As of October 2026, Chris Watts is still in prison. He is serving life without the possibility of parole at Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum security state prison in Waupun, Wisconsin, for murdering his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their daughters, Bella and Celeste, in Frederick, Colorado, in August 2018. He has been held in Wisconsin since December 2018, and LADbible reported on Oct. 7, 2026 that he remains at the same prison today.
The short version:
- Where he is: Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, a maximum security prison that also serves as the state’s intake center for men.
- His sentence: Five life sentences without parole (three consecutive and two concurrent), plus 84 more years, handed down on Nov. 19, 2018.
- Can he get out? No parole is possible under his sentence. He pleaded guilty, and we found no reported appeal or court challenge to his conviction.
- Why Wisconsin: Colorado officials moved him out of state in December 2018 because of security concerns.
- Latest news: In August 2026, reports said he had applied to marry a woman named Lizzie Henderson inside the prison. By late September 2026, reports said he had called it off, saying God wanted him to stay single.
- His age: He was born on May 16, 1985, which makes him 41.
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Chris Watts is alive and in prison in 2026. He is held at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, under five life sentences without parole for the 2018 murders of Shanann, Bella, and Celeste Watts and the couple’s unborn son. He has no parole date, and he will not be eligible for one.
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Where Is Chris Watts Now in 2026?
Chris Watts is at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, where he has lived since Dec. 5, 2018. Every major 2026 report on him, including Fox News in August and LADbible in late September and early October, places him at the same facility. There is no record of a transfer back to Colorado.
Dodge is not a small or quiet prison. According to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections’ FY 2025 annual report for the facility, it opened in 1978, carries a maximum security rating, and had an operating capacity of 1,165 but a population of 1,801. It is also the intake center for every man entering Wisconsin’s state prison system, which processed 6,485 new arrivals in fiscal 2025.
Wisconsin corrections records list Watts as prisoner No. 674796, according to a 2023 public records exchange between the department and a reporter posted on MuckRock. That department response also confirmed that it held visitation and conduct records for him at Dodge.
Why Is Chris Watts in a Wisconsin Prison Instead of Colorado?
Colorado officials moved Watts out of state shortly after sentencing because of concerns for his safety. He was transferred on Dec. 3, 2018, and arrived at Dodge two days later, as reported at the time and summarized in the Wikipedia case entry. The New York Post later described the move as one Colorado prison officials arranged for his protection.
Watts himself described the difference in a prison interview with investigators in February 2019. According to the Greeley Tribune, he said that at the Weld County Jail he was kept in isolation and could hear other inmates pounding on the walls at night and telling him to kill himself. He said people in Wisconsin “don’t judge you as soon as you walk in,” and that he was allowed to interact with other inmates there.
What Is Chris Watts’ Sentence, and Can He Ever Get Out?
Watts is serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 84 years, so there is no realistic path to release. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 6, 2018, and Weld County District Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentenced him on Nov. 19, 2018, according to Denver7.
Here is how the sentence breaks down, based on Denver7’s sentencing report and coverage from NBC News:
- Three consecutive life sentences without parole for the first degree murders of Shanann, Bella, and Celeste.
- Two concurrent life sentences for two more first degree murder counts covering the deaths of children by a person in a position of trust.
- 48 years for the unlawful termination of Shanann’s pregnancy. She was 15 weeks pregnant with a boy the family planned to name Nico.
- 36 years for three counts of tampering with a deceased human body, at 12 years per count.
Judge Kopcow said in court that it was “perhaps the most inhumane and vicious crime” he had handled in thousands of cases, and that “nothing less than a maximum sentence would be appropriate.”
Why didn’t Chris Watts get the death penalty?
Shanann’s family asked prosecutors not to seek it, and the plea deal took it off the table. Shanann’s mother, Sandra Rzucek, told Watts at sentencing, “I didn’t want death for you,” according to Denver7. Colorado later abolished the death penalty in 2020, so the question is now closed.
Can Chris Watts appeal?
A guilty plea leaves very little to appeal, and we found no reported appeal or post conviction challenge in his case. Life without parole in Colorado means there is no parole board hearing to schedule. We also found no report that he has ever sought clemency, so Watts is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison.
What Is Chris Watts’ Life Like in Prison?
