Chris Watts: Prosecutors release confession tapes of Colorado man admitting murdering his pregnant wife and daughters

Watts has pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant wife and two daughters, and was sentenced earlier this month

New video released by prosecutors shows Colorado man Chris Watts confessing to the murder of his pregnant wife and two daughters, claiming that he was overtaken by a rage.

The taped confession shows Watts in a white room speaking to his father two days after the family's disappearance, and at different points to investigators. He initially claims that his wife killed their daughters — Celeste, 3, and Bella, 4 — but investigators later determined that he had killed all three.

“I freaked out ... and did the same thing to her,” Watts is seen telling his father after describing finding his daughters smothered by his wife, Shannan. “That's just it ... rage.”

Watts later pleaded guilty to the murder of all three, and was sentenced earlier this month to three consecutive life sentences without parole. The new evidence released by prosecutors included the confession tape, photos, text messages and video.

That video taken on the day of the murders shows Watts loading supplies into his truck, including a red gas can. Watts is said to have been using the truck to dispose of the bodies. The bodies of his daughters were found in oil tanks, and his wife was found in a shallow grave in a remote oil field.

In the months leading the murder, Watts had an extramarital affair with a woman who has told The Denver Post that she was not aware that he was married. In interviews after the murders, the woman has said that she broke off the relationship when she saw reports that his wife was pregnant, and confronted him for lying that they had been separated.

“He mentioned that he did have a significant other .... but that those two were in the process of a separation,” the woman, who said she had not seen red flags previously during their relationship, said.

The two were reportedly coworkers.

Evidence provided by prosecutors showed that Watts had texted and called his mistress after his family disappeared. Subsequent interviews with her indicated that he appeared to be indifferent to their disappearance when asked, and that he was more concerned with preserving the relationship he had with his mistress.