Chris Watts’ Parents, Cindy & Ronnie Watts: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Chris Watts’ parents are Cindy and Ronnie Watts. They’ve spoken to the media about their son multiple times and their feelings about the crimes and the sentence he faces. Chris Watts confessed to killing his wife, Shannan Watts, their unborn baby, and their two daughters. He was sentenced to a life sentence after confessing in a plea deal.

Chris Watts is coming under the spotlight again with the new documentary on Netflix.  Here are more details about his parents and what they have told the media.


1. Shortly After His Confession, They Said They Were Devastated

In an interview in November 2018, Ronnie and Cindy Watts spoke with Denver 7 about a week after Chris pleaded guilty to killing pregnant Shannan and their daughters Celeste and Bella. They said they were devastated but also did not believe the world knew Chris’s full story. Here’s a look at one of their interviews with Denver 7.

Cindy said: “He’s not a sociopath. He’s not a psychopath.” Cindy said she also asked Chris not to confess if he didn’t do it. She said he took the plea deal to save his life.

Ronnie Watts told Denver 7 about the case early on: “There’s a whole lot of unanswered questions about the case. Everything happened too quick there, from a case status to a plea.”


2. Chris Asked To Speak To His Dad Before His First Confession

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Before Chris Watts confessed to murder, he asked to speak to his dad, Oxygen.com reported. FBI Special Agent Grahm Coder said they offered to let him talk to Ronnie Watts in the interrogation room. Ronnie encouraged Chris to be honest about what happened.


3. His Mother Was Once Concerned That He Hadn’t Committed the Crimes, But He Confessed That He Had

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Cindy told Denver 7: “He’s going to die in prison. I just want him to fight. I don’t want him to take this plea deal. I want him to plead not guilty to the children.” Cindy also said that if he did kill the family, there had to be some kind of trigger. And if he didn’t kill the children, she wanted him to face that too.

Chris Watts had claimed early on that he killed Shannan after seeing her strangle the children. But he later pleaded guilty to killing Shannan and his children. He described how he killed his daughters, saying that one begged for her life, Dayton Daily News reported.


4. They Told Chris in Court That They Forgave Him

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In November 2018, his parents told Chris Watts in court that they forgave him, People reported. Their attorney read a letter that said: “We are not here to ask for leniency and are not in any way condoning or tolerating the crime that has occurred or the pain that has been caused…” His mother then said during the trial, “I have always loved you and I still do. We love you and forgive you son.” She also said that they were horrified by what he did.

Ronnie Watts also said he forgave Chris, People reported. He said: “The Bible says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us. Chris, I forgive you and your sister forgives you and we will never abandon you.”

In their letter, they thanked Shannan Watts’ parents for not trying to get a death penalty against Chris Watts, People reported.

Cindy and Ronnie Watts said they were struggling to comprehend what happened, believing that Chris loved his children, People reported.


5. Cindy Said that Chris Wrote Her on Her Birthday

Cindy Watts was interviewed for an HLN special: Killer Dad: Chris Watts Speaks. She talked about how her son claimed he was changed and had found God, Boston 25 reported. You can see part of her interview below.

 

In July 2019,  Chris wrote a letter to his mother, asking her to ignore what people were saying, Oxygen reported. The letter was for her 64th birthday. He wrote, in part: “All kinds of people will form opinions because of this tragedy but what they say doesn’t matter. Their words should be like the wind. It comes and then it passes away.”