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Colorado dad to be sentenced for killing pregnant wife, daughters

COLORADO — The former North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to killing his pregnant wife and two daughters will be sentenced on Monday in Colorado.

Christ Watts is expected to be sentenced to life in prison.

His wife Shanann grew up in North Carolina and the couple married in Mecklenburg County.

Police said Chris Watts killed his family in August and hid their bodies.

[READ MORE: Colorado father pleads guilty to murder of pregnant wife, two daughters]

He then reported them missing and went on TV pleading for their safe return.

The parents of Chris Watts strongly defended their son in an interview with Channel 9's sister station, WTVD.

[READ MORE: 'It's horrific': Girlfriend of man who killed family speaks out ahead of sentencing]

According to KMGH, Chris Watts, 33, of Frederick, is slated to appear in Weld County District Court at 10 a.m. MST (noon EST) Monday. Watts, who pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to nine felony charges, including three counts of first-degree murder with deliberation, likely will be sentenced to life in prison without parole, the station reported.

Under Watts' plea deal, prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty.

Watts' parents, who recently told KMGH that their son is not a "monster," could speak at the hearing, the station reported. The parents of his wife, Shanann Watts, also could speak, according to KMGH.

Cindy Watts said she knows her son is guilty of murder but she does not believe he killed his two children.

"He did kill her, but for the kids, no," she said. "It's very difficult. It's very difficult because I can't imagine my son doing that. He couldn't have done that."

[ALSO READ: Shanann Watts, daughters captured in NC woman's photos days before deaths]

His mother said prosecutors forced her son into a plea deal.

"I want to stop it before it's too late. I want to talk to him. We haven't been able to talk to him. I love my son. Yes, I love my son no matter what," Cindy Watts said.

>> Channel 9 will be closely monitoring today's sentencing and will have complete coverage, including any statements made, on Eyewitness News at 5.

[RELATED: Slain Colorado mother painted rosy picture of married life]

Chris Watts is accused of killing his daughters – Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3 – Aug. 12 or 13 in the family’s home. Prosecutors also said Watts killed Shanann Watts, 34, after she returned home from a business trip about 2 a.m. Aug. 13. She was 15 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, whom she planned to name Nico.

A friend reported Shanann Watts missing the afternoon of Aug. 13. Watts was arrested two days later.

Shanann Watts went to high school in Moore County, outside Fayetteville, and the couple was married in Mecklenburg County.

Chris' mother said her son was stuck in a verbally abusive relationship.

Statement issued by Shanann Watts' parents regarding relationship with Chris: 

"Shanann Watts was a faithful wife, and the most gentle and loving mother in the world to her children Bella, Celeste, and Nico. She was also the best daughter any parent could ever hope for. Shanann was a wonderful soul.

Everyone who knew Shanann knows this to be true. Even Chris Watts knows this to be true. Yet Chris Watts still chose to murder Shanann, Bella, Celeste, and Nico. Chris Watts still chose to dump the bodies of his own family in oil tanks. And Chris Watts still chose to lie about it until he could lie no more. He pled guilty to murdering his family because he is guilty.

Monday evening, the parents of Chris Watts gave an interview in which they attempted to defend their son. In doing so, they felt the need to make vicious, grotesque and utterly false statements about Shanann. Their false statements, however hurtful and inaccurate, will never alter the truth about Shanann, and will never alter the truth about the crimes committed by their son, Chris Watts.

Shanann's memory and reputation deserves to be protected. And her family is fully prepared to do so."

According to an arrest affidavit dated Aug. 16, Watts told investigators that Shanann Watts strangled the girls after he asked for a separation around 4 a.m. Aug. 13. He claimed he then strangled her in a fit of rage, the affidavit said.

The affidavit said Watts admitted to burying his wife's body in a shallow grave at a job site belonging to his employer, Andarko Petroleum, about 60 miles from the family's home. The bodies of Bella and Celeste were found in two nearby oil tanks, submerged in crude oil.

At the time of the deaths, Watts had been "actively involved in an affair with a co-worker," the affidavit said.

In an interview with the Denver Post last week, Nichol Kessinger, 30, said she began dating Watts less than two months before the killings. Kessinger said Watts told her he was at the end of the divorce process, but when his family disappeared, she quickly realized that he had been lying.

"When I read the news, I found out he was still married and his wife was 15 weeks pregnant," she told the Denver Post. "I thought, 'If he was able to lie to me and hide something that big, what else was he lying about?'"

She said she called the sheriff Aug. 15 and met with FBI investigators about her concerns. Watts was arrested later that night.

"I don't think there is a logical explanation for what he did," Kessinger told the Post. "It's a senseless act, and it's horrific."

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