On Christmas Eve of 2007, Wayne Scott Anderson, a 60-year-old White male, became the first victim in a horrific familicide that would claim the lives of six family members in the rural town of Carnation, Washington. That afternoon, Wayne and his wife, Judy, were preparing for their family's holiday celebration when their youngest daughter, Michele Anderson, and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, arrived at their home with deadly intent. Michele, reportedly harboring deep-seated resentment and feeling slighted by her family over financial matters, had plotted the massacre.
Inside the Anderson home, as Judy was wrapping Christmas gifts, the violence began. Michele's initial attempt to shoot her father faltered when her gun jammed. McEnroe then stepped in, fatally shooting Wayne Anderson. Immediately after, he turned the gun on Judy Anderson as she reacted in horror to her husband's murder. After killing the couple, Michele and McEnroe dragged their bodies to an outdoor shed and meticulously cleaned the house to remove any traces of the crime, callously awaiting the arrival of the next family members.
Later that evening, Wayne's son, Scott Anderson, his wife, Erica, and their two young children, five-year-old Olivia and three-year-old Nathan, arrived for the planned Christmas Eve celebration. They walked into an ambush. Scott was shot multiple times shortly after entering the home. Erica, despite being shot, managed to make a brief 911 call before she was killed. Tragically, the lives of their two small children were also taken, with McEnroe later stating they were killed to eliminate witnesses. All six victims were discovered two days later when a concerned friend and coworker of Judy's visited the home after she failed to show up for work.
The investigation quickly led to Michele Anderson and Joseph McEnroe. The couple returned to the crime scene while detectives were present and were taken in for questioning. They both confessed to the murders. Michele and McEnroe were arrested and each charged with six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Following their trials, both were found guilty. Joseph McEnroe was sentenced to six life sentences in 2015, and Michele Anderson received the same sentence in 2016, ensuring neither would have the possibility of parole.
