Date 24 December 2007 Attack type Massacre | Total number of deaths 6 Location Washington | |
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Perpetrators Michele Kristen AndersonJoseph Thomas McEnroe Location Carnation, Washington, United States | ||
The Carnation murders were a mass murder that occurred on December 24, 2007, near Carnation, Washington, a small rural town 25 miles east of Seattle. The murders took place in the home of Wayne Scott Anderson and Judy Anderson.
Contents
Victims
Six people were killed:
Crime
According to testimony, Joseph Thomas McEnroe and Michele Kristen Anderson armed themselves and drove their pickup to the home of her parents, Wayne and Judy Anderson, on the afternoon of Dec. 24, 2007.
Once inside, McEnroe distracted Judy Anderson, who was wrapping Christmas gifts, while Michele shot her father. After Michele’s gun jammed, McEnroe then killed Wayne and Judy Anderson.
The two then hid the bodies and carefully cleaned the home and waited for Michele Anderson’s older brother, Scott, his wife, Erica, both 32, and their two young children.
Once the family arrived, Michele Anderson shot her brother. McEnroe and Anderson then shot Erica Anderson and McEnroe shot the children at request of Anderson, 5-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan, because they didn’t want witnesses and said the children would be scarred for life having seen the parents killed.
The bodies were discovered two days later when a co-worker of Judy Anderson’s went to the home to see why she was absent from work. While King County detectives were at the property, McEnroe and Michele Anderson drove up and were questioned and arrested.
Prosecutors told jurors the motive for the killings was money and Anderson’s belief she had been slighted and mistreated by her parents and brother.
Arrests
Arrested and indicted as the perpetrators of the killings were Michele Kristen Anderson and her boyfriend, Joseph Thomas McEnroe, both aged 29. They were each charged with six counts of first-degree murder. Michelle is the younger sister of Scott and daughter of Wayne and Judy. Investigators have not pinpointed a motive for the slayings, but believe that a dispute over money may have led to the killings. The suspects waived their right to appear in court. Court papers say they have admitted the killing.
Michele fired the first shot at her father, but missed. According to the Seattle Times, if Michele Anderson is convicted, she may become the first woman in Washington State's history to receive the death penalty.
Trial and sentencing
McEnroe confessed to the murders in January 2014, in an effort to avoid execution.
On December 19, 2014, a 16-member jury was selected to hear the case against McEnroe.
On March 25, 2015, the jury found Joseph McEnroe guilty of aggravated, 1st degree Murder on all six counts.
On May 13, 2015, Joseph McEnroe was sentenced to life in prison, avoiding the death penalty.
On March 4, 2016, Michele Anderson was found guilty of six counts of aggravated first-degree murder.