Chris Watts' Daughter Walked in on Him Disposing of Wife's Body: 'What Are You Doing with Mommy?'
A lawyer for Shanann Watts’ family is speaking out — and sharing chilling details of the murder of the pregnant Colorado mom and daughters Bella, 4, and 3-year-old Celeste.
A pre-recorded interview with attorney Steven Lambert will appear on Tuesday’s episode of Dr. Phil. In a clip of the interview obtained by PEOPLE, he describes the scene when Chris Watts strangled his wife before he smothered their two daughters last August.
“The night in question, Shanann came home,” Lambert tells Dr. Phil McGraw. “She and Chris got into a fight. They had made up, they were getting along quite well.”
“Later on, they got into a fight again,” Lambert, who is representing Shanann’s family in a wrongful death suit against Watts, continues. “In that fight, he essentially confessed to having an affair, that he wanted a divorce, that it was pretty much over between them. She said something to the effect of, ‘Well, you’re not going to see the kids again.’ As a consequence of that conversation, he strangled her to death.”
Lambert said Bella walked in on her dad disposing of her mom’s body by wrapping it in a sheet.
“Bella walked in and asked, ‘What are you doing with mommy?'” said Lambert.
After killing Shanann, Watts then smothered his two daughters. He then loaded their bodies into his truck and hid them on an oil work site where they were found three days later.
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In November, Watts pleaded guilty to all three killings. He is currently serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Watts was having an affair with a co-worker at the time of the killings. Authorities have cited his desire for a “fresh start” with his mistress as his motive for the killings.
A February 18 statement to PEOPLE from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation says that authorities “interviewed Christopher Watts for the purpose of developing further insight into the case. Watts provided investigators with additional information about the murders of Shanann, Bella, and Celeste during the interview.”
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A spokeswoman from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation tells PEOPLE the office plans to release more information on the case Thursday, adding that the office was taken by surprise by the Dr. Phil interview.
A spokesperson for the Weld County District Attorney’s Office tells PEOPLE the office is not releasing any more information on the case.
