Chris Watts Will Not Fight Wrongful Death Suit Filed by Shanann Watts's Family After Murders

The notorious murder defendant is serving five life sentences in prison

Chris Watts will not fight the wrongful death lawsuit filed against him by the family of his wife, Shanann Watts.

Watts pleaded guilty in November to first-degree murder and other charges in the August deaths of his family. He admitted that he strangled his wife, 34-year-old Shanann, who was 15 weeks pregnant with their son, Niko. He also smothered their daughters Bella, 4, and 3-year-old Celeste.

He is currently serving five life sentences for the murders. He is not eligible for parole.

Shanann Watts‘ parents, Frank and Sandra Rzucek, filed the wrongful death suit against Watts last November, court documents obtained by PEOPLE confirm. They sought more than $100,000 in damages.

PEOPLE confirms that Chris Watts failed to file a response to the suit by the court’s deadline.

Steven Lambert, an attorney with Greeley’s Grant & Hoffman Law Firm who is representing Shanann’s parents, tells the Denver Post that he has spoken to Watts on the telephone multiple times.

“We have talked to him and he admitted to us as well that there was a felonious killing,” Lambert tells the newspaper. “Based on our conversations with him, he is not fighting this.”This April, the Colorado home once owned by Chris Watts and his wife — the same home where he murdered his entire family — will be put up for auction.

The five-bedroom, 4,177-square-foot house, which is in foreclosure, will go to the highest cash bidder on April 17 during a public auction at the Weld County public trustee’s office in Greeley.

Because the Frederick home was the scene of one of 2018’s most talked about crimes, potential buyers will have to overlook the home’s gruesome past.

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The Watts family. Facebook

The suit is intended to make sure that any profits from the home sale will go to the Rzucek family. It will also keep Watts from making any money if he writes a book or sells the rights to his life story.

PEOPLE confirms that Watts has not hired an attorney in the case and has not filed a single document in the suit.

Last week, the Rzuceks filed a motion for default judgment. A judgment can be awarded if the defendant doesn’t respond to a suit, resulting in an automatic win for the plaintiffs.