Sady Swanson | The Coloradoan

Christopher Watts is set to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Monday for his role in the murder of his pregnant wife and two children.

The the 33-year-old Frederick man will face at least three life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.

Watts pleaded guilty Nov. 6 to the murder of his 34-year-old wife, Shanann, and their daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant when investigators say Watts killed his family and dumped their bodies on a Weld County oilfield in August.

Watts will be sentenced for nine felony counts: five counts of first-degree murder, unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body.

Of the five first-degree murder counts, two are additional counts for the children because they are younger than 12.

It's unclear if Shanann's family will speak at the sentencing hearing, but Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke said if they choose not to, the prosecutors will speak on their behalf.

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Watts' parents filed a motion with the court requesting that they be allowed to speak or provide a written statement at Monday's sentencing. District Court Judge Marcelo Kopcow approved that request Thursday.

After Watts accepted a plea agreement earlier this month, his parents spoke out and expressed concern their son may have been coerced into pleading guilty to crimes he didn't commit.

As part of the agreement reached by the prosecution and defense attorneys, Rourke agreed to not pursue the death penalty in exchange for Watts pleading guilty to all nine counts against him.

The agreement also stipulates that the sentences for the three first-degree murder charges for the deaths of Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts and the unlawful termination of a pregnancy charge for the Watts' unborn son, Nico, will be served consecutively.

"The plea of guilty to each of those counts naming each of those victims — Shanann, Bella, Celeste and Nico — was an important consideration. ... He deserves a life sentence for each and every act on top of one another," Rourke said at a news conference Nov. 6.

It will be the court's decision to have the sentences for the other three charges run concurrently or consecutively.

Rourke is expected to hold a news conference at 1 p.m. Monday. Rourke said at that time he'll likely be able to share more information about the investigation and evidence in the case.

The DA's office had previously requested the autopsy reports for Shanann, Bella and Celeste be sealed.

The autopsy reports will likely be released no later than 24 hours after the sentencing hearing concludes.

What you can expect from the Coloradoan:

The Coloradoan will have reporters in court in Greeley on Monday and live in Frederick during the sentencing of Christopher Watts.

Coverage will begin about 8:45 a.m., with a live broadcast on Facebook from the courthouse. We will review what we know, how the case has progressed so far and what we can hope to learn Monday.

About 9 a.m., we will have a live broadcast on Facebook from Frederick, exploring how this case has impacted the small town north of Denver.

Sentencing is scheduled to run until about noon Monday, and live updates will be posted on Coloradoan.com.

We will provide a livestream of the sentencing hearing from our partners at 9NEWS on Coloradoan.com and on Facebook starting at 10 a.m. Monday.

The Coloradoan will broadcast Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke's news conference at 1 p.m. Monday.

Full coverage will be available at Coloradoan.com throughout the day.