Convicted family killer Chris Watts is planning to marry while he serves multiple life sentences in a Wisconsin correctional facility, according to the Daily Mail. The media outlet has identified his partner as 39-year-old realtor Lizzie Henderson.
Daily Mail reported that Henderson relocated from Ohio to Wisconsin to be closer to Watts at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun. Her relatives told the publication that the couple has applied to marry through the Wisconsin prison system and that Henderson has already begun using the name “Lizzie Watts.”
The new development comes nearly eight years after Watts pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their daughters, Bella and Celeste
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Who is Lizzie Lee Henderson?
According to the Daily Mail, Lizzie Lee Henderson is a 39-year-old licensed realtor who now lives in Wisconsin. The report says she previously lived in Ohio but has now moved closer to the prison where Watts is incarcerated.
An Inside Edition report also cited prison visitation records showing she visited Watts 23 times over approximately 15 months, with each contact visit lasting up to three hours. The Daily Mail also cited eyewitness Lisa Johnson, who claimed she saw Henderson and Watts embrace and kiss during a prison visit in August 2025.
{{/usCountry}}An Inside Edition report also cited prison visitation records showing she visited Watts 23 times over approximately 15 months, with each contact visit lasting up to three hours. The Daily Mail also cited eyewitness Lisa Johnson, who claimed she saw Henderson and Watts embrace and kiss during a prison visit in August 2025.
{{/usCountry}}Court records cited by the outlet reportedly show Henderson filed an application to legally change her surname in September 2025. Photographs published by the publication also showed her wearing rings on her left ring finger.
Henderson confirmed to the Daily Mail that she was in a relationship with Watts. She declined to explain how it began. “How things began is between me, him and God,” she told the Daily Mail.
When asked about Watts' crimes, Henderson said he knew how she felt about them but did not elaborate. She, however, described the murders as “something harsh for anyone to experience.”
Henderson presently works at a nearby grocery, although she has an active real estate license in Wisconsin.
In addition, she is believed to be the main caretaker for her mother, with whom she relocated from Ohio to Wisconsin in order to start anew life.
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Relationship draws scrutiny because of Watts' crimes
Some members of Henderson's family knew Lizzie was dating a criminal, but they had no idea who he was or what his crimes were.
The Inside Edition report featured comments from Henderson's sister, Fredericka Henderson, who criticized the relationship.
"I feel that when people are sentenced to prison, the privilege of being involved in a relationship shouldn't be given," she said, referring to the nature of Watts' crimes.
Her brother, Johnny Henderson, 43, is incarcerated in Ohio for sexual assault. He said, “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].”
Watts is serving multiple consecutive life sentences without parole after pleading guilty in 2018 to killing his pregnant wife, Shanann, and their daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3.
According to the investigators, Watts strangled Shanann and drove with her body and the girls to an Anadarko Petroleum oil site where he worked. Prosecutors said he then smothered Bella and Celeste before placing their bodies inside separate oil tanks. Shanann's body was buried nearby.
Henderson's former stepfather, George Wilson Jr, admitted he was aware of their connection and that they had openly talked about marriage. Wilson Jr., who is no longer married to Henderson's mother, stated that a marriage request had been made to prison officials.
In Wisconsin, incarcerated people can request to marry, but they must meet strict standards and obtain formal approval from the warden.