The Carnation murders were a

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

that occurred on December 24, 2007, near Carnation, Washington, a small rural town east of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. The murders took place in the home of Wayne Scott Anderson and Judy Anderson. Six people, comprising three generations of the Anderson family, were killed.

Victims

Six people were killed: *Wayne Scott Anderson, 60, a

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

engineer and husband of Judy Anderson *Judy Anderson, 61, a

postal worker A postal worker is one who works for a post office, such as a mail carrier. In the U.S., postal workers are represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL–CIO, National Postal Mail Handlers Union – NPMHU, the National Associatio ...

, and wife of Wayne Scott Anderson *Scott Anderson, 32, son of Wayne and Judy *Erica Mantle Anderson, 32, wife of Scott *Olivia Anderson, 5, daughter of Scott and Erica *Nathan Anderson, 3, son of Scott and Erica

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 December 24, 2007. Once inside, McEnroe distracted Judy Anderson, who was wrapping Christmas gifts, while Michele attempted to shoot her father. Michele's gun jammed, so McEnroe killed Wayne and then Judy Anderson. The two then dragged the bodies outside and carefully cleaned the home and waited for Michele Anderson's older brother, Scott, his wife, Erica, both 32, and their two young children to arrive. Once the family arrived, Michele Anderson shot her brother several times, killing him. McEnroe and Anderson shot Erica Anderson. Wounded, she managed to get to the home's cordless phone and dialed

9-1-1 , usually written 911, is an emergency telephone number for the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Palau, Argentina, Philippines, Jordan, as well as the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), one of eight N11 codes. Like other emergency nu ...

. The connection only lasted a few seconds and dispatchers heard what sounded to them like people arguing at a party. McEnroe was able to grab the phone from her, tore the batteries out of the receiver, and smashed it on the floor. McEnroe delivered the fatal shot to Erica, and he then shot and killed the children, 5-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan, at the request of Anderson because they didn't want witnesses and said the children would be scarred for life having seen their parents killed. Police were dispatched to the scene in response to the 9-1-1 call, but the gate to the property was locked and the officers decided not to investigate further. The gate was only locked because Michele Anderson had run out to lock it after she realized Erica's 9-1-1 call went through. The bodies were discovered two days later, on December 26, when Judy's best friend and co-worker Linda Thiele went to the home to see why she was absent from work. She looked in the window and saw bodies on the floor, so she called 9-1-1. She initially thought she was looking at the bodies of Wayne and Judy, but they turned out to be Scott's and Erica's bodies. While King County detectives were at the property in response to Thiele's 9-1-1 call, McEnroe and Michele Anderson drove up and were brought in for questioning. Eventually, both of them admitted to the murders and were arrested. Prosecutors told jurors the motive for the killings was money. Anderson alleged her brother owed her money and she believed that 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 (who was

unemployed Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the referen ...

) and her boyfriend, Joseph Thomas McEnroe (a

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

employee), both aged 29. They were each charged with six counts of first-degree murder. Michele is the younger sister of Scott and the youngest child of Wayne and Judy. The suspects waived their right to appear in court. Police say they confessed to the killings.

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 first-degree murder on all six counts. On May 13, 2015, Joseph McEnroe was sentenced to life in prison, and avoided the death penalty, mainly due to a statewide moratorium on the death penalty by then-governor

Jay Inslee Jay Robert Inslee (; born February 9, 1951) is an American politician, lawyer, and economist who has served as the 23rd governor of Washington since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representat ...

. On March 4, 2016, Michele Anderson was found guilty of six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. She was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2016. McEnroe is currently imprisoned in the Washington State Penitentiary and Anderson is currently imprisoned in the

Washington Corrections Center for Women Washington Corrections Center for Women (WCCW, originally the Purdy Treatment Center) is a Washington State Department of Corrections women's prison located in Gig Harbor, Washington. With an operating capacity of 740, it is the largest women's p ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carnation murders 2007 in Seattle 2007 in Washington (state) 2007 murders in the United States 2007 mass shootings in the United States Attacks in the United States in 2007 Crimes in Washington (state) Deaths by firearm in Washington (state) December 2007 crimes in the United States Familicides Mass murder in 2007 Mass shootings in the United States Mass shootings in Washington (state) Murder in Washington (state)