Court Related
August 16, 2018
10:52am First Court Appearance: bond hearing; bail is denied but Judge Kopcow will reconsider after Chris is formally charged.
Bond Status Date 08/16/2018
Set Date 08/16/2018
Set Amount $0.00
Set Type No Bond
Post Amount $0.00
Adj. Amount $0.00
DEF1 Watts, Christopher Lee
Chris’s public defense files a motion to have the sealed affidavit unsealed because they do not know exactly what Chris said to that placed him under arrest.
District Attorney Michael Rourke argues, “the information contained in the affidavit is sensitive to an ongoing investigation, the release of the information would jeopardize the ongoing investigation and may hinder further investigation. Release of documents, is therefore not in the public’s interest.”
Defense team also files a number of motions.
August 16, 2018
D.A. Rourke files Motion to Seal Application and Affidavit in Support of Arrest Warrant for Christopher Lee Watts
Defense files Motion to Release Sealed Affidavit in Support of Warrantless Arrest to Mr. Watts’ Counsel
D.A. Rourke files a Response to Expanded Media Coverage Requests
D.A. Rourke files a Response to Defendant’s Motion Seeking Court Order Mandating Defense Presence During Autopsy of Defendant’s Murder Victims
August 17, 2018
Defense files several motions.
D.A. Rourke files Response to Defendant’s Motion#2-Motion to Allow Confidential Defense Experts to be Present for Scientific Testing of Evidence
August 18, 2018
D.A. Rourke files Response to Defendant’s Motion for Protective Order
D.A. Rourke files Response to Defendant's Motion to Limit Pretrial Publicity
D.A. Rourke files Response to Defendant's Motion #7-Motion to Preserve and Produce, Paragraphs 1 and 6
August 19, 2018
Defense files an Objection to Request for Expanded Media Coverage filed by the Associated Press
August 20, 2018
3:30pm Chris appears in court & is charged. The defense files serval motions.
Status Vacated
Judge Clerk Of Court
Room CO
08/20/2018
3:30 PM
August 21, 2018
10:00am Chris appears in court room 17 for a Hearing on Advisement & is formally advised on the charges filed against him.
He is being held in Weld County jail without bond.
The pre-trial is deferred to 11/19/2018 at 10:00am
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 17
08/21/2018 10:00 AM
Hearing on Advisement
August 22, 2018
Defense files several motions.
August 23, 2018
Defense files a motion.
August 26, 2018
Chris’s defense team sends email the Assistant D.A. office's seeking a ‘plea deal’
To: Steve Wrenn
Subject: Chris Watts
Dear Detective Wrenn,
The defendant Christopher Watts, is willing to agree to waive his right to be indicted & to plead guilty to all charges of first degree murder charges if our office is willing to remove the possibility of the death penalty.
Best,
John Walsh
August 29, 2018
Defense files a Motion to Require the Govt. to Investigate the D.A.'s office for the leaks.
August 30, 2018
Defense files several motions.
September 4, 2018
Frank Rzucek Sr., Shanann's father, is appointed the Trustee of her estate.
Defense files several motions.
September 6, 2018
D.A. files Response to Defense Motions
Court order:
09/06/2018 ORDR Order
PEOPLE’S RESPONSE TO DEFENDANT’S MOTIONS D-29, D-30, AND D-31 – MOTIONS TO REQUIRE THE GOVERNMENT TO DO AN INVESTIGATION INTO WHETHER PERSONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PROSECUTION MADE
EXTRAJUDICIAL STATEMENTS PURSUANT TO COLO. RPC 3.6 AND 3.8 AND TO THEN ADVISE THE COURT, IN WRITING, WHETHER IT HAS EXERCISED REASONABLE CARE TO PREVENT THE DISSEMINATION OF MATERIALLY
PREJUDICIAL INFORMATION.
September 7, 2018
Defense file Motion for Prohibiting Disclosing Jail Visits
Court order: 09/07/2018 MOTN Motion
MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER PROHIBITING WELD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE FROM DISCLOSING INFORMATION ABOUT
CONFIDENTIAL JAIL VISITS.
