Month: September 2026

This actress first appeared in Texas department store ads before her expressive eyes, and her girl-next-door charm made her one of the 1980s’ most memorable faces. More than four decades later, she looks radiant at 63, yet the life she built after leaving Hollywood may be even more unexpected than her transformation.

A Shy Texas Girl Found Her Courage in Front of a Camera

Long before movie audiences knew her, this future star was a painfully timid 13-year-old living in Liberty, Texas. Standing before her classmates to deliver a book report could feel physically uncomfortable, so her mother enrolled her at the Barbizon School of Modeling in Houston.

The decision awakened something in the teenager. Modeling felt creative rather than frightening, and the girl who struggled to speak publicly began flourishing whenever a camera was pointed in her direction.

There was also a wonderfully wild detail to those weekly classes. She had a hardship driver’s license and took herself from Liberty to Houston at just 13 or 14 years old, something she admitted in a November 2025 interview would be difficult to imagine today.

Her fear apparently stopped at the driver’s seat. She might have dreaded classroom presentations, but traveling alone to chase an opportunity did not scare her at all.

The course lasted around six months, and she eventually won a title she remembered as something resembling “Miss Barbizon.” More importantly, she met photographer Wally Lewis, who recognized that her appeal belonged beyond the modeling classroom.

Lewis began hiring her for catalogs and newspaper advertisements promoting Houston department stores, including Joske’s, Foley’s, and Sanger-Harris. She modeled junior clothing throughout high school, meaning classmates who knew her as the shy girl could suddenly open the newspaper and find her posing inside.

That early success was especially meaningful because glamour was hardly the family business. Her father was a Marine Corps pilot, her mother worked as an executive assistant, and her only brother later entered the music industry, according to her biography.

One Dutiful Habit Put Her in the Right Room

During her senior year, her mother’s work took the family to Dallas. The aspiring model signed with the Kim Dawson agency and developed a habit that revealed just how seriously she treated every possible assignment.

She would arrive carrying three different looks, usually something casual, work-appropriate clothing, and a bathing suit. If a last-minute job appeared, she wanted to be ready instead of wishing she had packed differently.

That preparation mattered when Bruce Cooper, who was married to modeling legend Wilhelmina Cooper at the time, visited the agency while scouting talent. Her agents warned that he would probably dismiss her as too short, but they urged her to show him her portfolio anyway.

He did not dismiss her. Instead, Cooper told the then-17-year-old to contact specific people at Wilhelmina Models once she reached California.

She even asked him to write the information on his letterhead, ensuring she could prove the invitation was real. It was a remarkably practical move from a teenager standing at the edge of an entirely new life.

Wilhelmina wanted her but could not sign her until she was legally an adult. She completed auditions and recorded material on tape, then waited for the birthday that would finally remove the obstacle.

The moment she turned 18, she called to announce, “I’m 18.” The agency signed her, and California opened a path far bigger than the one she had originally imagined.

Auditions Became More Thrilling Than the Runway

Wilhelmina began sending its new client to auditions for commercials and acting work. Instead of freezing under the pressure, she found the process exhilarating.

“I found them fun and exciting,” she recalled in a 2014 conversation. “The process seemed easy to me.” It was a startling reversal for someone who had once been so frightened of public speaking.

Television work came first, followed by a movie that would turn her into the bright, romantic heart of an enduring 1980s favorite. Yet horror had already been quietly waiting for her since childhood.

At 9 years old, she would babysit her 6-year-old brother while their parents went out. Once night arrived, she pulled out a blanket and searched television for black-and-white movies featuring Dracula, mummies, or werewolves.

She later realized that many of the movies she adored were Hammer productions. The blanket provided the perfect survival system: she could peek when curiosity won and cover her eyes whenever the fear became too deliciously intense.

She still enjoys horror that creates genuine suspense, although excessive gore and disturbing imagery have lost their appeal. That childhood fascination makes her later reign as a scream queen feel almost uncannily appropriate.

