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Teen suspect in family massacre at lake touched bodies to see if they were still alive

Teen suspect in family massacre at lake touched bodies to see if they were still alive

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Presumably a 15 year old boy slaughtered all but one member of his entire family at their lake home in Washington state last week, and recent court documents obtained by Fox News digital describes his only surviving sister’s terrifying escape from death.

When officers arrived at the Lake Alice home, Washington on October 21, they discovered a “major crime scene” – the deceased bodies of two adults and three children – and immediately took the male teenager into custody. King County Sheriff Deputy Mike Mellis said during a media briefing.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as parents Mark Humiston, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, and their children, Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katheryn, 7.

While the suspect was named in the documents obtained, a judge on Friday banned the release of his identity by the media.

Wealthy lakeside neighborhood turned upside down after family was slaughtered in their own home

Washington state parents killed by teen

Mark Humiston, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, were identified by a mentor of one of their children. (Facebook)

Shortly before 5 a.m., the suspect called 911 and claimed his 13-year-old brother had killed his family. He sounded out of breath and said, “He just shot my entire family and also killed himself,” the affidavit said.

The suspect said he hid in the bathroom on the main floor of the house, and said a possible motive for his brother’s crime was that he “had been caught watching pornography the night before and he was about to there was a lot coming in. of problems.”

During the suspect’s 911 call, police received another 911 call from a neighbor who lives about a quarter mile from the Humiston home. The neighbor told authorities that Humiston’s 11-year-old daughter arrived at their home, rang the doorbell incessantly and told them her family was panicking. all dead and her brother was the one who shot her. The neighbor told police that the young girl was injured from a possible gunshot wound and was bleeding from the neck and hand, and she feared her brother would come looking for her.

The surviving child was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. During an interview with police at the hospital, the 11-year-old began to cry as she recounted her harrowing escape.

She said she and her younger sister shared a room and woke up to the sound of gunshots, and when she looked through the bedroom door into the hallway, she saw her father and brother lying in the hallway with “blood on her father’s head ‘. and into her brother’s mouth. As her younger sister left their bedroom and entered the hallway, the surviving Humiston victim heard another shot and saw her sister fall to the floor.

She then described how her brother entered her bedroom and shot her once or twice, believing she was hit in both her hand and neck, and that she “immediately felt pain.” She saw her brother leaning over the three bodies of her relatives in the hallway and touching them to see if they were still alive. When her brother reentered her bedroom, she “closed her eyes, held her breath, and pretended to play dead as he stood next to her bed.”

When her brother left the room and she could hear him talking on the phone upstairs, she used a “fire window” in her room to escape and ran to her neighbor’s house.

WASHINGTON TEEN ACCUSED OF MURDER OF FAMILY, BANNED FROM CONTACTING ANY SURVIVING SISTER

She told police she recognized the gun her brother used to shoot her as her father’s silver Glock pistol, which he kept in a small lock box that he sometimes left near the front door so he could take it to work. She said that of all the children, her brother was the only one who knew the lock box combination.

When asked what problems her brother was having at home, the 11-year-old said he had recently gotten into “a lot of trouble” for failing tests at school. She said her brother was wearing a plaid shirt at the time of the shooting.

The suspect staged the scene before first responders arrived to make it appear that his brother had committed the murders and then committed suicide, the affidavit said.

A contactless order between the 15-year-old suspect and his 11-year-old only surviving sister remains.

According to court records, the sole surviving victim’s maternal grandmother is now her guardian and manager of the lake house.

The grandmother originally wanted to have the house cleaned, but was told that the longer she waited, the more damage and deterioration the home would suffer, but a judge ruled that all items in the house “must be kept and the property sealed, locked and guarded by a King County Sheriff until further order of the court,” after the 15-year-old’s defense asked the court to close the scene.

WASHINGTON TEEN IN PROTECTION AFTER HOME SHOOTING LEAVES 5 OF 7 FAMILY MEMBERS DEAD

Fall City Lake

The shooting happened early Monday in the Lake Alice neighborhood of Fall City, Washington. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)

Friday during a hearingthe teen suspect’s attorneys filed a motion to protect their client’s privacy, including banning the publication of their client’s photo and restricting filming of the proceedings. Judge Kristin Richardson granted the motion in part, banning the filming of their client from the neck up and banning the publication of their client’s name or any photo showing his face.

“Given the media attention on this case and the seriousness of these allegations, we want the court to know that we have been contacted by several people in the community who know our client and have testified to his good character,” the statement said. lawyer for the suspect. Amy Parker said in a statement during Friday’s hearing.

“He is described by them as kind and caring. This is a boy who has many friends, has pro-social interests and has made a positive contribution to his community.”

He has no criminal historyand this is the only time a case involving the 15-year-old has been referred to King County prosecutors, Casey McNerthney of the King County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.

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sheriff's vehicles a scene

One teen was taken into custody and a second teen was hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Officers found three other juveniles and two adults dead at the scene. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)

The suspect was charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, all of which carry a domestic violence designation, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. He is being held in secure detention at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.

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The 15-year-old did not enter a plea during Friday’s hearing pending the judge’s ruling on whether or not the case will be moved to adult court.

The case will have a status conference on January 8, 2025, where the court will receive an update on the progress of the case.

The teen suspect’s attorneys had no further comment at this time.