a mental health disorder to
determine whether or not he`s even competent to stand trial and to determine whether he needs to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of
insanity.
Because all the interviews, all the post comments, it`s seriously calling his mental health into question. It seems like it would be premeditated,
so it`s making the defense`s job a lot harder now.
BANFIELD: OK. Joseph Scott Morgan and John Garafalo, you`re going to have to weigh in on this. I`m going to pick this apart piece by piece because
the devil is always in the details. And I get it, sometimes the details could vary slightly in the way an officer words an affidavit.
Earlier this week, they said the children were in an oil well. Those wells are 4,000 to 6,000 feet deep. There`s no way the children were in a well.
They were in a tank. But listen to this wording.
Chris stated after he told Shanann he wanted a separation, he walked downstairs for a moment and then returned to his bedroom to speak with
Shanann again. While in the bedroom, via baby monitor located on Shanann`s nightstand, he observed Bella sprawled out on her bed and blue.
Joseph Scott Morgan, do you see anything in that statement that is inconsistent with reality? Meaning, for a moment, he`s downstairs but he
can see, on a baby monitor, a child is now blue.
MORGAN: Yes, it would draw into question what is his definition of a moment. Because you`re talking about a small child whose airway could be
easily compromised in a split second. And then he`s not going to make it back in time in order to see -- stop her from strangling the other child --
BANFIELD: How quickly does a child turn blue upon strangulation?
MORGAN: Oh, it --
BANFIELD: How many moments might that take?
MORGAN: Well, let`s put it into minutes. I think that probably within about a minute and a half, you could see a child become cyanotic after that
period of time depending upon how much her --
BANFIELD: Can you see a child turn blue in a few moments?
MORGAN: Yes, yes. I think within a few moments.
BANFIELD: OK. Can you see a child turn blue on a baby monitor?
MORGAN: I don`t know. I think that it would be -- that would be dependent upon the clarity of the baby monitor. It sounds very odd to me.
And also, was there sound involved with this? Because not only are you going to have the visual aspect, you`re going to have sound. Was the child
screaming out? Was the mother crying? You know, what other influences are at work here?
BANFIELD: John Garafalo, will there be any kind of DNA evidence or any kind of forensic evidence on those bed sheets that might determine one
person strangled them versus another person strangled them?
JOHN GARAFALO, DIRECTOR OF TRAINING, EASTERN STATES VICE INVESTIGATORS ASSOCIATION: Possibly. But what I think happened here, I think that he
possibly used gloves, and I had mentioned that to someone earlier. I think he possibly used gloves. This was totally premeditated. And will they get
some evidence? Hopefully.
BANFIELD: Well, I`ll tell you what, the defense motion to get DNA from the necks of the children and the fingernails of Shanann, I have been a mother
of small children. And your DNA is all over them. You kiss them constantly, you snuggle them constantly, you hug them constantly, you bathe
them constantly.
Probably DNA from the children is on every ounce of that mother`s body at all times, especially after bath time.
[19:15:04] So I can imagine that that`s the kind of evidence that would just be obvious, but it wouldn`t be inculpatory. Am I right? Am I wrong?
I mean, where am I wrong in that, David Lee Windecher?
WINDECHER: Well, I think the judge`s ruling denying the motion is still erroneous because you want to try to gather as much DNA evidence as
possible. And if this, the information, was in fact in the affidavit, the judge should not have denied the motion because what if the stranglehold
prints may have been different? It may have been a female`s hands. It matches --
BANFIELD: Yes, but won`t the medical examiner get that material on his or her own? It doesn`t need a defense attorney`s expert -- by the way, one
who`s been discredited, a defense attorney`s expert who was in the JonBenet case who apparently had some legal crisis of his own.
I mean, come on, an M.E. does that stuff by regular process. Can`t you just implore the M.E. to do the M.E.`s job?
WINDECHER: No, I don`t think so. I think you need to be -- you need to have as much attention to detail as possible when you`re defending someone.
Don`t leave any stone unturned.
If that is, in fact, the story he`s going to stick with, we need to be able to pull those bodies up and make sure that the medical examiner is
reviewing to see if there`s any possible evidence that the strangulation happened by the mom. Otherwise --
BANFIELD: Joseph Scott Morgan, you want to jump in that?