A Punk Romance Turned Her Into an ’80s Darling

The mystery actress is Deborah Foreman, the luminous star who played Julie Richman opposite Nicolas Cage in the 1983 romantic comedy “Valley Girl.”

Now 63, Deborah remains instantly recognizable through her bright smile and striking eyes. Her look today is polished and natural, with blonde hair framing a face that still carries the playful warmth audiences remember from the film.

“Valley Girl” followed Julie, a popular teenager who began questioning her relationship with Tommy after meeting Randy, a Hollywood punk played by Nicolas. Their clashing worlds created the movie’s central romance, but the connection between its leads required very little manufacturing.

“The chemistry, it was already there,” Deborah told People in August 2026. When one actor tried something, the other responded instinctively, creating exchanges that neither had rehearsed.

They also invented a private signal involving their noses. Deborah could no longer explain exactly what it meant, but the gesture appears in the film and apparently delighted them whenever they exchanged it.

That ease extended to the physical affection between Julie and Randy. Watching the movie decades later, Deborah noticed herself naturally reaching for Nicolas or holding him in ways that had never been planned.

Her memories remain deeply affectionate, but she draws a firm and rather fabulous boundary around the romance. “I’ve said this before out loud, and I’ll say it again, Nicolas Cage will be the love of my life between the words action and cut,” she declared.

She considers the film a love letter to first romance and views her role in it as an extraordinary artistic gift. Its association with Modern English’s “I Melt with You” has also endured, and Deborah recently joined the group onstage to introduce the song at a concert.

Comedy and Horror Made Her a Scream Queen

“Valley Girl” established Deborah as an appealing romantic lead, but she refused to remain trapped in one genre. She starred in the 1986 comedy “My Chauffeur” before playing two crucial roles in the slasher mystery “April Fool’s Day.”

The latter made excellent use of her ability to shift from warmth to something far more unnerving. Its elaborate twists helped turn the film into a lasting home-video favorite and secured Deborah’s place among the era’s most recognizable scream queens.

In 1986, ShoWest named her the Most Promising New Star. She also became a successful Maybelline model, bringing her career neatly back to the camera work that had first helped a shy Texas teenager find her confidence.

More genre projects followed, including “Waxwork” in 1988. With its collection of gruesome displays and supernatural danger, the movie strengthened her connection to horror audiences even as she continued taking comedy and television roles.

Fans still approach her with memories of “Valley Girl,” “My Chauffeur,” “April Fool’s Day,” and “Waxwork.” However, the industry behind those beloved performances was beginning to wound the actress who made them look so effortless.

Two Major Movies Left Her Facing a Brutal Limit

By the early 1990s, Deborah felt that she had reached a glass ceiling. The work being offered no longer made her happy, and every professional disappointment carried an increasingly personal cost.

Two painful encounters centered on director Herbert Ross. Deborah had auditioned for his 1987 comedy “The Secret of My Success,” and she said the director and casting team wanted her for the part that eventually went to Helen Slater.

Money reportedly became an issue. Deborah’s representatives were unhappy with the proposed arrangement, so they passed on the movie.

She later learned that Helen had purchased her own ticket to New York because she wanted the opportunity so badly. Deborah believed that declining the project did not sit well with the filmmakers, a concern that resurfaced during an even more important audition.

She was subsequently considered to play Sally Field’s daughter in “Steel Magnolias,” the role that made Julia Roberts a star. The cast would also include Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, and Olympia Dukakis.

When Deborah entered the room, Herbert greeted her with a pointed reminder: “We missed you on the set.” “Sorry about that,” she answered, choosing not to explain the earlier pay dispute because she felt that discussing it there would be inappropriate.

Deborah continued the audition while sensing that the energy had changed. She believed she was delivering the same qualities Herbert had appreciated before, but this time, the role slipped away.

The loss carried an extra sting because she had felt an unusually strong creative understanding with him. Simple direction from Herbert could energize her performance, yet they never worked together.

Deborah holds no resentment toward Julia or the final ensemble. She believes “Steel Magnolias” ended up with an excellent cast and charmingly explained that there is “a hat for every head.” Still, the accumulating rejection could not be brushed aside forever. Hollywood had begun hurting her heart, and remaining inside that cycle no longer felt worth the price.