By most accounts, Watts lives a quiet, isolated life built around Bible study, letter writing, and visits from family. Much of what is known comes from former inmates, pen pals, and family members, so it should be read as reported rather than officially confirmed.
In July 2024, the New York Post spoke with three people who had contact with him in prison. They described him as keeping to himself, avoiding eye contact with other inmates, gaining weight, and losing most of his hair.
Is Chris Watts in danger in prison?
Former inmates claim he is widely hated at Dodge and depends on guards for protection. Eddie Nieves, who told the New York Post he spent a year at the prison alongside Watts, said, “A lot of guys would like to get their hands on him.” He added that “they protect him at Dodge” and that if guards were not around, “everyone would take a swing at him.”
Dylan Tallman, who told the Post he was Watts’ cellmate from 2018 to 2020, called him an outcast. “He has photos of the girls and he prays for forgiveness every day,” Tallman said. “But he knows he can’t undo what he did.”
These accounts sit uneasily next to Watts’ own 2019 description of Wisconsin as a relief from jail. Both can be true, since prison conditions and inmate attitudes can shift over several years.
Does Chris Watts have visitors?
Yes, mainly family, a pastor, and in recent years a woman he planned to marry. A Wisconsin Department of Corrections spokesperson told the New York Post in 2024 that Watts occasionally received pastoral visits and that his mother had visited earlier that year. He also has several pen pals, most of them women, according to the same report.
His parents, Cindy and Ronnie Watts, have kept in contact with him since his arrest. At his sentencing, Cindy told him, “We have loved you from the beginning and we still love you now,” according to Denver7.
Has Chris Watts found religion in prison?
He says he has, and his letters are full of scripture. In August 2025, the Daily Mail published handwritten letters Watts sent to a female pen pal, as reported by LADbible. In them, he wrote, “I am a new man. I am not the person who committed those horrible acts.” He also wrote, “I have confessed my sins. I am forgiven. The hardest thing I have had to do was to forgive myself.”
In October 2026, his parents shared a letter he wrote in January 2020 for what would have been Shanann’s 36th birthday, according to LADbible. He asked them to read it at the graves of Shanann, Bella, Celeste, and Nico at Bethesda Cemetery in North Carolina. In it, he called the man who killed his family “an aberration brought on by an evil outside source,” a line many readers took as a refusal to own the crime.
Did Chris Watts Get Married in Prison? The Lizzie Henderson Story
No. He applied to marry a woman named Lizzie Henderson in 2026, then reportedly ended the relationship before any wedding took place. This was the biggest Chris Watts story of 2026, and it explains why searches for him spiked again this year.
Here is how the story unfolded, according to reports from Oxygen, TMZ, Fox News, and LADbible, most of which credit the Daily Mail and People with the original reporting:
- December 2024: Henderson spent Christmas Day with Watts at the prison, according to the Daily Mail.
- 2025: Prison records showed she visited him 20 times that year, according to the Daily Mail.
- September 2025: A woman named Lizzie Henderson filed a confidential name change application in Racine County, Wisconsin. Fox News Digital said court records confirmed the filing, though the details were sealed. Relatives said she had begun calling herself Lizzie Watts.
- August 2026: Henderson’s family told the Daily Mail that she and Watts had applied to marry within the Wisconsin prison system. Oxygen described her as a 39 year old realtor who moved from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to him.
- Late September 2026: The Daily Mail reported, and LADbible and The Tab followed, that Watts had ended the relationship.
Henderson told the Daily Mail that she understood people might see the relationship as “weird,” and said of how it began, “How things began is between me, him and God.” Fox News reported that she had been listed at a Milwaukee area Keller Williams office, which said she was not a current employee.
Why did Chris Watts call off the wedding?
According to two sources quoted by the Daily Mail, he told Henderson that God wanted them apart, and his family opposed the match. LADbible’s summary of that report says Watts told her he no longer felt “peace” about the relationship. A family source claimed his mother “never warmed up to” Henderson and said, “Chris would never marry someone who his mother didn’t approve of. Not even in jail.”
Neither Watts nor the prison has commented publicly. Under Wisconsin rules, an inmate marriage needs approval from the warden, as Oxygen noted, and no approval was ever reported.
What Did Chris Watts Confess to From Prison?
