“HE’S GETTING MARRIED?” — CHRIS WATTS’ REPORTED PRISON ROMANCE SPARKS OUTRAGE

Eight years after Chris Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann Watts and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, the convicted killer is reportedly seeking to marry a woman he met after entering prison.

And the news has triggered intense reactions online.

A MARRIAGE REQUEST FROM BEHIND BARS

Watts, now 41, is serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole in Wisconsin.

According to reports, he and Lizzie Henderson, a woman from Ohio, have submitted a request to marry through the Wisconsin prison system.

Henderson has reportedly moved to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts and has visited him numerous times.

She has also reportedly filed for a confidential legal name change, fueling speculation that she intends to take the surname Watts.

But there is an important distinction:

A reported marriage application is not the same as an approved marriage.

WHO IS LIZZIE HENDERSON?

Henderson, 39, has confirmed that she is in a relationship with Watts.

She has reportedly defended the relationship despite the horrific nature of the crimes that placed him in prison.

Reports say the two developed their relationship through communication while Watts was incarcerated.

Henderson has also reportedly relocated from Ohio to Wisconsin, bringing her physically closer to the prison where Watts is held.

EIGHT YEARS AFTER THE MURDERS

Watts pleaded guilty in 2018 to killing Shanann, Bella and Celeste, as well as the unlawful termination of Shanann’s pregnancy.

He was sentenced to multiple life terms without parole.

The case shocked the country because Watts initially portrayed himself publicly as a desperate husband searching for his missing family before ultimately admitting responsibility.

His wife was pregnant at the time of the killings.WHY THE REPORTED MARRIAGE IS SO CONTROVERSIAL

The reports have raised an uncomfortable question:

Should a person serving multiple life sentences be allowed to marry?

Supporters of prisoners’ rights argue that incarceration does not automatically eliminate every civil right.

Critics, however, question the meaning of marriage in a case where the prisoner will never ordinarily return to the community.

For Shanann’s family and those who remember Bella and Celeste, the news may feel particularly difficult to comprehend.

A FAMILY THAT CAN NEVER COME BACK

The reported relationship exists in the shadow of a crime that permanently destroyed another family.

Shanann was 34.

Bella was 4.

Celeste was 3.

Their lives ended in August 2018.

Now, eight years later, the person responsible is reportedly preparing to begin another chapter of his personal life — from inside prison.

That contrast is what has left so many people struggling to understand the story.

A REPORTED MARRIAGE APPLICATION.

MULTIPLE LIFE SENTENCES.

A FAMILY THAT WAS DESTROYED.

AND A PRISON SYSTEM NOW FACING QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT MARRIAGE MEANS BEHIND BARS.

For now, the reported application remains just that — an application.

Whether it is ultimately approved is a separate matter.

But the reaction to the news shows that the Watts case has not disappeared from the public consciousness.

 WOULD YOU SUPPORT A PRISONER SERVING LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE HAVING THE RIGHT TO MARRY?

This post discusses publicly reported information about a convicted murderer and his reported relationship. The reported marriage has not been presented as an officially completed marriage.