Pair Charged in 6 Wash. State Killings

[GraceAbounds]

Pair Charged in 6 Wash. State Killings

DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP Associated Press Writer
(AP) - SEATTLE-A woman and her boyfriend were charged Friday with aggravated first-degree murder in the methodical Christmas Eve shootings of her parents, her brother, his wife and their two young children.

Michele K. Anderson and Joseph Thomas McEnroe, both 29, confessed to detectives they had shot six members of Anderson's family, according to court documents. Anderson said both of them shot her parents, brother and sister-in-law, while McEnroe killed the children, according to a separate affidavit.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, who will decide whether to seek the death penalty, said the motive for the slayings may never be known.

"Given the magnitude of this crime, I pledge to give this case serious consideration for the state's ultimate penalty," Satterberg said.

Anderson and McEnroe were each charged with six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. The aggravated circumstances underlying the charges include that there were multiple victims, and that two killings - the shootings of the children - were done to conceal a crime or the perpetrators' identity.

Conviction on aggravated first-degree murder in Washington is punishable only by death or life in prison without possibility of parole.

Anderson and McEnroe were ordered held without bail after an initial court hearing Thursday.

In police affidavits filed in court Thursday, King County Sheriff's Detective John Pavlovich described the horrific killings he said McEnroe outlined to authorities, but the detective made no mention of motive.

First, Pavlovich wrote, McEnroe and Anderson shot her parents, Wayne Anderson, 60, and Judy Anderson, 61, with large-caliber pistols and dragged the bodies to a shed. A short time later, the Andersons' son, Scott, his wife, Erica - both 32 - and their children, Olivia, 6, and Nathan, 3, arrived for a Christmas Eve visit.

"Knowing that Scott and his family were potential witnesses, Joe and Michele shot them," Pavlovich wrote. His affidavit said McEnroe shot all four.

McEnroe and Anderson confessed to authorities, court documents said. Anderson said both of them shot her parents, brother and sister-in-law, and McEnroe killed the children, according to a separate affidavit. It also does not give a motive.

McEnroe and Anderson, who had been together for six years, lived in a trailer about 200 yards from her parents' house. After the killings, they tried to flee to Canada, court documents said, but they returned the following day and were detained.

At Thursday's hearing, both defendants waived their right to appear before a judge.

McEnroe appeared briefly in the courtroom, then left with his attorney. The attorney, Devon Gibbs, did not return a call for comment Thursday.

Anderson's attorney, public defender George Eppler, said Thursday he spoke with her briefly before the hearing. "We limited our conversation solely to the issue of today's court appearance," Eppler said.

The bodies were found Wednesday morning on Wayne and Judy Anderson's property near Carnation, about 25 miles east of Seattle, by one of her co-workers, who was worried when Judy Anderson did not show up for work.

Ben Anderson, the elder couple's grandson, has said money could have been a factor in the deaths. "She felt she wasn't loved enough and everyone didn't appreciate her and she was pushed out of everyone's life," he said Wednesday night, referring to Michele Anderson.

McEnroe's mother, Sean Johnson of Minneapolis, said she hasn't had much contact with McEnroe since he cut ties with his family after a dispute over money.

She told The Seattle Times that her eldest son was a "good Christian" and she was shocked he had been arrested in the slayings.

Sick, sick, sick.

 

[dt3]

I sure do like this part

Conviction on aggravated first-degree murder in Washington is punishable only by death or life in prison without possibility of parole.

 

[Kat]

OMG ...what kind of person would shoot their own family...not to mention 2 innocent children. That breaks my heart...so very sick.

I hope they get the death penalty

 

[pike8]

beasts...

 

[Peter Parka]

She told The Seattle Times that her eldest son was a "good Christian" and she was shocked he had been arrested in the slayings.

I like this part! As a former guest of HM, I can tell you there are far more Christians in the prison service than the rest of the country! You are more likely to be treated as an outcast there for not believing in God thanr being part of an organised religion!

