Christopher Watts, the Frederick man charged with murder in connection with the deaths of his pregnant wife and two young daughters, wants an investigation into whether prosecutors or police leaked information about the case to reporters, court documents show.

Prosecutors denied the accusation in a court filing and said that much of the information reported by news outlets came from the defense’s own court documents.

“There is no evidence any lawyer or other employee of the (Weld County) District Attorney’s Office has violated any rule of professional conduct or corresponding order of this Court,” the document states.

Police arrested Watts last month on suspicion of the deaths of his family after a two-day search for his wife, Shannan Watts, and their daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. During the search, Watts appeared on local TV stations and asked for help in finding the missing mom and girls.

A day later, Watts told police that he killed his wife after he saw her strangling Celeste on a baby monitor, according to his arrest affidavit. He said he saw Bella “sprawled out on her bed and blue” on the monitor, according to the affidavit. Investigators found the girls’ bodies in oil tanks on the property of Anadarko Petroleum Company, where Christopher Watts worked. Shannan Watts’ body was found in a shallow grave nearby.

It’s unclear exactly what information Christopher Watts’ attorneys allege was leaked by the prosecution because the defense’s request for an investigation is hidden from the public, beyond the judge’s acknowledgement that the court received it. The prosecution’s response alludes to comments made to news outlets from anonymous sources cited as “a source close to the investigation” or “a law enforcement source.”

Officials are aware and “concerned that media outlets have allegedly obtained information from sources within law enforcement,” but cannot compel reporters to reveal their sources, the document states.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Frank Rzucek the father of Shanann Watts, left, and her brother Frankie Rzucek were in court for Christopher Watts arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Aug. 21, 2018 in Greeley. Christopher Watts faces nine charges, including several counts of first-degree murder of his wife Shanann and his two young daughters, 4-year-old Bella, and 3-year-old Celeste.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Christopher Watts is in court for his arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Aug. 21, 2018 in Greeley.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Christopher Watts is in court for his arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Aug. 21, 2018 in Greeley. Watts faces nine charges, including several counts of first-degree murder of his wife and his two young daughters.



RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Nancy Lee takes a moment after placing flowers at a makeshift memorial for Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts, outside the family's home on Aug. 17, 2018 in Frederick. Frederick police have arrested Shanann's husband, Christopher Watts, on suspicion of killing the three.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Members of the community gather for a candlelight vigil to honor Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts outside the family's home on Aug. 17, 2018, in Frederick.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Aubriella Luna, 8, joined others from her community for a candlelight vigil to honor Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts outside the family's home Aug. 17, 2018, in Frederick.



RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Frederick Police Department Chief Todd Norris talks to media on Aug. 16, 2018 in Frederick. Frederick police have arrested Shanann's husband Christopher Watts on suspicion of murdering the three.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post According to Christopher Watts's arrest affidavit, Shanann Watts' body was found in a shallow grave near this oil work site, seen here on Aug. 21, 2018 near Roggen. Both of her daughter's bodies, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste, were submerged for days in the same oil tanks in rural eastern Colorado, prosecutors said.

RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Colleen Hendrickson and her grandson Ezra Reed, 3, who lives down the street, place flowers at a makeshift memorial to Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts, who have been missing since Monday, outside the family home on Aug. 16, 2018 in Frederick. Frederick police have arrested Shanann's husband Christopher Watts on suspicion of murdering the three.



RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post Residents stand in front of a makeshift memorial for Shanann, Bella and Celeste Watts outside the family's home on Aug. 17, 2018 in Frederick. Frederick police have arrested Shanann's husband Christopher Watts on suspicion of killing the three.

The prosecution’s response also points out that much of the information reported by news media was obtained from Watts’ arrest affidavit and the defense’s motion that specific DNA swabs be taken from the girls and their mother.

“It was this defense exhibit that alerted the press to the fact that the children were likely killed by strangulation, that defendant was alleging that Shanann Watts was the parent responsible for their death, and that the bodies of the children had been recovered from an oil tank,” prosecutors’ response states.

An investigation into the alleged leaks would likely take hundreds of hours of work by law enforcement, the district attorney’s office notes.

“Who would staff and fund such an investigation?” prosecutors asked.

The document also outlines what the Weld County District Attorney’s office has done to limit the dissemination of information that could affect Watts’ chances for a fair trial and notes that national media attention is not going away any time soon.

“Driven in large part by the now unnerving pleas of help made by the defendant himself, local community members and individuals around the country followed constant news reports of the search for Shanann, Belle, and Celeste Watts,” the document states. “Now that defendant has been charged with murdering his family and disposing of their deceased bodies, national media interest in the case is likely to persist.”

Watts remains in the Weld County Jail without bond.

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