By now, anyone with a Netflix login and an interest in true crime has likely tuned into the phenomenon that is American Murder: The Family Next Door, the streamer's new documentary about the 2018 Watts family murders. To recap: On Aug. 13, 2018, Shan'ann Watts—who was 15 weeks pregnant—and her two daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, were reported missing. Though Shan'ann's husband, Chris Watts, initially cooperated with investigators and claimed he had no idea where his wife and daughters were, he failed a polygraph test on Aug. 15 and eventually confessed to their murders.
So, what happened next? Nichol Kessinger, Chris' mistress, volunteered everything she knew to investigators after getting the feeling that Chris was lying to her about the whereabouts of his missing family; she's now living a quiet life under the radar. As for where Chris is now, the short answer, predictably, is maximum-security prison.
How long will Chris Watts be in prison?
In Nov. 2018, a Colorado judge sentenced Chris, who had pleaded guilty to the murders, to a total of five life sentences, with three served consecutively and the other two concurrently. With this hefty sentence and no possibility of parole, Chris will be in prison for the rest of his life.
At the sentencing hearing, Shan'ann's family members offered emotional testimonies in which they called Chris an "evil monster," and the judge labeled the murders "the most inhumane and vicious crime [he had] ever seen," according to a local CBS affiliate.
Additionally, Shan'ann's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Chris on the same day that he pleaded guilty to the murders. In Nov. 2018, he was ordered to pay $6 million to finalize the civil suit, the Denver Post reported at the time, though it is unlikely the family will ever receive the full amount.
Where is Chris Watts imprisoned?
Though he was originally held in a prison facility in Colorado, where he lived and committed the murders, Chris was transferred to a Wisconsin prison after only a few weeks. He is now serving out the rest of his sentence at Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin.
Interestingly, Dodge is part of the same prison system in which Steven Avery, the subject of another major Netflix documentary, Making a Murderer, is housed. Avery is serving his own life sentence at the Waupun Correctional Institution, a maximum-security facility located just minutes from Dodge.
What is Chris Watts' life like in prison?
Within the Dodge Correctional Institution, Chris is kept on lockdown for 23 hours out of every day. During that time, he has reportedly turned to religion and communicates via snail mail with family members and several others, including Cheryln Cadle, who struck up a correspondence with Chris soon after he was imprisoned and published many of their missives in a compilation called Letters From Christopher in 2019.
And while Chris is not allowed to watch American Murder in prison, he is reportedly aware of the documentary and feels "a lot of shame" about its content, according to People.
-
Princess Kate's Sculpted Cheeks Could Be the Work of This Insider-Loved TreatmentThe technique also has Meghan Markle's stamp of approval.
-
32 Great TV Shows That Capture What We Love About Our Closest FriendshipsWatch these with your bestie (or when you miss them).
-
Kaia Gerber Test-Drives Selena Gomez's Winter Shoe Styling HackThere's still a way to wear those open-toe heels.
-
Is 'Say Nothing' Based on a True Story? Here's What to Know About Dolours and Marian PriceThe new FX series is set in Ireland during The Troubles.
-
Jaylen Barron Found the Compassion in Controversy in 'American Sports Story'The actress who plays Shayanna Jenkins in the Ryan Murphy true-crime series discusses relating to the real-life figure.
-
Who Is Guru Jagat? What to Know About the Kundalini Yoga Instructor From HBO's 'Breath of Fire'HBO's latest true-crime doc explores the fall of a celebrity yoga instructor and her mysterious death.
-
'Woman of the Hour' Real-Life Story: Who Is the True Crime Movie Based On?You'll be surprised by what's fact and what's fiction in the new Netflix movie directed by Anna Kendrick.
-
The 100 Best Movies of All Time: The Ultimate Must-Watch FilmsWe consider these essential viewing.
-
Kim Kardashian Pens Essay Demanding Erik and Lyle Menendez Be Freed From Prison Amid the Release of 'Monsters'"We owe it to those little boys who lost their childhoods, who never had a chance to be heard, helped or saved," she wrote.
-
For Ari Graynor, Playing Leslie Abramson in 'Monsters' Was the 'Gift of a Lifetime'The actress knew little about the Menendez brothers' case before getting cast as the defense attorney.
-
Ryan Murphy’s True-Crime Shows Have Always Been Sexual—Do They Have to Be?‘Monsters’ and ‘American Sports Story’ majorly sexualize their real-life subjects—whose cases have already been sensationalized enough—to the detriment of the series’ plots.
