Chris Watts
Chris Watts' mistress has been placed into witness protection by federal authorities amid threats, according to a report. Christopher Watts is in court for his arraignment hearing at the Weld County Courthouse on Aug. 21, 2018 in Greeley, Colorado. Getty Images/RJ Sangosti

The mistress of Chris Watts, the Colorado man that pleaded guilty to murdering his family, has been placed in a witness protection program, Radar Online reports. Nichol Kessinger, 30, was taken by federal authorities for her own safety to another state, according to the outlet.

“She has received several threats, public shaming and could be considered one of the ‘most hated women’ in America,” a source close to the investigation told Radar Online. “She plans to start fresh with a new name, new town and ultimately a new identity.”

Watts murdered his pregnant wife Shanann and two daughters, Bella, 4, and Celeste, 3, after starting an affair with Kessinger a month earlier. Kessinger has said that she believed that Watts was in the process of divorcing his wife when the affair began.

Kessinger told police that she had pushed for Watts to fix his marriage, but he had refused, Radar Online reported.

Watts is serving a life sentence for murder at the Dodge Correctional Institution, a maximum-security prison in Waupun, Wisconsin.

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