September 10, 2018
Defense files several motions.
September 11, 2018
Defense files several motions.
September 12, 2018
Defense requests to suppress documents.
Order to suppress documents is filed but only select documents are eligible to be suppressed & the documents didn’t meet requirements.
"The court concludes that public access shall be required & directs the filing party to redact the protected information,"
Defense files a motion asking to reconsider decision & argues court does have authority to order an investigation into the leaks because it has the power to enforce its pretrial order to limit publicity in the case, which was issued Aug. 20. That ruling instructs law enforcement to abide by Professional Conduct in the case, which includes limitations on what can be released publicly prior to a trial.
Defense Files Motion to Reconsider Denying Motions
MOTION TO RECONSIDER THE COURT’S ORDER (C-7) DENYING DEFENSE MOTIONS (D-029), (D-30), AND (D-031)
September 13, 2018
Chris appears in court for a status hearing.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 5
09/13/2018 600 PM Review
September 17, 2018
6:00pm Chris appears in court room 5 for a Review Hearing; a defense motion accuses the prosecution of withholding evidence.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 5
09/17/2018 600 PM Review
The district attorney's office requests the court seal the victims' autopsy reports from the public, as autopsies are public record. In its motion, the district attorney's office claims that "the disclosure of this information to the public prior to trial could result in tainting witnesses that have not yet been interviewed and impacting future jurors."
DA receives jail log reports on Chris; he’s reported to be very polite & compliant.
September 18, 2018
Defense files several motions.
September 19, 2018
Chris appears in court for a status hearing.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 5
09/19/2018 600 PM Review
Defense files motion about CBI evidence
Motion from Defense states that a Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent developed possible bare foot impressions from a bag collected at the location where the bodies were found.
Court order responding to motion, Judge Marcelo Kopcow wrote that this motion is similar to a motion filed by the district attorney's office on 9/12/2018 requesting cheek swabs, finger and palm prints, and photos of both of Watts' hands. The defense objected to the Sept. 12 motion, saying that forcing Watts to provide what the court described as "non-testimonial evidence" violates his constitutional rights against unreasonable search and seizure and self-incrimination.
September 20, 2018
Defense files several motions.
September 21, 2018
6:00 pm Chris appears in court.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 5
09/21/2018 600 PM Review
Defense files notice accusing D.A. of withholding evidence.
Judge Kopcow instructs D.A. provide the defense with the autopsy reports by Tuesday 9/25/2018. The district attorney's office replied stating that they "have every intention of providing counsel for defendant the reports, upon receipt."
Order from Judge Marcelo Kopcow mentions that the court was not aware of any Colorado Open Records Act requests for the autopsy reports from the public.
The district attorney's office, after talking with the coroner, stated in its filing that the coroner's office received approximately 20 requests to get the reports. "In addition to the written requests, there are numerous media outlets ... who continually telephone the (coroner's office), on a daily basis, requesting the autopsy reports and updates," the district attorney's recent filing states.
Defense files a notice accusing D.A. of withholding evidence, as they had not received copies of the autopsy reports. They stated they could not respond to the district attorney's motion without first looking at the reports. The defense motion claimed that the failure of the district attorney's office to provide these reports "violates due process of law," undermines the fairness of the proceedings, makes it impossible for attorneys to provide Watts with effective assistance, "and continues to put Mr. Watts on unequal footing with the government.
September 24, 2018
Defense's request to investigate leaks is denied.
Court denies defense request for D.A.’s Office to investigate the leaks of info by L.E.; court denied the request citing the the court has no legal authority to order an investigation.
Defense argues the ‘numerous steps’ that the D.A. claims to have taken to limit statements about the case to the public were too ‘generic’ & that in this "extraordinary" case, more is necessary to constitute the prosecution taking "reasonable care" to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Autopsy records of Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts are kept confidential until the Weld County District Attorney's Office provides copies of the reports to the court and defense team.
September 25, 2018
Frank Rzueck Sr. petition to become Shanann Estate's Personal Representative.
