Chris Watts, the Colorado man who pleaded guilty to killing his pregnant wife and their two young daughters, has reportedly taken a major personal step from behind prison walls: he and a new partner have applied to marry.

The development, reported in August 2026, has drawn renewed attention to Watts nearly eight years after the murders that shocked the United States.

Watts, now 41, is serving five consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at Dodge Correctional Insтιтution in Waupun, Wisconsin. He pleaded guilty in November 2018 to killing his wife, Shanann Watts, their daughters Bella and Celeste, and to related charges. The plea agreement removed the possibility of a death sentence.

A REPORTED PRISON WEDDING

According to reports first published by the Daily Mail and subsequently covered by PEOPLE, Fox News and other outlets, Watts is in a relationship with Lizzie Henderson, a 39-year-old realtor originally from Ohio.

Henderson’s relatives told the Daily Mail that the couple had applied to marry through the Wisconsin prison system. PEOPLE independently confirmed that a woman named Lizzie Henderson had filed a confidential legal name-change application, although the details of that proceeding remain sealed.

Henderson reportedly moved from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts at Dodge Correctional Insтιтution. Reports also say she visited him frequently, including approximately 20 visits in 2025.

However, the available reporting does not establish that the marriage has already taken place. The documented development is an alleged application to marry and a separate confidential name-change filing.

HER COMMENTS ABOUT THE MURDERS

Henderson has acknowledged that her relationship with Watts may be difficult for outsiders to understand.

In comments reported by the Daily Mail, she declined to explain how their relationship began, saying that was between herself, Watts and God.

Asked about Watts’ crimes, she said he knows how she feels and that she wants to respect the people involved. She also described the murders as “something harsh for anyone to experience.”

Those remarks have added another layer to a story that continues to attract intense public attention.

WHY WATTS IS SERVING MULTIPLE LIFE SENTENCES

The marriage reports come against the backdrop of one of Colorado’s most notorious family-murder cases.

On August 13, 2018, Shanann Watts, who was pregnant, and her daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, were killed. Watts initially denied responsibility and publicly portrayed himself as a desperate husband and father searching for his missing family.

He later confessed and pleaded guilty to the murders.

Watts was sentenced to five consecutive life terms without parole, ensuring that the reported marriage plans cannot change the fundamental reality of his sentence: he will remain incarcerated for life unless his convictions or sentences are legally altered.

A LIFE BEHIND BARS

Watts’ reported relationship is not his first experience attracting attention from women while incarcerated. His correspondence with female pen pals has previously generated public interest, and his prison relationships have remained a recurring subject of coverage.

Wisconsin’s prison system permits incarcerated people to seek marriage under specific conditions and with insтιтutional approval. Reports indicate that any wedding involving Watts would therefore have to proceed through the correctional system’s rules and authorization process.

For now, the most significant confirmed development is not a completed wedding but the reported application itself.

Nearly eight years after the murders of Shanann, Bella and Celeste, Watts remains imprisoned under multiple life sentences, while reports of a potential prison marriage have pushed his name back into the headlines.

The contrast is stark: outside the prison walls, the case remains ᴀssociated with the devastating loss of a young mother and her children; inside, Watts is reportedly building a new relationship and seeking to marry again.

Whether the reported application ultimately becomes an approved prison wedding remains a matter for the Wisconsin correctional authorities and the couple—not something that has been officially confirmed as completed in the reporting currently available.

Souce: https://people.com