Relatives Say Chris Watts, Convicted of Killing His Family, Plans to Marry Woman He Met in Prison
Convicted killer Christopher Watts has reportedly found love behind bars — and, according to the family of the woman he has been involved with, the two are already planning a life together.
The Daily Mail reported Monday, Aug. 10, that Watts, 41, is in a relationship with Lizzie Henderson, a 39-year-old realtor from Ohio. Henderson’s relatives told the outlet that the couple has applied to marry through the prison system and that she has already begun going by “Lizzie Watts.”
Perhaps the clearest sign of her intentions came with her move from Ohio to Wisconsin, a relocation that put her closer to Watts’ cell at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun. Sealed court records also show she has filed a petition to legally change her name, and recent photos show a ring on her wedding finger.
Prison logs reviewed by the outlet show Henderson visited Watts 20 times last year and spent Christmas Day 2024 with him. She confirmed the relationship and acknowledged it could be seen as “weird.”
“How things began is between me, him and God,” she said.
Asked how she feels about the crimes Watts committed, Henderson replied, “How I feel about it? He knows. He knows how I feel.”
She added that she does not know all the people involved but would want to respect them, describing the killings as “something harsh for anyone to experience.”
Watts is serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus 84 additional years, for the August 2018 murders of his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters in Frederick, Colorado. He pleaded guilty in November 2018 to nine charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, in connection with the deaths of Shanann, 34, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, along with the couple’s unborn son, Nico Lee.
Prosecutors agreed not to pursue the death penalty at the request of Shanann’s family, according to People.
The timing of the report is striking: it comes just days before the eighth anniversary of the killings. The case, which Watts initially tried to blame on his wife, became one of the most widely followed true-crime stories of the past decade and was later chronicled in a Netflix documentary.
For those who followed the case closely, the latest development may reopen painful questions about crime, punishment and the relationships that can form behind prison walls.