The day Christopher Watts was sentenced to three life terms in prison for murdering his wife, Shanann, and their two daughters, Shanann Watts' parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him.

According to court documents, Shanann's parents, Frank and Sandra Rzucek, are seeking more than $100,000 from their son-in-law for killing Shanann and her daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, in their Frederick, Colorado, home in August.

They are also suing Watts for unlawfully terminating Shanann's pregnancy, according to court documents.

According to Colorado law, only the surviving spouse of a deceased person may file a wrongful death suit. However, if there is no surviving spouse or children, the parents of the deceased may file the suit.

In this case, Frank Rzucek is able to file the suit as the duly-appointed representative of Shanann's estate, according to court filings.

MORE: Complete coverage of Christopher Watts murder case

WATTS CASE:Potential motive, evidence revealed in court

As the representative of Shanann's estate, Frank Rzucek is also able to file a survival action against Christopher Watts on behalf of his daughter for the unlawful termination of her pregnancy, in conjunction with the wrongful death claim.

The complaint, filed the same day Christopher Watts was sentenced in Weld District Court, outlines the evidence against Watts, highlighting parts of the case where he "mislead investigators" and made false claims to the police, media and the public.

"Defendant also gave multiple interviews to television and media outlets where he falsely claimed that he missed his family and was hoping they would all come home, so as to end his supposed 'nightmare' of life without his wife and children," the court filing states.

The filing also states that Watts' "confession," in which he blames Shanann for the deaths of Bella and Celeste, was another attempt to "maliciously and fraudulently" mislead investigators.

Colorado law states wrongful death lawsuits may be heard in front of a judge or jury. The case is set for a review hearing Jan. 28.

Watts was sentenced Nov. 19 to three consecutive life terms for killing Shanann, Bella and Celeste; 48 consecutive years for unlawfully terminating a pregnancy; 36 consecutive years for disposing of all three victims' bodies; and two additional life terms to be served concurrently for killing two children under the age of 12 while in a position of trust.

As part of his sentence, Watts must also pay restitution to Shanann's family, including the costs of the victims' funeral and burials.

During the sentencing hearing, Weld County District Attorney Michael Rourke requested the court give the prosecution about 90 days to calculate restitution. But on Nov. 20, Rourke filed a notice of restitution requesting the judge order Watts to pay $41,807.98 to Shanann's parents. The notice also mentioned that they expect to request additional restitution.

Reporter Sady Swanson covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter: @sadyswan.