Family annihilator Chris Watts’ secret prison marriage: Photos of ‘smitten new wife Lizzie Watts’… sick lustful act on anniversary of murders… and her extraordinary insult
He is one of America’s most notorious killers, serving life in prison for the brutal murders of his pregnant wife and two daughters.
But eight years after his horrific crimes, Chris Watts has embarked on a startling new romance from behind bars.
The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal that Watts, 41, is in a relationship with a 39-year-old realtor who relocated from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to his cell at Dodge Correctional Institution (DCI) in Waupun.
Her relatives say Henderson and Watts have applied to marry within the prison system and that she has already begun going by ‘Lizzie Watts.’
And Henderson is already behaving like a married woman.
Photos taken by the Daily Mail this week show her proudly wearing rings on her wedding finger, while sealed court records show she has filed an application to legally change her name.
The pair have also become increasingly physical, with prison visit logs showing Henderson is a frequent visitor at the maximum security prison.
During one visit in August 2025, an eyewitness told the Daily Mail she watched them engage in a steamy make-out session – just one day after the seventh anniversary of his gruesome killings.
Lizzie Henderson, 39, is in a romantic relationship with Watts, the Daily Mail can reveal
Her shocked family say she and Watts are in the process of marrying behind bars
Henderson wears what appears to be wedding rings and has legally applied to change her name
Watts smothered his daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three before dumping their bodies in oil tanks
Watts was handed multiple life sentences for the August 13, 2018 murders of his wife Shanann, 34, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their son, and their daughters Bella, four, and Celeste, three.
He told police he felt trapped by his marriage and family and wanted to start a new life with a colleague with whom he was having an affair.
That need for female attention has continued behind bars, with Watts cultivating a string of admirers and pen-pal girlfriends over the years.
But his relationship with Henderson has taken things to another level.
When contacted by the Daily Mail via phone, Henderson spoke in a scattered manner and her responses were often disjointed.
She confirmed she was in a relationship with Watts and admitted that it could be perceived as ‘weird.’ On how they met, she said: ‘How things began is between me, him and God.’
When asked about Watts’ crimes, Henderson responded: ‘How I feel about it? He knows. He knows how I feel.’
She continued: ‘I don’t know all the people involved but I would want to respect them.’
Henderson then described the killings as ‘something harsh for anyone to experience,’ seeming to downplay their extraordinary brutality.
Henderson and Watts’ relationship is only the latest secret romance uncovered by a major Daily Mail investigation coinciding with the eighth anniversary of the murders.
Last month, in a major sit-down interview, a woman named Amanda McMahon who claimed to have had an affair with Watts in 2017 and early 2018 shared chilling new details about the killer dad’s disturbing behavior in the months before he annihilated his family.
Henderson appeared to downplay the severity of the murders when confronted by the Daily Mail
Watts murdered his wife Shanann and children then pretended to be a concerned husband to police and local media
During the early morning hours of August 13, Watts strangled his pregnant wife Shanann at their home in Frederick, Colorado, after the pair had sex.
He then drove Bella, ‘Bells’, and Celeste, ‘CeCe’, an hour outside of town to the Andarko Petroleum oil field where he worked, with his daughters seated mere inches from their mother’s body.
Once there, Watts smothered the girls with their blankets before discarding their bodies in oil wells.
After repeatedly lying about what happened to his family, he finally pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences without the chance of parole.
The experienced Colorado judge who sentenced Watts described his crimes as the most brutal and inhumane he had ever seen.
But his twisted past has not driven Henderson away.
Henderson visited Watts 20 times last year, prison logs obtained by the Daily Mail show. She also spent Christmas Day with him in 2024.
During one visit last summer, she was seen making out with Watts, according to Lisa Johnson, who was visiting a loved one at the facility.
Johnson already knew of Watts after watching the hit 2020 Netflix documentary, American Murder: The Family Next Door, and immediately recognized him.
‘I was shocked. I was absolutely shocked to see him,’ Johnson, 39, told the Daily Mail.
She said Watts was clutching a Bible as he and Henderson talked just feet away.
Henderson relocated with her mother from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts’ cell
She confirmed their relationship during a phone interview but refused to go into details
Watts is serving life at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun, Wisconsin where Henderson is a regular visitor
At DCI, inmates are prohibited from any physical contact until the visit ends, when they are given 10 seconds to embrace. Conjugal visits are not allowed.
Johnson said Henderson was ‘googly-eyed’ and absolutely smitten with Watts, and ‘really excited to take a picture with him.’
Then, as the visit ended, Watts began kissing her.
‘They hugged their whole ten seconds while they were kissing,’ Johnson said.
As they parted, Johnson heard Watts say: ‘I’ll see you next time.’
‘I can’t wait to see you again. I love you,’ Henderson allegedly replied. Watts replied: ‘I love you too.’
Some in Henderson’s family were aware Lizzie was dating an incarcerated killer, but they did not know his identity or the true nature of his crimes.
‘She told me that he was serving time for committing a murder, but she made it seem like the person he killed stole something or [did something to wrong him],’ said her brother Johnny Henderson, 43, who is incarcerated in Ohio for sexual assault.
When the Daily Mail informed Johnny about who his sister was actually seeing, he was stunned.
‘Oh, s**t!’ he said after a brief pause. ‘I am shocked, That is kind of bad. It is kind of messed up, it is more shocking.’
Others in the family claimed to have already known.
Watts told police in 2018 that he murdered his family so he could start a new life with Nichol Kessinger (pictured), with whom he was having an affair
Lisa Johnson claims she saw Watts and Henderson engage in a steamy embrace during a 2025 visit
Watts has had a string of admirers and pen pal girlfriends since he was convicted in late 2018
George Wilson Jr, Henderson’s former stepfather, said he knew of their relationship and revealed they had openly discussed marriage.
Wilson Jr, who is no longer married to Henderson’s mother, claimed a marriage request had been submitted to prison officials.
Incarcerated individuals in Wisconsin can submit requests to marry, but they must meet strict criteria and receive formal approval from the warden.
While the couple navigates that process, Henderson has already begun taking steps to make Watts’ name her own.
Sealed court records show that Henderson applied for a name change on September 12, 2025, and, according to her brother, Henderson is wearing Watts’ name proudly.
The siblings communicate on the app GettingOut, where her contact name appears as ‘Lizzie Watts.’
Henderson has an active real estate license in Wisconsin but is currently working at a local supermarket.
She is also believed to be the primary caregiver for her mother, whom she moved from Ohio to Wisconsin with – a new life built around the man she plans to marry behind prison walls.
Read parts one and two of our extraordinary Chris Watts series and listen to our Chris Watts podcast, plus analysis from the Daily Mail’s premier crime reporters, by searching for The Trial USA wherever you get your podcasts.
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