She Walked Away Before Hollywood Could Break Her Heart Again

Deborah finally approached her agency and confronted the truth. “I can’t do this anymore. It doesn’t feel right, it doesn’t feel good,” she recalled telling her representatives in a recent catch-up.

She stepped away from acting in 1991, although she later returned for a handful of smaller appearances. For a performer once hailed as one of the industry’s most promising young stars, the decision was dramatic, but it allowed her to stop fighting for work that left her feeling diminished.

The departure did not erase her happiest memories. It also could not sever the bond between her movies and the people who had grown up watching them.

At fan conventions, Deborah discovered an audience that knew far more than the handful of titles most frequently attached to her name. Attendees shared personal stories about how individual performances affected their lives. “I love to do cons,” she told Worcester Magazine in 2022. “It deeply touches me.”

The convention circuit now occupies more of her time than acting. It gives her the joyful part of recognition, meeting viewers who cared, without forcing her back into the audition rooms that once caused so much pain.

Her New Classroom Is Far From a Movie Set

Deborah’s main profession today is one few fans would have predicted while watching her flee a killer in “April Fool’s Day.” She is now a full-time Pilates instructor teaching approximately 250 students every week.

Christy Knowings, best known for her work on Nickelodeon’s “All That,” died Tuesday night at 46. As news of her death spread, former castmates shared memories that showed how much of herself she gave both on camera and away from it.

A Sudden Emergency Became a Family’s Worst Fear

Knowings was hospitalized on Friday, August 7, 2026, after suffering an asthma attack, according to information a family member provided to TMZ. The attack caused brain damage, and she was placed on life support.

She remained on life support through Tuesday, August 11. Her family then made the painful decision to remove her from it, and Knowings died that night at a hospital in the Los Angeles area.

For many viewers, especially those who grew up watching Nickelodeon in the late 1990s, her death meant losing one of the performers who helped define an important period of childhood television.

She Found Her Place in a Famous Comedy Family

Born in the Bronx, Knowings appeared in “And Now This,” a Rosie O’Donnell sketch-comedy special produced by Nickelodeon, before joining “All That” in 1997. She remained a regular cast member for three seasons, through 2000.

The series brought Knowings into an ensemble that included Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Nick Cannon, and other young performers. Its cast helped turn “All That” into one of Nickelodeon’s signature shows.

The sketch series also produced several spinoffs, including “Kenan & Kel,” “The Amanda Show,” and “The Nick Cannon Show.” Knowings became part of that wider legacy through characters whose exaggerated personalities suited her bold approach to comedy.

Among her best-known roles were Penny Lane and Jessica. Jessica appeared alongside Bynes’ character in the recurring “Whateverrr!!!” sketches, which centered on two excitable girls with strong opinions and shared celebrity crushes.

Her career also extended beyond “All That.” Knowings appeared in three episodes of “Sesame Street” with her real-life twin brother, Chris Knowings. In 2020, she released the folk single “To the World,” adding music to a creative life most closely associated with acting and comedy.

The tributes that followed her death revealed another part of her story. Behind the memorable characters was a woman her colleagues considered kind, supportive, and impossible to overlook once a scene began.

Her Nickelodeon Family Remembers Her

Mitchell, who worked alongside Knowings on “All That,” praised the individuality behind her performances. He remembered a naturally funny comedian who was willing to take risks and build characters entirely her own way.

“Christy was truly one of a kind,” Mitchell wrote in his farewell post. “She had a gift for creating characters that were big, memorable, and completely her own.”

Mitchell said he remained grateful for their laughter and their time together as members of the “All That” family. He thanked Knowings for the joy she gave audiences and sent his love to her relatives and friends.

Thompson also expressed shock over the loss of his former “All That” colleague. “Never could have imagined this day!!” Thompson wrote in his remembrance. “She was a real one and one of the funniest people out here!!!”

The “SNL” star asked followers to show Knowings love and said he would miss his friend. Josh Server remembered how naturally Knowings entered an already established cast. Although she joined later in the show’s original run, he said she immediately found her rhythm.