Autopsy reports released to defense
After asking court to seal autopsy records for Shanann, Bella and Celeste, the District Attorney's Office said they have not yet received the reports from the coroner.
D.A. states it filed the request to seal the reports prior to seeing them themselves "in an abundance of caution." In the filing, the district attorney's office confirmed with Weld County Coroner's Office that the coroner has not received final reports from the forensic pathologist, so the full reports are not yet available. The court orders the release of reports to Chris's defense team.
September 26, 2018
Defense files several motions.
The D. A.'s office request to collect non-Essential evidence is authorized.
September 27, 2018
Frank Rzucek files Emergency Hearing.
October 1, 2018
Chris receives a letter from Human Services that they've have received noticed of child abuse with him listed as the person involved.
October 4, 2018
Chris receives a letter from Human Services that they've have received noticed of child abuse with him listed as the person involved.
D.A. requests the file for Shanann & Chris case of unpaid H.O.A. fees.
On July 12, 2018, Shanann & Chris receive a 'Summons to appear in court' regarding unpaid HOA dues.
Case #C622018C34877
October 12, 2018
Defense files several motions.
October 15, 2018
Chris receives a letter from C.P.S., Notice of Result Resolution
October 19, 2018
Defense files Motion for Alternative Relief
CHRISTOPHER WATTS, through his attorneys, hereby moves this Honorable Court to hold a
hearing on the government’s proffered reason for wanting to deny disclosure of the autopsies in this
matter.
October 22, 2018
Defense files a motion.
November 5, 2018
Defense files a motion.
November 6, 2018
Chris signs ‘plea deal’. His parents beg him not to sign the agreement however, his defense team says they cannot talk to him about the agreement and would have to leave the room if they brought it up.
2:00pm Chris appears in court room 17 for a Status Conference & enters guilty pleas to all nine counts; the plea allows him to avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled on Monday, November 19 at 10:00 a.m. in Division 16 court (his deferred pre-trial date).
November 12, 2018
4:01pm A letter on behalf of Cindy Watts is sent to Judge Kopcow.
November 19, 2018
10:00am Chris appears in court for a sentencing hearing; prior to sentencing family members give emotional statements to the court.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 16
11/19/2018 1000 AM Sentencing Hearing
Chris’s preliminary hearing was originally scheduled for today, normally the prosecutor presents their evidence, and the court decides if the case will go to trial but because Chris confessed & took a plea deal, Michael J. Rourke, D.A. gives a ‘summary’ of the case for the court.
Judge Marcelo Kopcow sentences Chris to:
5 life sentences, 3 consecutive, 2 concurrent without the possibility of parole
48 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy
3 charges of tampering with a deceased body
January 7, 2019
6:00pm Status Hearing is held.
Status Hearing Held
Judge Marcelo Adrian Kopcow
Room 5
01/07/2019 600 PM Review
Financial Summary
Accounts Receivable Assessed Applied J/S Received Rel Case Balance
------------------- -------- ------- ----------------
Address Confidentiality Fund $28.00 $0 $0.00 $28.00
Court Costs $35.00 $0 $0.00 $35.00
Court Security Cash Fund $5.00 $0 $0.00 $5.00
Genetic Testing Surcharge $2.50 $0 $0.00 $2.50
Public Defender Accounts Receivable Code $25.00 $0 $0.00 $25.00
REST-Victims Compensation $46401.58 $0 $0.00 $46401.58
Restorative Justice Surcharge $10.00 $0 $0.00 $10.00
Time Payment Fee $25.00 $0 $0.00 $25.00
Victim Compensation Fund $163.00 $64.42 $0.00 $98.58
Victim's Assistance Fund $1467.00 $0 $0.00 $1467.00
Accts Rcv Balance $48162.08 $64.42 $0.00 $48097.66
Un-Assigned Rcp's Received
----------------- --------
Coin-op Copier $108.50
Total Un-Assigned $108.50
November 18, 2019
The Rzueck family is awarded $6 million.
Weld County Judge Todd Taylor awards the Rzueck’s $6 million: 1 million for each death, $3 million for “emotional pain” plus 8% interest.
