Chris Watts has reportedly applied to marry Lizzie Henderson, a woman he is said to have met while incarcerated.
Watts remains behind bars eight years after murdering his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste.
The 41-year-old is serving five life sentences without the possibility of parole at Dodge Correctional Institution in Wisconsin. He has now reportedly applied to marry Henderson.
The claim has placed fresh attention on Watts’ life in prison.
Where is Chris Watts now?
Watts was transferred from Colorado to Dodge Correctional Institution in December 2018, shortly after he was sentenced. KKTV reported at the time that the move to the maximum-security prison in Waupun was made for safety reasons.
PEOPLE reports that Watts exercises and works as a custodian while incarcerated.
Who is Lizzie Henderson?
The Daily Mail first reported in August 2026 that Watts and Henderson had submitted an application to marry through the prison system.
Henderson was described as a 39-year-old estate agent from Cleveland, Ohio. Relatives told the outlet that she had started using the name Lizzie Watts and had applied to change her surname legally.
People subsequently reported that court records confirmed a Lizzie Henderson had filed a confidential name-change case. However, its details remain sealed.
According to the Daily Mail, Henderson moved from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts and has regularly visited him in prison. She confirmed that they were in a relationship but declined to explain publicly how it began.
The report says the pair have applied to marry; it does not establish that a wedding has been approved or taken place.
Why is Chris Watts serving life without parole?
On August 13, 2018, Watts murdered Shanann, who was 34 and 15 weeks pregnant, at the family’s home in Colorado. He then drove to the oil site where he worked with Bella, four, and Celeste, three, still alive before killing both girls there.
He initially appeared in televised interviews appealing for his family’s return. After being questioned by investigators, he admitted killing Shanann but falsely claimed she had killed the children.
Their bodies were recovered at the oil site. Shanann had been buried in a shallow grave, while the girls were found in oil tanks.
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In November 2018, Watts pleaded guilty to nine charges: five counts of first-degree murder, one count of unlawful termination of a pregnancy and three counts of tampering with a dead body. The guilty pleas meant he avoided a potential death sentence.
A fuller confession emerged after investigators interviewed him in prison in February 2019. He admitted strangling Shanann before driving to the oil site with Bella and Celeste still alive, then killing both girls.
Watts remains imprisoned with no possibility of parole.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections has been contacted for comment.