Teen suspected of murdering family in lake touched bodies to see if they were alive

Allegedly a 15-year-old boy butchered all but one member of his entire family last week at their lakefront home in Washington state, and recent court records have been obtained Fox News Digital details his only surviving sister’s harrowing escape from death.

When deputies arrived at the home in Lake Alice, Washington On October 21, they discovered an “important crime scene” — the bodies of two adults and three children — and immediately took the teenager into custody. King County Sheriff This was stated by Deputy Mike Mellis 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 Catherine, 7.

Although the suspect was named in the obtained documents, a judge on Friday prohibited the media from revealing his identity.

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43-year-old Mark Humiston and 42-year-old Sarah Humiston were recognized by the mentor of one of their children. (Facebook)

Shortly before 5 a.m., the suspect called 911 saying his 13-year-old brother had killed his family. He said, gasping for breath, “He just shot my whole family and killed himself, too,” the affidavit said.

The suspect said he was hiding in a bathroom on the first 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 that he was going to get into a lot of trouble.”

During the suspect’s 911 call, police received another 911 call from a neighbor who lives about a quarter mile from the Humiston home. A neighbor told authorities that Humiston’s 11-year-old daughter came to their home and kept ringing the doorbell, saying her family all dead and her brother was the one who shot her. The neighbor told police the girl had a gunshot wound and was bleeding from the neck and arm, and she was afraid her brother would come and find her.

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

She said she and her younger sister shared a room and were woken up by the sound of gunshots, and when she looked out the bedroom door into the hallway, she saw her father and brother lying in the hallway with “blood on their heads father”. and in her brother’s mouth. As her younger sister exited their bedroom and entered the hallway, Humiston’s surviving victim heard another gunshot and saw her sister fall to the floor.

She then said she saw her brother go into her bedroom and shoot her once or twice, believing she had hit her in the arm and neck, and she “felt instant pain”. She saw her brother bent over the three bodies of her family members in the hall, touching them to see if they were alive. When her brother re-entered her bedroom, she “closed her eyes, held her breath, and pretended to be dead as he stood by her bed.”

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

WASHINGTON TEEN ACCUSED OF MURDERING FAMILY BANNED FROM CONTACT WITH ONLY SURVIVING SISTER

She told police she recognized the gun her brother shot her with as his father’s silver Glock, which he kept in a small box he sometimes placed by the front door so he could bring it to work. She said that of all the children, only her brother knew the code of the box.

When asked what problems her brother had been having at home, the 11-year-old said he had been in “a lot of trouble” recently for failing tests at school. According to her, her brother was wearing a checkered shirt at the time of the shooting.

According to the affidavit, the suspect staged a scene before first responders arrived to make it look like his brother had committed the murders and then killed himself.

Contactless ordering between the 15-year-old suspect and his 11-year-old only surviving sister remains in place.

The victim’s sole surviving maternal grandmother is now her guardian and custodian of the lakefront home, according to court records.

The grandmother initially wanted to clean the house, but was told that the longer she waited, the more damage and deterioration the home would suffer, but the judge ruled that everything in the house “must be preserved and the premises must be preserved.” sealed, locked and secured by the King County Sheriff’s Office until further court order” after the 15-year-old girl’s defense petitioned the court to block the scene.

TEENAGER IN WASHINGTON STATE AFTER SHOOTING FROM HOME. 5 OF 7 FAMILY MEMBERS DIED

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

At the hearing on Fridaythe lawyers of the juvenile suspect filed a motion to preserve the confidentiality of their client, in particular, to prohibit the publication of their client’s photo and to limit the video recording of the process. Judge Christine Richardson granted the motion in part, barring her client from being photographed from the neck up and prohibiting the publication of the client’s name or photo that shows his face.

“Given the media interest in this case and the seriousness of these allegations, we want the court to know that we have been approached by several people in the community who know our client and have attested to his good character,” the suspect’s lawyer said. Amy Parker said this at the hearing on Friday.

“They describe him as kind and caring. He is a guy who has a lot of friends, has pro-social interests and makes a positive contribution to his community.”

He has not criminal pastand this is the only time a case involving a 15-year-old girl has been referred to King County prosecutors, Casey McNertney of the King County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.

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One teenager was detained, the second was hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Deputies found three more minors and two adults at the scene. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)

The King County Prosecutor’s Office said the suspect has been charged with five counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, all of which have elements of domestic violence. He is being held at the Clark Children and Family Justice Center.

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The 15-year-old pleaded not guilty at a court hearing Friday, pending a judge’s decision on whether he will be charged to adult court.

On January 8, 2025, a conference will be held regarding the consideration of the case, at which the court will receive updated information on the progress of the consideration of the case.

Lawyers for the teenage suspect have not yet made any comments.