Man accused of killing pregnant wife, daughters pleads guilty

GREELEY, Colo. (FOX 46/AP) - A Colorado man with ties to North Carolina, who was charged with killing his pregnant wife and two daughters has pleaded guilty under a plea deal that will allow him to avoid the death penalty.

Christopher Watts entered his plea Tuesday during a court hearing in Greeley.

Investigators have previously said that Watts admitted to police that he killed his wife, Shanann. But he said he strangled her in "a rage" when he discovered she had strangled their two daughters after he sought a separation.

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Prosecutors say they dropped the possibility of the death penalty with the agreement of the victims' family.

Shanann Watts, was originally from Moore County, North Carolina. She moved to Colorado from North Carolina with her husband in 2012, according to property records and her social media accounts. She had been in a hurry to sell a house in Belmont, west of Charlotte, and left behind the furniture as part of the sale, said the man who bought it, Byron Falls.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.