A man who strangled his pregnant wife and suffocated their two young daughters wanted to escape his marriage and growing family, prosecutors said Monday as a judge imposed a sentence of life without parole after a plea deal kept the killer from facing the death penalty.
Christopher Watts, who pleaded guilty two weeks ago, did not speak during the hearing. One of his attorneys said Watts was “sincerely sorry.”
As Watts listened with his head down, Shanann Watts’ parents detailed their ongoing struggle to understand how he could murder the three people who considered him a hero — Shanann, 34, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.
Frank Rzucek said he was disgusted by the way his son-in-law took his wife and two daughters “out like the trash” and dubbed him an “evil monster.”
“Prison is too good for you.“This is hard to say, but may God have mercy on your soul,” Rzucek said.
Prosecutors have said Shanann Watts’ relatives, who live in North Carolina, asked them not to seek the death penalty when defense attorneys made the proposal.
Watts, 33, was formally sentenced to consecutive life sentences for the murders.
He also received a 48-year sentence for unlawful termination of a pregnancy and 12 years each for tampering with a corpse, totaling 84 years.
The girls’ bodies were found submerged in separate oil tank on property owned by the company Watts worked for.
His wife’s body was found in a shallow grave nearby.
As a prosecutor detailed the injuries found on the bodies, Rzucek leaned forward, gasping.
Michael Rourke said Shanann Watts was strangled, but her lack of significant injuries suggested that her death came slowly.
The girls were smothered, and Rourke said there were signs Bella “fought for her life.” Celeste had no visible injuries, he said.
AFP
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
