Woman, boyfriend admit killing 6 family members, prosecutors say

Published 3:44 pm Thursday, December 27, 2007

SEATTLE — A woman and her boyfriend confessed to methodically gunning down her parents, her brother and sister-in-law, and then her 6-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew in a Christmas Eve slaughter in rural Carnation, according to court papers filed today.

Michelle Andersen, 29, and Joe McEnroe, 29, were ordered held without bail after and initial court appearance today. Formal charges have not yet been filed, but both were arrested Wednesday for investigation of six counts of homicide.

In flat, unemotional prose, sheriff’s Detective John Pavlovich described the horrific killings outlined in confessions by McEnroe and Anderson.

First, he wrote, the couple shot her parents, Wayne and Judy Anderson, using large-caliber pistols and dragged the bodies to a shed. A short time later, the dead couple’s son, Scott, his wife Erika, their son, Nathan, and daughter Olivia arrived for a Christmas Eve visit.

“Knowing that Scott and his family where potential witnesses, Joe and Michele shot them,” Pavlovich wrote in the affidavit. “Joe shot Scott with the 9 mm (once); he then shot Erika at least (once) with the 9mm and then turned his attention to Olivia and Nathan. He shot them both in the head (once), killing them.”

Both McEnroe and Anderson confessed to authorities. Anderson said both of them shot her parents, brother and sister-in-law, while McEnroe killed the children, according to the affidavit.

The couple, who had been together for six years, lived in a trailer about 200 yards from her parents’ house.

The affidavit indicates the couple tried to flee to Canada after the killings, but returned to the scene the following day for some reason, where they were detained and confessed.

Both defendants waived their right to appear in court before King County District Court Judge Mark Chow.

McEnroe appeared briefly in the courtroom, with disheveled brown hair, dressed in a white jumpsuit, but then left with his attorney, who came back and said he waived his right to appear.

The King County prosecutor’s office expects to have a decision regarding charges Friday.

Michele Anderson’s attorney, public defender George Eppler, said he spoke with her briefly before the hearing.

“She was bearing up well. She was speaking to me with … some stoic forbearance. She asked the appropriate questions that showed keen insight,” asking about the next legal steps in the case, Eppler said.

When asked if she admitted guilt, Eppler said, “We limited our conversation solely to the issue of today’s court appearance.”