MORGAN: Yes. I mean, this is -- from a case like this, this is going to be standard operating procedure at the morgue for them to do this. I don`t
think that it requires some judge or D.A. or anything to take the initiative to jump into the middle of what the medical examiner commonly
does.
This is part of the rigor of the case. This is what they`re going to do. They`re going to go in there, and they`re going -- it`s standard practice.
Now, does it mean that they`re going to collect anything? Probably not given that these children, as has been implied, were submerged in oil. But
it will be practiced. It will go on.
BANFIELD: OK. There is something that I want to play for you in the light of all of these allegations made by Chris. The man who confessed to
killing his wife and sticking her in a grave and dumping his baby girls deep into pitch-black oil has the gall to ask us all to help us finds his
family, and then has the gall to tell the police she did it. My wife did it. My wife was the one who killed those girls.
I think this guy is a piece of you know what for saying all of those things to us, knowing damn well with those people were, where that family was. He
lied to all of us.
Why are we to suspect for a moment he`s not going to lie to the police about his beautiful wife Shanann who couldn`t have said anything but loving
things toward him and more loving things toward those little baby girls that he says she strangled? He says. The liar. The liar says she
strangled.
If you need more evidence of what she felt about those children, she wanted to always be together with those children. Always together. Always
together, including the days that she worked. She wanted to always be together with those children. And here`s how she said it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. WATTS: We`re not promised tomorrow, you know. We`re not promised anything. But to be able to enjoy our children and every crazy moment --
it can be super crazy, I`m not going to lie. My kids are crazy, but I love them.
And I love the fact that I can be there for them. Bella knows that mommy doesn`t go into work. So when mommy leaves the house without them, it`s
foreign to her. You know, we go everywhere together and we do everything together. And that`s what she`s used to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: She`s a mother who loves being with her kids all the time. Does that sound like a mother who, because her husband wants to split, she kills
the little kids? Does it? Or does it sound like a textbook case for the death penalty?
We`ve got some disturbing new details ahead from the day that the Watts girls disappeared, but we are far from having all of the answers. We
certainly have a whole bunch of lies, don`t we?
How could there be no sign of foul play at the Watts house originally if Chris Watts killed his wife and kids? Well, now, it turns out there just
may have been sheets and cell phones and all sorts of things in places they shouldn`t have been. That`s next.
[19:19:40] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. WATTS: To be able to enjoy our children. Bella, say hi. Bella, say hi.
So I just wanted to come on here live. Say hi.
(LAUGHTER)
BELLA WATTS, DAUGHTER OF CHRIS WATTS: Hi.
S. WATTS: Hi. I`m not going to lie, my kids are crazy, but I love them. We`re not promised tomorrow, you know. We`re not promised anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:25:02] BANFIELD: Maybe your Facebook page looks like hers, peppered with happy moments from your home life and personal videos of your proudest
moments and your proudest, proudest family members.
But like a lot of us, Shanann Watts, her life may have looked a little different when the camera was off. When her seemingly rock-solid husband
might have turned into the kind of guy who would kill his own family barehanded and then hide their bodies on his work site before lying through
his teeth to their loved ones and to the whole nation, begging us to help us find his missing family.
My whole panel is with me now. You know, we have been, you know, combing through this arrest affidavit and the information that`s contained therein,
and it is just so eerie and awful reading it from the words of the police as they take it directly from Chris himself.
I want to reiterate, some of what is in this affidavit, this bombshell material, if you`re just joining us -- and even if you`re not, you probably
couldn`t believe when you`ve heard -- when you read it -- heard it read the first time around.
A two-day investigation revealed that Chris was actively involved in an affair with a co-worker which he denied in a previous interview. After
being allowed to speak with his father, Chris stated, after he told Shanann he wanted a separation, he walked downstairs for a moment, then returned to
his bedroom to speak with Shanann again.
While in the bedroom, via baby monitor located on Shanann`s nightstand, he observed Bella sprawled out on her bed and blue, and Shanann actively
strangling celeste. Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shanann.
Chris was presented an aerial photograph of the tank battery area where he works and identified three separate locations in which he placed the
bodies.
Kaylee Hartung, I want to go back out to you because the defense motions now make a little more sense. The defense asking to compel the M.E. to
take samples, DNA samples from the necks of the children and DNA samples from the fingernails and the hands of his wife.
But that is something that actually will happen. Those motions may have been denied, but one of them, to compel the M.E. to do those things, not
denied, correct? Put it in context.