“Christy was a light in every room and was such a kind soul,” Server wrote in an Instagram tribute. “Every time we performed she made every one around her better.”

Lisa Foiles joined “All That” after Knowings’ time on the program, but Knowings had already influenced her long before they met. Foiles said she closely studied the earlier performer’s expressions and complete dedication to every joke.

“Christy was mesmerizing to me on All That,” Foiles wrote in an Instagram reel. “I dreamed of being in her shoes, and even when I joined the show, I knew they were impossibly big shoes to fill.”

Foiles eventually met the performer she had admired and discovered that her kindness matched her talent. She encouraged fans to spend time watching Knowings make them laugh, directing their grief back toward the work that first connected them.

Angelique Bates‘ tribute revealed an even more private side of Knowings’ life. Bates, an original “All That” cast member, said their relationship had grown into a close bond that continued even away from Nickelodeon. “I lost my SISTER,” Bates wrote in her personal tribute. “This SISTERHOOD was beyond ALL THAT.”

The women spoke for hours and consistently supported each other’s work. Bates shared that Knowings had traveled a considerable distance only months earlier to attend an event for which Bates was working as the publicist.

Bates said she was grateful that she and Latangela Newsome repeatedly told Knowings how talented and loved she was. Her message closed with a direct request: “Don’t EVER forget her name!“

The praise from Mitchell, Thompson, Server, Foiles, and Bates also pointed toward the same quality: Knowings left a lasting impression whether someone worked beside her, followed her into the cast, or knew her away from the cameras.

Her own reflections from years earlier help explain why that impression lasted.

Her Favorite Character Followed Her Off Camera

In a 2019 Bustle interview, Knowings spoke with delight about the freedom “All That” gave her. She singled out Gloria Bankhead as her favorite character.

Gloria, whom Knowings played during Season 6, was an exaggerated take on Martha Stewart. The role allowed her to try a kind of performance she had never attempted before.

Knowings recalled staying in character throughout the workday, even when cameras were not rolling. Writers and stage managers embraced the bit and greeted her as Gloria around the set.

Some of her fondest memories involved the musical guests who visited “All That.” When 98 Degrees appeared, Knowings entertained the group backstage by guessing their zodiac signs and pretending to read their palms.

She also remembered meeting the Spice Girls. One of her castmates was so excited that he repeatedly struggled to deliver his line, though Knowings said the visiting performers were patient about it.

Those memories offered a glimpse of a production that could feel like a child’s fantasy while still carrying the demands of a professional television set. Knowings understood both sides, but the stories she preserved were rooted in laughter and spontaneous play.

Her Work Carried More Meaning Than She First Realized

Knowings later recognized that her presence on television mattered to young viewers who rarely saw themselves represented in children’s sketch comedy. She identified herself as Native American Afro-Latina and said her Bronx background helped her bring details to the show that its writers might not otherwise have known.

She and Thompson could contribute cultural touches drawn from their own experiences. Knowings specifically remembered “Inconvenience Store” as a sketch that included elements audiences understand more readily now than they did at the time.

The show welcomed those contributions. For Knowings, that made the comedy more authentic and allowed the cast’s differences to become a creative advantage.

The full impact became clearer when Black viewers who watched her seasons told her they had paid particular attention to her. Knowings had been the only Black girl in the cast when she joined, a responsibility she had not completely understood while filming.

Gwen Stefani, 56, announced on Saturday, September 5, 2026, that Betty, the Rottweiler mix she shared with husband Blake Shelton, 50, had died. Her emotional statement and family video captured the joy Betty brought into their home, while her age raised questions about the beloved dog’s life before Gwen.

Gwen Said Goodbye to 18 Years of Love

Gwen announced the loss through a deeply personal Instagram post, writing on behalf of the family whose lives Betty had filled for a long time.

“It’s with the heaviest hearts that we share our sweet Betty has gone to heaven 💔🕊️🐾,” she wrote. “She made us all smile for 18 years… we’re going to miss her forever. Thank u Betty for all the love + joy u brought into our lives 🦋💗 gx [sic].”

