Text messages obtained from the final week of Shanann Watts’ life expose the devastating emotional turmoil a pregnant mother endured before her husband murdered her and their two young daughters in their Colorado home in 2018.

Marriage Collapses Days Before Killings

Shanann Watts, 34 and pregnant with her third child, confided to a friend through text messages that she hadn’t slept most of the week and her eyes burned from constant crying. The messages, obtained by the Daily Mail, reveal her husband Chris Watts had grown cold and distant after she returned from a trip. She wrote that they had been intimate and in love when she left, but he claimed he needed time to think about their relationship and future.

The expectant mother expressed concern that her unborn child deserved full love from both parents. Chris Watts told his wife he felt scared about having a third child and was happy with just their daughters Bella and Celeste. Shanann suspected her husband was having an affair, fears that would later prove accurate during the criminal investigation.

Gender Reveal Party Canceled Before Tragedy

On August 7, 2018, Shanann spent approximately 860 dollars on cake, cookies, party supplies and flowers for a gender reveal celebration planned for August 19 in Frederick, Colorado. Around 50 guests were expected to attend. However, the party was canceled on August 8 after Chris admitted he didn’t want the third child. Shanann asked for a divorce that same day. Five days later, on August 13, Chris Watts strangled his pregnant wife and killed both daughters.

Killer Claims Religious Redemption From Prison

Chris Watts is now incarcerated in Wisconsin, where he has claimed to be a changed man forgiven by God. He corresponds with multiple women from prison and wrote that God doesn’t see him as a sinner who killed his family but as His child. Watts stated he has confessed his sins and received forgiveness, adding that the hardest thing he had to do was forgive himself. The case shocked the nation as investigators uncovered the premeditated nature of the murders and his attempts to dispose of the bodies at his workplace oil field.