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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Charlie Jones

Inside house Chris Watts killed wife and kids as $600,000 property is finally bought

For years the house where convicted killer Chris Watts strangled his pregnant wife before killing his two infant daughters sat empty with estate agents believing its horrific history was holding it back.

But eventually a family bought it for $600,000 (£500,000).

The new owners are a family called the Millers and said they hope to "fill it with smiles" to make up for the house's grim history.

In 2018 Watts, who is serving five life sentences behind bars, strangled his wife Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant, at the home in Frederick, Colorado.

After killing her in the bedroom he put the body in their truck and drove it along with their two girls, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, to isolated storage tanks belonging to his employer Anadarko Petroleum.

He buried Shanann in a shallow grave and then smothered the two girls and stuffing their bodies through the eight-inch hatches of two different oil drums.

Chris Watts with Shanann and their two girls Bella and Celeste (Instagram)

For days Watts claimed he had nothing to do with his family's disappearance and even gave interviews outside the house to local news stations begging them to come home.

An agent shared the news of the sale on social media, telling followers: "Huge congratulations to my buyers on their closing!!!!

"It took everything we had to get here!!! So happy for you guys and can't wait to see the memories you make in your new home!!!

"I'll edit to add since it's been asked. Yes, this was the Watts house. It is now the Miller home and they cannot wait to put love, family, and laughter back into this house."

Not much had been changed since the Watts murders (Rocket Homes)

After moving in the Millers shared a picture, which has since been deleted, of the front of the house and them gathering in the kitchen with their children.

"We hope to honor you in this home you once called yours and to fill it with smiles as you did," they wrote.

"Thank you for making this a peaceful home. Peace and love [are] all we have felt since the moment we first walked through your door, because of you.

"We hope to have you alongside us on this new chapter!!!"

The house was previously listed under a fictitious address on reality website Rocket Homes (Rocket Homes)

The new owners of the house would be the first occupants since the murders as estate agents believed the home's reputation put off previous buyers.

After the news broke of the home sale, the listing with Rocket Homes was removed, but private Facebook posts show it was later sold by LoKation Real Estate in Colorado.

Little was changed since the Watts family lived there and it was bought, as can be seen in photos shared by Rocket Homes real estate company.

Purely in terms of real estate the house is an attractive offer boasting 4,200 square foot of space with views of the Rocky Mountains.

The rooms where the Watts girls once played (Rocket Homes)

It has five bedrooms, four bathrooms and three parking spots and was built in 2013 with the Watts being the first owners.

After the murders it was revealed the Watts were facing extreme money worries and had filed for bankruptcy after failing to meet their $3,000 monthly mortgage payments.

They were also due to appear in court after being sued by their homeowner's association.

Following the murders, the lender foreclosed on the property but it didn't sell.

Denver-based bankruptcy attorney Clark Dray told Realtor.com in 2020: "It's not getting any bids because people know the sordid history of the house, and nobody wants it."

Many of the features remained in the property at the time it was sold.

The marble island of the kitchen and the dark wood cabinetry appeared untouched.

It is unclear if the new owners did remodelling.

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