The words were simple, but the grief behind them was unmistakable. After 18 years of affection and familiar routines, Betty’s absence leaves a space that will be felt in every corner of the family’s life.

Gwen paired the statement with a video set to “Nobody But You,” her romantic duet with Blake. It moved through photographs and clips of Betty being held, stroked, played with, and surrounded by the people who adored her.

Blake appeared in the montage alongside Gwen and her sons, Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo Rossdale. The footage quietly showed what Betty had become to them: a constant presence through years of family memories.

There were also glimpses of her public life, including television mentions and her appearance in the “Nobody But You” music video. Betty may have been a family dog, but she had earned a little place in Gwen and Blake’s shared career as well.

Other clips showed her enjoying Blake’s ranch in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. She could roam through its wide-open land, staying close to the country singer whose life she had been part of for far longer than many viewers initially realized.

One Recent Outing Now Feels Especially Precious

Only weeks before Betty’s death, Gwen had decided to bring her along for another special night. In mid-August, she and the senior dog crashed one of Blake’s concerts together.

Betty spent time with Gwen inside her trailer before the performance. She wore a handkerchief around her neck, while a dog bed had been placed nearby so the 18-year-old could rest whenever she needed to.

It was a tender arrangement for an elderly companion who still deserved to be included in the family’s adventures. Looking back now, the footage carries the sadness of a final outing that nobody knew would become so meaningful.

Her presence at Blake’s show also reflected how naturally she belonged beside both spouses. Although Betty’s earliest years were spent with Blake, she had developed a bond with Gwen that the couple once discussed with obvious amusement.

Blake Joked That Betty Had Become Gwen’s Dog

Betty appeared alongside the couple in the music video for “Nobody But You,” where she enthusiastically jumped over Gwen. Her behavior later inspired a playful conversation during a 2020 CMT interview.

When the interviewer wondered whether Betty had been jealous, Gwen initially began to deny it before conceding that the dog could indeed become possessive. Blake quickly agreed. “She gets jealous,” he said. “She’s Gwen’s dog now, so that’s where the jealousy is.”

Gwen responded with a sweet correction of her own, “She loves both of her parents very much.”

Years later, “Nobody But You” became the soundtrack Gwen selected for Betty’s memorial. The same song that preserved the dog happily interrupting one of their romantic scenes now accompanied images of an entire life the couple was struggling to release.

Yet one detail in Gwen’s announcement prompted some people to look beyond those family memories. When she revealed that Betty had lived for 18 years, fans realized the dog had been with Blake long before his relationship with Gwen began.

Fans Questioned the Timeline Behind Gwen’s Farewell

Many people responded first with sympathy, understanding how excruciating it can be to lose an animal after so many years. Beneath an Instagram post, one person wrote, “The worst pain ever 💔😢🐾.”

Another offered Gwen and Blake a comforting message: “So hard to lose a part of your family. May you find peace 💔.” However, one question captured the confusion surrounding Betty’s age: “Have they been together 18 years?!?”

Gwen and Blake met as coaches on “The Voice” and began dating in 2015 before marrying in 2021. Betty’s age therefore made it clear that she had spent many years with Blake before his relationship with Gwen began.

That realization brought Miranda Lambert, Blake’s former wife, into the discussion. On Facebook, one commenter wrote, “Old enough to remember Miranda.” Another said, “It was probably Miranda’s dog first.”

Someone else questioned the history more forcefully, writing, “How is it there beloved dog if the dog was before the mirage I think it’s Miranda lamberts dog to [sic].” Amid those remarks, another person returned attention to the loss itself: “18 years is a wonderful life for a dog. So sorry for your loss.”

The questions were understandable, but Betty’s history offered a more nuanced explanation. She had indeed been present during Blake’s marriage to Miranda, and Miranda had once spoken about her with unmistakable fondness.

Miranda Once Revealed How Betty Entered Blake’s Life

Miranda discussed Betty in a 2013 interview about the numerous animals she and Blake cared for during their marriage. She revealed that Betty and her sister had been found beside a road near the couple’s Oklahoma neighborhood.