HARTUNG: That`s right. And what`s particularly interesting to hear is that Friday morning, the autopsy for the three victims, those processes
were scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. About 20 minutes before the autopsies were scheduled to begin, the first of the defense motions came in. The
first of three.
So two of them being a question by the defense of we would like for our DNA expert to be involved in the autopsy. We would like for our defense expert
to help collect these specific DNA examples. Any inclusion of that expert in the autopsy was denied by the judge.
But one last motion by the defense, simply the request for the court to compel the medical examiner to collect those DNA samples themselves, that
one, by the judge, was noted action taken.
BANFIELD: OK.
HARTUNG: So, again, it goes back to that question of, is this something the medical examiner would have done on his own volition?
BANFIELD: Yes.
HARTUNG: We don`t know. We don`t know if that -- if those samples were collected, but we do know the medical examiner was compelled by the court
to make those samplings.
BANFIELD: Oh, it is just -- all of it --
HARTUNG: One other thing to note, we learned from --
BANFIELD: Go ahead --
HARTUNG: Right. And from a previous motion, we have learned those little girls` bodies were submerged in that crude oil for four days.
BANFIELD: Well, what`s so incredible about --
HARTUNG: So if you can imagine the process of collecting --
BANFIELD: Yes, but it is interesting, Joseph Scott Morgan, the fact that they were submerged in crude oil actually might be helpful. Most people
would think that those bodies would be degraded very, very quickly. Maybe that`s not the case. Explain.
MORGAN: Well, yes. I don`t know that there`s anything in the literature that specifically goes to immersion in petroleum. However, I think that
there could be a barrier there that would protect some evidence.
And also, it might retard the decompositional process to a certain degree. But not to a great degree. The children`s bodies -- and I hate to be this
graphic -- will continue to break down.
Again, this is a double-edged sword because it can throw a wrench into the process of trying to evaluate the postmortem interval or that amount of
time that it takes the body to change. And that`s going to be key in this case, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: Can I ask you this, Joe, and that is the notion that he is alleging in his confession to the police, confessing that he killed Shanann
--
[19:29:54] MORGAN: Yes.
BANFIELD: -- but only because he was mad that she was killing the kids, is it possible to actually determine that there`s DNA on the necks of the
children who have been submerged in oil for four days?
And even if there is DNA from Shannan on the necks of the children, isn`t it sort of -- it`s a kind of thing that stands to reason, she`s their mom,
she bathes them, she dresses them, she nuzzles them, she kisses them?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: Yes, I mean, if we`re talking about an unknown stranger that`s involved in this, yes, that would
be -- that would be relevant, but they`re in dwelling in the same structure together, so you would have an expectation from a scientific standpoint
that there would be this cross-contamination for lack of a better terminology. You know, he`s bathing the children, he`s drying the children
off, he`s dressing them, just as we all do with parents, with our kids. I think one of the things that`s really compelling here, Ashleigh, is I am
interested in the level of violence that was involved, relative to not just the children`s deaths but also the death of this woman. I want to know how
much pressure was applied, how much violence was involved in it, was it something where she was taken by surprise, or can they even figure that out
at this point?
BANFIELD: So, a couple of things I also want to read from the affidavit, and it has to do with what the officers found in that house, and what they
were looking for in particular. I`m going to read directly. Upstairs, detective Bomover (ph) observed the bed in the master bedroom had been
stripped of its bedding which was lying on the floor. Officer Conrad (ph) and the detective Bomover both checked the bedding for signs of foul play,
but found nothing. In a loft area, located between the bedrooms was Shanann`s cell phone that detective Bomover later learned was found between
two cushions of a sofa in that loft area.
Let`s all remember, when Chris Watts makes the allegations that that woman you saw so often on Facebook gushing her love and affection for her babies
and her husband, when he alleges that she turned around and strangled the children, let`s not forget what kind of a liar this guy is. Let`s not
forget how convincing he was on the porch the next day to any T.V. camera who would show up. And by my count, there were about three of them, and he
was all too happy to look that reporter straight in the eye, to look right into that camera and to talk to America about the family that he so missed,
that he so loves, that he wishes would come home. Not the family he just witnessed his wife killing and then killed her, now look at that appeal to
America to help him find his missing family, knowing what you know he said to the police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER WATTS, DEFENDANT: If you`re out there, just come back. Like, if somebody has her, just please bring her back. I need to see everybody.