In February 2019, Watts gave investigators his first full confession from inside the Wisconsin prison. On Feb. 18, 2019, a Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent, an FBI special agent, and a Frederick police detective interviewed him for about five and a half hours. The CBI released the records on March 7, 2019, as reported by the Greeley Tribune and KOAA.
In that interview, Watts admitted that he strangled Shanann in their bed, then drove her body and the girls to the oil site where he worked and smothered both daughters. That account replaced his earlier claim, made after his August 2018 arrest, that he had found Shanann strangling the girls and killed her in response. NBC News quoted him from the prison interview: “I had no control over it. Why couldn’t I just let go?”
In 2021, Inside Edition reported more claims from letters Watts sent to a pen pal, including that he had planned the murders for weeks. Treat those letters as his own unverified statements, since he has given several conflicting versions over the years.
Did Chris Watts Have to Pay Shanann’s Family?
Yes, a judge ordered him to pay $6 million to Shanann’s parents, though the family is unlikely to ever collect it. Frank and Sandy Rzucek filed a wrongful death lawsuit, and on Nov. 18, 2019, Weld County Judge Todd Taylor ruled that Watts owed them $6 million, according to NBC News.
The Denver Post reported that the total included $1 million for each death and $3 million for emotional pain, growing at 8% a year. Watts never fought the lawsuit. The family’s attorney said the goal was to stop him from profiting if he ever sold a book or the rights to his story.
What Happened to the Watts House in Frederick?
The house at the center of the case has been sold twice since the murders and is now owned by someone unconnected to the family. According to Grunge, which cited Zillow and Redfin listing data, the five bedroom home sat empty for years after Watts’ arrest. A 2019 listing was pulled, and the property was later tied up by liens.
The home reportedly sold for $600,000 on Nov. 22, 2022. That buyer relisted it in April 2024 at $775,000, and it reportedly sold again on Oct. 17, 2024, for $650,000. These figures come from public listing data rather than official statements, so treat them as reported.
Where Are the Other People in the Chris Watts Case Now?
Shanann’s family has stayed largely private, Watts’ parents still support him, and his former girlfriend has disappeared from public life.
- Frank and Sandy Rzucek: Shanann’s parents spoke at sentencing, where her father called Watts “heartless” and “evil,” according to Denver7. They won the 2019 civil judgment and have rarely spoken publicly since.
- Cindy and Ronnie Watts: His parents have said they forgave their son and would never abandon him. In October 2026, they and his sister, Jamie, told the Daily Mail, as reported by LADbible, that they still do not understand why he did it.
- Nichol Kessinger: Watts’ coworker and girlfriend at the time went to police early in the case. Then Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke described her information as “a bombshell” for investigators, according to NBC News. She was never charged, and Rourke said at the time that there was no reason to investigate her further, as CrimeOnline reported. She has not given public interviews since.
If you follow other family murder cases, our guide to where Alex Murdaugh is now covers another high profile killer whose case turned on lies told to investigators. For a spouse murder case that went to trial, see where Kouri Richins is now.
Chris Watts Case Timeline: 2018 to 2026
The key dates run from the murders in August 2018 to his called off prison wedding in September 2026.
- Aug. 13, 2018: Watts kills Shanann, Bella, and Celeste at their home and the oil site where he works. Shanann is reported missing later that day.
- Aug. 15, 2018: Watts is arrested after admitting to Shanann’s death.
- Nov. 6, 2018: He pleads guilty under a deal that removes the death penalty.
- Nov. 19, 2018: He is sentenced to five life terms without parole, plus 84 years.
- Dec. 3 to 5, 2018: He is moved out of Colorado and arrives at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin.
- Feb. 18, 2019: He gives investigators a full confession from prison. The records become public on March 7.
- Nov. 18, 2019: A judge orders him to pay $6 million to Shanann’s parents.
- Sept. 30, 2020: Netflix releases American Murder: The Family Next Door.
- July 2024: Former inmates tell the New York Post that he is isolated and protected by guards.
- August 2025: The Daily Mail publishes letters in which he calls himself “a new man.”
- August 2026: Reports say he has applied to marry Lizzie Henderson in prison.
- Late September 2026: Reports say he has ended the relationship.