 

[GraceAbounds]

She told The Seattle Times that her eldest son was a "good Christian" and she was shocked he had been arrested in the slayings.

I like this part!

Why would you like that part? :confused

As a former guest of HM,

Is this a prison that you were a former prisoner at?

I can tell you there are far more Christians in the prison service than the rest of the country! You are more likely to be treated as an outcast there for not believing in God thanr being part of an organised religion!

Sorry to hear that especially when being a Christian should be about your personal relationship with Christ and not organized religion.

 

[Peter Parka]

Why would you like that part? :confused


Is this a prison that you were a former prisoner at?


Sorry to hear that especially when being a Christian should be about your personal relationship with Christ and not organized religion.

1. Ok, didn't like that part but it was ironic

2. All prisons here are HM prisons, HM standing for Her Majesty's

3. To be honest I found that there were more prisoners who were Christian because of the benefits from it, communion wine, free Bibles which the paper of makes great rizlas ect ect, not to mention the chances of a reduced sentence for turning to God.

 

[GraceAbounds]

To be honest I found that there were more prisoners who were Christian because of the benefits from it, communion wine, free Bibles which the paper of makes great rizlas ect ect, not to mention the chances of a reduced sentence for turning to God.

Sad that people are lying about being Christian. Many people do that in society as well, it's sad. Folks will attend a 'well to do' church to make business contacts instead of actually having a relationship with Christ (just one example).

The Barna Group did a study which was pretty interesting by using a questionaire to see how closely people lived their life to the understanding of God's Word. Needless to say the study showed that a lot claimed to be Christian but it was quite obvious that they didn't know 2 cents what the message was, therefore were not applying it to their lives, thus not living like a Christian (faith without works is dead). It was obvious they had not read and studied for themselves. There was no fruit growing in their lives.

 

[Peter Parka]

Agreed! It's sad when people are hypocrites.

 

[GraceAbounds]

Agreed! It's sad when people are hypocrites.

True, but at the same time we must understand that we are all going to fall short of God's Word which is why we need to focus on our own walk and not be so judgmental of others - but forgiving.

 

[Peter Parka]

True, but at the same time we must understand that we are all going to fall short of God's Word which is why we need to focus on our own walk and not be so judgmental of others - but forgiving.

Thats an easy way of getting a reduced sentence though seeing it makes it hard to prove you haven't turned to God.

 

[GraceAbounds]

Thats an easy way of getting a reduced sentence though seeing it makes it hard to prove you haven't turned to God.

Seeing that one has turned to the Lord should have nothing to do with the laws of the land, since spirituality is a personal thing. Now if the court believes the person is genuinely sorry and would like to grant some mercy and work on some rehabilitation - that's a different story and I agree with it.

 

[Peter Parka]

Seeing that one has turned to the Lord should have nothing to do with the laws of the land, since spirituality is a personal thing. Now if the court believes the person is genuinely sorry and would like to grant some mercy and work on some rehabilitation - that's a different story and I agree with it.

Agreed! Shame it does.

 

[GraceAbounds]

Agreed! Shame it does.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it is a bad thing they have turned toward the Lord. To the public it may look like someone is being shown mercy because they say they've turned their lives over to Christ when the real reason they are being shown mercy is because the panel believes them to be truly sorry and that they are honestly wanting to change. So basically unless you are actually there at their hearing and able to read their records you would not be privy to this type of information.

 

[GraceAbounds]

We are so off topic here. LOL!

 

[Peter Parka]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it is a bad thing they have turned toward the Lord. To the public it may look like someone is being shown mercy because they say they've turned their lives over to Christ when the real reason they are being shown mercy is because the panel believes them to be truly sorry and that they are honestly wanting to change. So basically unless you are actually there at their hearing and able to read their records you would not be privy to this type of information.

I think I am better at reading someones mind sharing a cell 10X 8 23 hours a day with them than a judge who sees them for 5 minutes.

 

[GraceAbounds]

I wasn't talking about the people you were in jail with. I was just speaking generally.