Colorado triple murder suspect Chris Watts has unsuccessfully sought to keep records of his jail visitors secret

Triple murder suspect Chris Watts has unsuccessfully sought to keep secret all of his visitors while behind bars, PEOPLE confirms.

Judge Marcelo A. Kopcow on Monday ruled against a motion from Watts’ attorney that requested sheriff’s officials be barred “from disclosing any information” about visits to him in Colorado’s Weld County Jail.

Get push notifications with news, features and more.

It was not immediately clear why Chris’ attorney argued for the secrecy of his jail visitors, but the judge’s ruling mentioned experts consulting with the defense. The original motion has not been publicly released.

Echoing the judge’s ruling, a legal expert unconnected with the case explains that Chris’ attorney likely wanted to shield the defense’s work from the prosecution. Otherwise, prosecutors would have been able to track the comings and goings of possible expert witnesses such as psychiatrists.

“If I as a D.A. know who’s interviewing the defendant, then I get a head start on finding out who it is … knowing what their angle is,” says Ambrosio Rodriguez, a former California prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney.

Kopcow denied Watts’ request but set forth a narrower solution, acknowledging the “confidentiality and loyalty” of those who work with defense attorneys is a “crucial element” in effective legal representation.

He ordered the visit logs kept from prosecutors. Instead he instructed that the prosecution move to review the logs as necessary with the defense being able to seek redactions.

Image zoom Shan’ann Watts (right) and her daughters Shanann Watts /Facebook

RELATED VIDEO: Pregnant Mom & 2 Daughters Likely Killed at Home Before Bodies Were Dumped

Among other pretrial disputes in the case — including an unresolved question about obtaining Chris’ DNA and fingerprints — Chris’ defense has repeatedly argued that the government should investigate reported leaks from sources with knowledge of the investigation, including in articles published by PEOPLE.

“These … statements have the effect of irretrievably tainting the potential jury pool, violating Mr. Watts’ rights to a fair and impartial jury, and undermining the fundamental fairness of these proceedings,” his attorney contended.

The judge twice denied the request, saying it was beyond the scope of his legal authority.

Chris is charged with first-degree murder, among other crimes, in the deaths of 34-year-old Shan’ann and kids Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.

Image zoom From left: Chris and Shan’ann Watts Shanann Watts /Facebook

Neither causes of death nor motive have been confirmed and prosecutors have asked to keep the autopsies from being made public, saying they provide “critical evidence” that should be held for trial.

Chris was taken into custody late on Aug. 15, two days after his family vanished and a day after he gave multiple TV interviews pleading for their return.

• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

In an alleged confession to police, Chris claimed he killed his wife of nearly six years in a “rage” after watching her strangle Celeste with Bella’s body lying nearby.

Authorities say they found otherwise and accused Chris of murdering his family.

He has not yet entered a plea and is due to return to court in November.