US3 min(s) read
Published 09:13 22 May 2026 GMT
It has been revealed why Chris Watts, who is currently serving multiple life sentences for the murders of his pregnant wife and two daughters in 2018, still keeps pictures of those he killed.
Now 40 years old, Watts remains imprisoned at Dodge Correctional Institution after admitting to killing his wife, Shanann Watts, and daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three.
According to investigators, Watts strangled Shanann at their Colorado home in August 2018 before smothering the two girls in the backseat of his truck.
He later claimed the killings happened after an argument about his affair with co-worker Nichol Kessinger. Watts said Shanann threatened that he would “never see the children again” after he told her he wanted to separate, which he claimed caused him to snap.
In November 2018, Watts was sentenced to five consecutive life terms after pleading guilty to nine criminal charges, including five counts of first-degree murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
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During a 2019 interview with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Watts revealed he still keeps photographs of Shanann, Bella, and Celeste inside his prison cell.
According to a CBI report obtained by PEOPLE, Watts said he reads to his daughters from a book every night and that “every time he sees pictures of Bella and Celeste, he doesn’t understand how it all could have happened.”
He also admitted: “I snapped.”
“And right now, I’d have a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and more than likely, a one-month old son and a beautiful wife, and right now it’s just me.”
Dean Fido, Associate Professor of Forensic Psychology at the University of Derby, told LADbible there can be several reasons why convicted killers keep photographs or mementos linked to their crimes.
“There are lots of reasons why a prototypical killer would keep photographs or other mementos of his killing after the fact, such as a means of re-living the event and gaining gratification and enjoyment from it,” Dr. Fido explained.
“However, this doesn’t seem to be the case for Watts, who has repeatedly indicated remorse for his actions, and who has suggested he was not in control at the time.”
Dr. Fido believes Watts may instead be using the photographs “as a means of holding some semblance of normality within his life.”
While the psychologist said he could not completely rule out “narcissistic, sadistic, or psychopathic tendencies,” he admitted there was “very little information available for me to support such assumptions.”
“What is available, however, does indicate regret,” Dr. Fido said.
“We know that individuals within the criminal justice system, whether convicted or not, can – though not always – use their behaviors to implicitly minimize their behavior and to gain favor.
“In this example, the keeping of photographs of his family might be Watts signaling to others that he isn’t as big of a threat as he might seen, and is making genuine change.”
“Only practitioner psychologists working with him will be able to ascertain whether this behavior change is a true reflection or not.”
Discussing what can contribute to violent behaviour more generally, Dr. Fido explained that violence may stem from “one or more deficiencies in one’s biology.”
He pointed to several possible factors, including underdeveloped brain regions linked to impulse control, childhood social development, and the way people “rationalize and understand effective means of conflict resolution.”
Dr. Fido also noted: “We also know that one might be more prone to violence when they lack protective factors in their lives, which – ironically – include having close family ties; making this case particularly interesting.”
