Family killer Chris Watts reportedly has relationships with men in prison: ‘Younger guys flock to Chris’

Murderer Chris Watts made headlines in 2018 after pleading guilty to the killings of his pregnant wife and two young daughters in a case that inspired numerous true crime shows and podcasts, including a Netflix documentary. Now, he’s back in the news, with the Daily Mail reporting allegations that he has had romantic or sexual relationships with other men while serving life sentences in a Wisconsin prison.

Watts is serving three consecutive life sentences and two concurrent life sentences for killing his wife, Shanann, and daughters Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, in Frederick, Colorado, in August 2018. Shanann’s body was found in a shallow grave at an oil worksite. The girls’ bodies were recovered from oil tanks.

At the time, Watts denied knowing their whereabouts, but later admitted to killing them. He had been having an affair with a coworker before the murders.

Since then, People has reported that Watts has received letters of admiration, mainly from women, and became engaged in August to a 39-year-old real estate agent who relocated from Ohio to be closer to him. However, the Daily Mail reports that he ended the engagement.

The Daily Mail’s account of Watts’ alleged relationships with men at Dodge Correctional Institution relies on unnamed sources, including someone it describes as a “well-placed source.” The publication reports that Watts, 41, has attracted attention from several younger prisoners.

“Chris can’t be alone,” Cheryln Cadle, a true crime author whom the Daily Mail identified as a regular pen pal of Watts, told the publication. “He needs constant affection and attention, and he’ll get it from whoever is available.”

Related: Man Claims to Be Ex-Lover of Murder Suspect Chris Watts

According to the Daily Mail’s source, prison guards recently had to separate Watts from another male prisoner over suspicions of an “inappropriate” relationship.

“Younger guys flock to Chris,” an unnamed prison employee told the publication. “He’s really got a hold over them, and they’ll usually do whatever he wants.”

The employee said most of those inmates are in their 20s and seek approval from older inmates such as Watts.

“They follow him around, want to talk to him, want his attention,” the prison employee said. “And he’s generous with his commissary, so he [gets] things for them, gifts, [or] whatever it takes for them to like him.”

The source said several of the inmates have “crushes” on Watts and that “it is pretty clear that Chris is flirting back.” The source also alleged that some interactions had drawn guards’ attention.

“There have been times where it’s pretty obvious something happened. When I say these guys will do anything for him, I mean anything," the source told the Daily Mail.

A former inmate told the outlet that people having sex in prison risk being discovered and sometimes rely on others to keep watch. “We’re on a constant lookout,” they said.

This isn’t the first time speculation about Watts’ sexuality has made news.

In 2018, an unidentified man claimed he had been in a relationship with Watts in an interview on HLN’s Crime & Justice with Ashleigh Banfield.

The Daily Mail also reports that Watts was disciplined in 2020 “after guards discovered his underwear, petroleum jelly, baby oil and other personal effects” inside the adjoining cell of Dylan Tallman, who was serving time then on drug-related charges.

Citing prison records, the publication reported that the men communicated for hours through an electrical outlet in the wall between their cells. They nicknamed it the “holy outlet” and were eventually separated, the report said.

“Chris is just super friendly, too nice for his own good being in prison,” Tallman, who was released in 2021, told the Daily Mail. Tallman denied that anything sexual took place and described the two as “brothers in spirit” who collaborated on Christian devotional writings.

Another former inmate who spoke to the Daily Mail on the condition of anonymity said he spent a lot of time around Watts and that they had an “intimate” relationship.

“We were as close as two men can be,” he said. “I’m not saying that nothing happened, but not everything that you probably think.”

He described their connection as more spiritual, saying Watts often talked about religion.

“If you’re just in the main area and he’s sitting somewhere with someone, you notice where he is and his energy, you are just always aware of him and what he’s doing. I don’t know what it is about him,” he said. “He’s got a lot of guys who would have sex with him if he asked.”

The Daily Mail said it had the names of three other inmates suspected of having sexual relationships with Watts, but that they would not discuss the allegations on the record.

Watts, who has no chance of parole, did not comment to the publication.