In Colorado, the slayer statute would prevent Christopher Watts from benefiting from his wife’s estate if he is convicted in her murder. But, if he is found not guilty, his wife’s family still has legal options it could pursue against him.

Shanann Watts, 34, was found dead in a shallow grave on property owned by Anadarko Petroleum Co. in August. The bodies of her daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, were found nearby in oil tanks.

Christopher Watts, 33, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree unlawful termination of pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a deceased human body in their deaths.

If he’s convicted in his wife’s murder, Watts essentially forfeits his inheritance and her life insurance under the slayer statute, according to David Brantz, an attorney at Kottke and Brantz, LLC in Boulder who focuses on estate planning and probate law. But if he is found not guilty, Brantz said he thinks it’s “extremely likely” that Shanann Watts’ family would file a civil lawsuit alleging Christopher Watts is responsible for her wrongful death.

A wrongful death lawsuit requires the plaintiff to prove “beyond a preponderance of evidence” that the person is responsible for the death, a lower standard than the criminal case requirement of “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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