I need to see everybody again. This house is not complete without anybody here. Please come back.
She wasn`t here, the kids weren`t here, nobody was here. No (INAUDIBLE) kissing to bed tonight. It was -- it was -- I swear last night was just
horrible.
I don`t know -- I don`t know where my kids are, I don`t know where Shanann is. It`s not something I could ever fathom would happen in my lifetime.
And I have no inclination of where she is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you guys get into an argument before she left?
C. WATTS: It wasn`t -- it wasn`t like an argument. We had an emotional conversation, but I`ll leave it at that. But it`s -- I just want them
back. I just -- I just want them to come back. And if they`re not safe right now, that`s what`s tearing me apart because if they are safe, they`re
coming back but if they`re not, this has got to stop, like, somebody has to come forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Well, it wouldn`t be long before he was telling something very different to the police, like this, he observed Bella sprawled out on her
bed and blue, and Shanann actively strangling Celeste. Chris said he went into a rage and ultimately strangled Shannan. Then, took all of their
bodies to his work site, buried Shanann and dumped his daughters into deep black, thick, greasy crude. But still seemed to be just fine the next day,
help me find my family. Well, he was clearly lying to all of us. He was clearly lying to KDVR and KMGH. He was clearly lying to everybody about
where his family was. So, was he clearly lying to the police, too? I think it`s going to be a jury who`s going to have to figure that one out.
Back right after this.
[19:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:39:55] SHANNAN WATTS, MURDER VICTIM: I got a friend suggest -- friend request from Chris. I was in a really, really, really bad place. Eight
years later, we have two kids, we live in Colorado. Because I got so sick, I let him in. And he is the best thing that has ever, ever happened to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Tonight, the best thing that ever happened to Shanann Watts might be the very reason that she is dead. Might be the very reason that
she was discovered buried in a shallow grave on her husband`s work site. A grave that wasn`t too far from the oil tanks where their two little girls`
bodies had been dumped. Though, Chris apparently had a different story as to how his wife and daughters ended up there. According to a bombshell,
just-released affidavit from the police, it is chock full of details that will make your skin crawl. Chris actually told police that he caught
Shannan strangling their daughters when he told her he wanted a separation. And he allegedly said he was so enraged by what he saw her doing on the
baby monitors that he strangled Shanann right back. But he only described that version of the story after he told everybody they were missing and
after he begged everyone to help us all, find them.
My panel is still with me. The one big nugget, as well, that maybe puts a little context to the whys of all of this, the why this could all happen,
I`ll read verbatim from the police. "A two-day investigation revealed Chris was actively involved in an affair with a co-worker which he denied
in previous interviews. David Lee Windecher, my thought is this: there are two things that could be happening with that co-worker right now. That co-
worker could be devastated at where that affair ended up and what it led to, or that co-worker could ultimately be under arrest. What are your
thoughts?
DAVID LEE WINDECHER, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, I think it sounds like she may have been involved. I don`t know about the shallow grave, maybe -- I`m
not saying couldn`t have dug the shallow grave, but maybe she was digging the grave. I`m also curious about the CCTV at the site, the burial site,
because it`s a fairly large corporation. If there was multiple people handling the bodies, we`re going to have some CCTV footage. And, you know,
it seems like his entire strategy at this point with what he`s saying with his confession is to avoid the death penalty overall.
BANFIELD: I mean, you know, the thing about Colorado is that they are loathe to actually go through with it, they are loathe to actually
implement it. Even James Holmes, the Aurora Colorado shooter who shot up a movie theater, that jury would not impose the death penalty on a man who
just opened fire at the Joker. They couldn`t even impose the death penalty on him. And in this country, the death penalty is reserved for the worst
of the worst. And here`s my thought, this guy would without question qualify if that`s how it`s defined.
I want to read something else that I`m finding very, very curious in the timing of this confession. Because it sure is a convenient story, right?
I saw my wife killing my kids so I killed her, and then I got scared, and buried them in oil, and buried her in a grave. Except for the fact that
some things were happening before that confession. Let me read directly from the affidavit. "Prior to Chris` confession, investigators initiated a
drone search of the area where he worked. At approximately 4:15 in the afternoon, investigators spotted (AUDIO GAP) field near the tank battery.
