There is no question about what is going to happen to Chris Watts on Monday.
Weld County District Judge Marcelo Kopcow is going to sentence him to a minimum of three consecutive life terms with no chance of parole for the murders of his pregnant wife and the couple’s young daughters. The sentence is specified in the plea deal that Watts reached with prosecutors on Nov. 6 for the killings of his wife, Shanann, 34, and his children, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.
Kopcow will have the discretion to tack more years onto that sentence for some of his other crimes – he pleaded guilty to nine separate felonies – but none of it will alter this reality: Watts, 33, will die in prison.
But it’s expected to be a day fraught with tension – the sentencing hearing will provide Shanann Watts’ parents and brother the chance to confront him directly.
It's also expected that a number of lingering questions will be answered. Questions such as the suspected motive. The cause of death for the three victims. And the reasons investigators concluded Chris Watts was lying when he initially told them his family was home safe when he left for work the morning of Aug. 13 and didn’t know what had happened to them.
With 1:07 left in the fourth quarter, the Panthers' hopes of a victory rode on Ron Rivera's decision to go for two points instead of a game-tying extra point. Cam Newton's pass for Jarius Wright fell incomplete and the Lions recovered a last-ditch onside kick to beat the Panthers 20-19, dropping Carolina to 6-4.
Rivera defended the decision to go for two, saying he felt it was necessary to win the game. His decision was influenced by Graham Gano missing two kicks earlier in the game, including an extra point in the second half. Newton finished the game 25 of 37 passing with three touchdowns and 357 yards.
PHOTOS: Panthers vs. Detroit Lions, Nov. 2018
The Panthers return home Sunday to take on the Seattle Seahawks in a battle of playoff hopefuls.
The Facebook page that has been providing updates on the search for missing Davidson Spanish teacher Patrick Braxton-Andrew said his body was found in Mexico over the weekend.
Braxton-Andrew disappeared in October while hiking alone near the village of Urique. He was supposed to meet his brother in Mexico City but never made it to their meeting point.
Leigh-Ann Mueller said she doesn’t know Braxton-Andrew personally, but she has a lot of mutual friends with him.
“Davidson is such a small town community that when one of our own has something going on, whether you know that person or not, the whole town tends to rally around that person,” Mueller said.
The only football coach in Charlotte 49ers history will not return to the team next year. Athletic director Mike Hill announced that Saturday's game against Florida Atlantic will be Lambert's last as the leader of the program he helped launch six years ago. Hill said the decision to part with Lambert now was made so the search for his replacement can begin immediately.
Lambert amassed a 21-48 record over that time, overseeing Charlotte's jump from FCS to the FBS level as a member of Conference USA. Saturday's loss to Florida International eliminated the 49ers from bowl consideration and dropped them to 4-7 on the year.
“We could not have found a better man than Brad Lambert to start our program and we appreciate all of Brad’s years of service in building a program with character and integrity,” UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois said.
It happened around 1 a.m. Friday at Fifth Third Bank in the Park Road Shopping Center. The victim told CMPD a man with a knife forced his way into her car and drove away with the woman still inside.
He later stopped on Independence Boulevard, strangled the woman, then tried to sexually assault her, police said. The victim was able to get away, and the suspect took off in the car, according to a police report. Police said the man also got away with cash and an iPhone. The victim was treated by Medic at the scene for bruises and scratches.
The suspect is described as a black male about 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was last seen wearing jeans, a two-tone jacket (possibly gray and white), black and white shoes, black hat, and a gray mask covering his nose and mouth.