“And we have Betty, a hound,” Miranda said. “Betty is Blake’s dog in every way.”

She then described a personality that sounded strikingly familiar to anyone who knew the country star. “She acts just like Blake, as she’s the most mischievous and loving thing in the world,” the “Gunpowder & Lead” singer explained.

“She travels with both of us off and on.”

Miranda’s recollection confirmed that she had known and cared for Betty during that earlier chapter. It also specifically identified Betty as Blake’s dog, helping explain why she remained with him after his marriage to Miranda ended.

But the situation is simple, really. As Blake’s life changed, Betty’s circle of love grew. She formed a close attachment to Gwen, became part of her sons’ lives, and eventually inspired Blake to joke that she belonged to his new partner.

None of those relationships erase the ones that came before. Betty lived long enough to be loved in different seasons of Blake’s life, and the sorrow surrounding her death reflects just how many memories she left behind.

She was also part of a household where rescuing an animal in need was hardly unfamiliar. Gwen and Blake had opened their home to other pets, giving Betty companions during the later years of her remarkable life.

For years, Chris Watts has written from a Wisconsin prison cell about forgiveness, faith, and starting over. Somewhere along the way, a woman on the outside decided she wanted to be part of that new chapter, name change and all.

Getting there means untangling a story that stretches from a quiet Colorado suburb to an oil field, then into stacks of handwritten letters and a growing list of pen pals. What she’s said about agreeing to marry him is only the latest twist.

The Suburban Life Before It Fell Apart

Chris and Shanann Watts once looked like any other young family in Frederick, Colorado. She ran a home-based weight-loss business and shared much of their daily life, including their two daughters, on her own Facebook page.

That footage, along with police bodycam recordings and interrogation-room audio, later formed the backbone of the Netflix documentary “American Murder: The Family Next Door.”

The film tells the story using no outside narrators, only the family’s own words and images. A memorial Instagram account set up after their deaths still posts photos and tributes to Shanann and her girls.

Colleagues Watched Him Unravel

By the summer of 2018, Watts was working as an oil field operator at Anadarko Petroleum while a pregnant Shanann managed their household and business from home. To the men he worked alongside, though, the easygoing father everyone knew seemed to be slipping.

Longtime contractor Brian Spence told People in a 2022 interview that Watts had grown noticeably withdrawn and irritable in the weeks leading up to the murders.

“Things changed; he changed,” Spence said, noting Watts had also stopped rushing home after his shifts, staying out with contractors at happy hour far past when the other family men called it a night.

Spence recalled Watts occasionally joking about women taking interest in him at work, though he brushed it off as harmless bragging at the time. “I didn’t know it was actually happening,” he admitted. “I thought it was just talk.”

What He Was Hiding at the Office

It wasn’t just talk. According to Watts’s own account in a redacted Colorado Bureau of Investigation interview transcript, he met coworker Nichol Kessinger at Anadarko in early June 2018 after bringing a broken gas meter to her for repair.

Kessinger, who spotted a photo of Shanann on his phone, knew from early on that he was married with children. Following a Watts family vacation to San Diego later that month, the two began meeting outside work, first at a Thornton, Colorado park, then almost every day through July.

Watts told investigators he spent nearly the entire month sleeping at Kessinger’s house whenever Shanann and their daughters were out of town visiting relatives, using the empty house as an escape from thinking about his marriage.

He described feeling more like himself around Kessinger than he ever did with his own wife, saying the relationship gave him a sense of control he didn’t otherwise have. He also acknowledged letting Kessinger believe he and Shanann were already separated, a lie he never corrected.

The Last Words in the Master Bedroom

Shanann returned home from a business trip around 2 a.m. on August 13, 2018. The couple had sex before falling asleep, and when Watts woke for work that morning, he climbed back into bed to talk to her, straddling her on the mattress.

He told her their marriage wasn’t working and that he had fallen out of love with her. Shanann, sensing there was someone else, began to cry and confronted him directly.

