Watts was charged in August with killing his pregnant wife and their daughters inside their home

CHRIS Watts, the American man who has pleaded guilty to killing his wife and two young daughters, will avoid the death penalty.

Christopher Watts pleads guilty in deaths of wife and young daughters.

AN American man accused of killing his wife and two young daughters will avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty to murder.

Chris Watts reportedly told investigators that he killed his family, telling police he strangled his wife Shanann when he discovered she had strangled their two daughters Bella, 3, and Celeste, 4, after he told her he wanted to separate.

In August, Watts was charged with first-degree murder.

His pregnant wife’s body was discovered in a shallow grave about 65km from the family’s home, and the girls’ bodies were recovered from nearby oil tanks, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

According to Fox TV’s KDVR, the 33-year-old will avoid the death penalty after pleading guilty to murdering his family during a court hearing yesterday. His plea included the unlawful termination of pregnancy for the death of his unborn son, Nico.

Watts said in court he was satisfied with his defence representation and would knowingly accepting this plead deal, the publication reported.

Christopher Watts pleads guilty in deaths of wife, young daughters. Photo: Weld County Sheriff's Office via AP

“He deserves a life sentence for each and every act,” Weld County District lawyer Michael Rourke said.

“The spotlight that he tried to shine on Shanann — falsely, incorrectly and frankly a flat-out lie — has been corrected.

“The spotlight shines directly where it belongs: On him.”

Watts, a former oil and gas worker, could be heard sniffing after each time he said “guilty.” Shanann’s parents, Frank Rzucek and Sandra Onorati Rzucek, and her brother, Frankie Rzucek, watched from the front row of a full courtroom.

KDVR reported Watts pleaded guilty to a total of nine charges for the murders of his wife, two daughters and unborn son less than three months after the crime took place.

The judge set sentencing for November 19 at 10am. Watts will be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Chris Watts confessed to killing wife Shanann and daughters Bella, 4 and Celeste, 3.

WATTS’ PROPHETIC POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

A YouTube video posted in April 2012, six months before Watts and his wife Shanann wed, shows the triple killer giving a Powerpoint presentation titled: “Communication Speech, Relationship Deterioration and Repair.”

Watts opened the presentation by explaining it was for a course he was taking.

Then he speaks of infidelity — possibly with someone at work — as a reason that relationships fail.

“Sometimes you find your partner no longer attractive physically or in their personality,” he said.

“When you are in a relationship you have to show desire, lust toward your partner. Sometimes when you get married that the lust and the desire kind of falls by the wayside a little bit.”

He also made another point in the presentation, saying: “Even at the job. You might meet a new person and (it) could strengthen into something else and could weaken the bond you have with the partner you have.

“And you feel that you might be better with someone else that you’ve met.

“You think that you can no longer do — that your partner is someone that you can’t be with.”

Watts was allegedly cheating on his wife with alleged mistress who claimed they had an affair in May and June after meeting on Tinder.

He allegedly cheated on his wife Shanann with a woman he met on Tinder.

The woman told Radar Online that Watts “wasn’t the kind of guy who would cuddle and watch a movie”, claiming he was into rough sex.

“He would put his hands on my throat during intercourse. Now that I know who he is, it gives me the chills! I can’t even think about it,” she said. “But nothing about him alarmed me until he tried to choke me. That freaked me out. He had a rape fantasy. He was very kinky.”

During his “relationships” presentation, Watts said: “Sometimes when you have children and your relationship starts to deteriorate, a child could help repair it.

He also listed three questions to ask when a relationship is in jeopardy.

“Do I have the desire to keep this relationship going? Do I have a moral obligation to stay in this relationship? Or is it a necessity for me to stay in this relationship?”

As Watts ended the presentation, he received a round of applause from two women and two men seated on a sofa across the room. One of the women said, “Good job.”

Originally published as Watts was charged in August with killing his pregnant wife and their daughters inside their home