Confirmed Facts vs. Reported Claims About Chris Watts
His location, sentence, and guilty plea are confirmed by court and prison records, while most details about his private life come from tabloids and secondhand sources. Use this table to sort what you read online.
| Claim | Status | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Held at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin | Confirmed | Sentencing era reporting, 2026 news reports, and Wisconsin DOC records |
| Five life sentences without parole, plus 84 years | Confirmed | Sentencing hearing, Nov. 19, 2018 |
| Owes $6 million to Shanann’s parents | Confirmed | Weld County civil judgment, Nov. 2019 |
| Applied to marry Lizzie Henderson | Reported | Her family, via the Daily Mail and People |
| Ended the relationship because God told him to | Reported | Two unnamed sources, via the Daily Mail |
| Lives in fear and is protected by guards | Claimed | Former inmates, via the New York Post |
For a wider look at how we check prison status, our infamous killers where are they now roundup explains why court and corrections records beat social media posts. You can also catch up on other active cases in our 2026 true crime case updates.
Where Can You Watch the Chris Watts Documentary?
The best known film on the case is Netflix’s American Murder: The Family Next Door, released on Sept. 30, 2020. It tells the story almost entirely through home videos, Shanann’s social media posts, text messages, and police footage, according to its Netflix listing and the Wikipedia case entry.
Two earlier productions also covered the case. Oxygen’s Criminal Confessions devoted an episode to it on Dec. 7, 2019, and Lifetime aired the scripted film Chris Watts: Confessions of a Killer on Jan. 26, 2020. Shanann’s family publicly objected to the Lifetime film, saying they were never consulted and feared it would add to the harassment they already faced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chris Watts still alive?
Yes. Chris Watts is alive as of October 2026 and is 41 years old. He continues to serve his life sentences at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin, according to reporting from LADbible and Fox News in 2026.
What prison is Chris Watts in?
Chris Watts is in Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin. Colorado officials transferred him there in December 2018 because of security concerns, and he has been held there ever since.
Will Chris Watts ever be released?
No. He is serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 84 years. He pleaded guilty, so there was no trial verdict to appeal, and no successful challenge to his sentence has been reported.
Did Chris Watts get married again?
No. He reportedly applied to marry Lizzie Henderson inside the Wisconsin prison system in 2026. In late September 2026, the Daily Mail reported that he had ended the relationship, and no marriage was ever approved or reported.
Where are Shanann, Bella, and Celeste buried?
Shanann, Bella, Celeste, and the couple’s unborn son, Nico, are buried at Bethesda Cemetery in North Carolina, where both families have roots, according to LADbible’s October 2026 report on Watts’ letter to his late wife.
Sources
- LADbible: Chris Watts’ letter to his wife and daughters revealed (Oct. 7, 2026)
- LADbible: Chris Watts ends relationship with woman he planned to marry (Sept. 28, 2026)
- The Tab: Chris Watts ends prison relationship and calls off his jail wedding (Sept. 29, 2026)
- Fox News: Chris Watts reportedly applies for prison marriage to Lizzie Henderson (Aug. 16, 2026)
- Oxygen: Chris Watts plans to marry Lizzie Henderson (Aug. 13, 2026)
- TMZ: Chris Watts applies to marry woman he met in prison (Aug. 12, 2026)
- LADbible: Chris Watts prison letters claim he is a new man (Aug. 26, 2025)
- New York Post: Chris Watts lives in fear of fellow inmates (July 4, 2024)
- Wisconsin Department of Corrections: Dodge Correctional Institution FY 2025 Annual Report
- MuckRock: Christopher Watts records request and Wisconsin DOC response (2023)
- Denver7: Chris Watts sentenced to five life terms without parole (Nov. 19, 2018)
- NBC News: Christopher Watts sentenced to life without parole (Nov. 19, 2018)
- Greeley Tribune: Watts details his family’s last moments in prison confession (March 7, 2019)
- KOAA: Transcript and audio of Chris Watts confession released (March 7, 2019)
- NBC News: Information from Chris Watts’ girlfriend helped investigators (June 3, 2019)
- NBC News: Chris Watts owes parents of slain wife $6 million (Nov. 2019)
- Denver Post: Watts agrees to pay $6 million in wrongful death lawsuit (Nov. 25, 2019)
- CrimeOnline: Prosecutor on why Nichol Kessinger was not investigated (Dec. 10, 2018)
- Grunge: Whatever happened to Chris Watts’ house? (April 27, 2025)
- Netflix: American Murder: The Family Next Door
- Wikipedia: Watts family murders