The sheet matched the pattern of several pillowcases and a top sheet recovered from a kitchen trash can from the Watts` residence early that
day. The drone search also revealed fresh movement of dirt consistent with a clandestine grave near the oil tanks."
John Garofalo, isn`t that the kind of stuff prior to a confession that you take to the suspect and say, lookie, lookie what we have here, do you have
anything to say?
JOHN GARAFALO, RETIRED DRUG AGENT: Yes, exactly. They went to him with it, and I think that`s maybe when he opened up and started to admit what he
had done. Although, I am thrown off by his story about his wife killing the two children and then him killing his wife because all the scenarios
that I went over today with different agents, that was not one of them.
[19:44:54] BANFIELD: No, I don`t think anybody had that scenario in our minds. And quite frankly, I`m not sure everyone had the scenario in their
minds when he begged for us to help him find his missing family that, in fact, he was the reason they were missing. A lot more to come, straight
ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:50:10] S. WATTS: I want to be that person that shows my kids --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Papa.
S. WATTS: Shh... (INAUDIBLE) come here. We`ll get a new computer --
Don`t steal CC`s food or her spot because she`ll ate them. Right, CC? Right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Daddy?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: It was hard enough when we thought that little girl was missing, when we thought that she and her sister and their pregnant mom had vanished
from that beautiful Colorado home, but it got a lot harder when we learned that they were, in fact, dead. The two girls dumped in a pitch black oil
tank and their mom buried in a shallow grave nearby. And their own father charged with doing it all, killing all three of them, disposing of them in
such a filthy way.
But just this hour, it got more filthy. We learned what Chris Watts told the officers who first came to check out that house. In the explosive
arrest affidavit that was just released, and the details are even harder to digest, yes, he was having an affair with a co-worker. Yes, he`s accusing
Shannan of killing the girls. Yes, he`s the guy that went on T.V. and lied to us all that they were missing. Yes, he`s the guy facing the death
penalty. And if you needed any indication how much that woman Shanann loved those kids, if you for a moment believed the story that he tells the
police that she killed those kids, this makes it really hard to watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
S. WATTS: Guess what, girls? Mommy has a baby in her belly.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A baby.
S. WATTS: Are you guys excited?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.
S. WATTS: Yes? Are you really excited? Oh, my goodness, come give me a hug. Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
S. WATTS: I love you girls.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And just the baby a hug.
S. WATTS: You want to give the baby a hug? I love you, Bella. You`re so sweet. Give me kiss.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mommy? Mommy?
C. WATTS: We did it again.
(LAUGHTER)
C. WATTS: So, pink means --
S. WATTS: That`s just a test.
C. WATTS: I know. I just think the pink are going to be girls.
S. WATTS: I don`t know.
C. WATTS: Guess when you want to, it happens. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: When you want to, it happens. I wonder what he`s referring to there. The pregnancy or something else. Why would he have wanted to have
a baby if now he`s admitting to the police after lying to them about it, that in fact he was having an affair with a co-worker? And imagine how
loving those children were to that dad. Imagine what it would have been like to put your hands around their necks and snuff the life out of them,
this little girl singing about dad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CANDACE WATTS, DAUGHTER OF SHANNAN WATTS: My daddy is a hero, he helps me grow up strong. He helped me snuggle, too. He reads me books, he ties my
shoes. If you`re a hero through and through, my daddy, daddy is love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: I just want to remind you that in a death penalty state, if in fact, that ends up being what the prosecution seeks, the jury is going to
be asked a question and they`re going to be asked to use something we hear a lot about, called reasonable doubt. But embedded in that notion is the
word reasonable, reasonable. Is Chris Watts` story reasonable? We`ll be right back.
[19:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Tonight on a quiet street in Frederick, Colorado, teddy bears are piling up outside of the home where the Watts family used to live,
where two little girls brought so much light and joy to that neighborhood and to their mom, Shannan, who documented many of their days on Facebook.
And it is hard to believe as the locals add pictures and notes and flowers to the pile that their dad, Chris Watts, is the one who was charged with
their murders, that Chris Watts admitted to an affair with his co-worker before police say he killed his wife and daughters and dumped their bodies
at his worksite, and then lied through his teeth to anyone who would listen. So, where do the lie stop or did they? There`s so much more
that`s coming in this story including a very frightening trial. See you back here tomorrow night 6:00 Eastern.
END