“You’re never gonna see the kids again…you’re never gonna see them again…get off me…don’t hurt the baby,” she reportedly told him, according to the same transcript, moments before he wrapped both hands around her neck.

Watts told investigators she never screamed or fought back, and that he now believes she may have been silently praying as he strangled her, a detail he shared in a separate CBI report later obtained by People.

The Drive to the Oil Field

Four-year-old Bella wandered into the bedroom afterward, asking her father what was wrong with her mother. He told her Shanann “didn’t feel good,” then dragged his wife’s body down the staircase in front of both daughters, who kept asking what was happening.

He loaded Shanann into his truck, then buckled Bella and three-year-old Celeste into the back seat, each clutching a blanket from home; Celeste also brought along a small stuffed dog. Partway through the roughly 45-minute drive to a remote oil site, Bella told her father the truck “smells.”

During the drive, the young girls dozed off, held each other, and lay in each other’s laps. At the site, Watts pulled his wife’s body from the vehicle while his daughters, still watching from the back seat, asked what he was doing to their mother.

He buried her in a shallow grave before turning his attention to his youngest daughter. He used a blue Yankees blanket to smother three-year-old Celeste right beside her sister, who sat inches away, silent the entire time.

The Two Words She Screamed

When Watts returned to the truck afterward, Bella asked what had happened to her sister, then quietly asked if the same thing was going to happen to her. Watts later told investigators he wasn’t certain how he answered.

He covered Bella with the same blanket and began smothering her as he had Celeste. This time, she fought back with two words that would become the last anyone ever heard from her: “Daddy, No!”

Watts then dropped both girls’ bodies into separate oil tanks on the property before returning home, disposing of his clothes and the blanket in a neighbor’s dumpster, and reporting his family missing. He appeared on local news pleading for help finding them before investigators zeroed in on him as their killer.

Nine Guilty Pleas, Five Life Sentences

Prosecutors formally charged Watts on August 20, 2018, with five counts of first-degree murder, one count of unlawfully terminating a pregnancy, and three counts of tampering with a body.

On November 6, 2018, he pleaded guilty to all nine counts under an agreement, reached with input from Shanann’s family, that removed the death penalty as a possible sentence, according to records from the Colorado district attorney’s office.

A judge sentenced Watts on November 19, 2018, to five consecutive life terms without parole. He was later moved out of state to Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin.

Behind Bars, a New Identity

During a five-hour interview with Colorado investigators on February 18, 2019, later reported on by People, Watts said he keeps photographs of his wife and daughters inside his cell and talks to them every morning and night.

He also described reading his daughters’ favorite bedtime book aloud to their photos, along with scripture, each evening. A family friend identified only as Kim told People that same year that Watts spends much of his limited time outside his cell replaying the past.

“He’s sad that everyone is hurting,” Kim said. “He wishes he could go back in time. He wish he had handled things differently.” By 2025, Watts was casting himself as a fully reformed man.

In letters obtained by the Daily Mail, he wrote that he had been forgiven and was no longer “the person who committed those horrible acts,” describing himself instead as “a new creature.”

He has also used his letters to repeatedly pin blame on Kessinger, referring to her as a “harlot” and “Jezebel” who led him astray. Kessinger, who was never charged in connection with the murders, has since legally changed her name and doesn’t respond to requests for comment.

Writing Letters From Cell 14

Reinvention hasn’t slowed his correspondence with women on the outside. Prison records reviewed by the Daily Mail show Watts regularly exchanges letters with roughly a dozen female admirers, several of whom have added money to his commissary account, funds he reportedly spends mostly on paper and postage stamps.

One of them, a 36-year-old Colorado woman named Deborah, first wrote to Watts in late 2022 after seeing him on the news, and was surprised when he wrote back. Over three years, he repeatedly compared his imprisonment to the suffering of Jesus, telling her in one letter that “God had a plan for me… He wants me in prison,” according to correspondence shared with the Daily Mail.

By late 2025, he’d grown noticeably more religious and less interested romantically, eventually telling Deborah they couldn’t continue and that “God has other plans” for him.