Washington teen accused of killing family, surviving sister tells how she got away

Prosecutors in Washington accused the 15-year-old the boy in the murders his parents and three siblings in a house in an affluent neighborhood outside of Seattle.

The suspect has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with Monday’s rampage in unincorporated Fall City, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

His parents, Mark and Sarah Humiston, and his three siblings — ages 7, 9 and 13 — were found dead at the scene when deputies arrived.

An 11-year-old girl, who is one of the suspect’s two younger sisters, was injured in the shooting and has been released from a Seattle-area hospital. She managed to escape by pretending to be dead before running to a neighbor for help, according to an affidavit filed in Washington Superior Court in King County.

The suspected attacker was arrested at the scene and has since been held in a juvenile facility. He waived his right to appear in court Tuesday, and a judge found probable cause to hold him on five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Law enforcement agencies and his lawyers said he has no criminal record.

Prosecutors said they will ask to transfer the case from juvenile court to adult court. If convicted in juvenile court, the teenager could only be in custody for up to 25 years, prosecutors said. If convicted in adult court, he could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison with a statutory presumption of release after 25 years.

Molly Campera and Amy Parker, attorneys representing the suspect, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges, which were filed Thursday. After the initial hearing in juvenile court, they released a statement confirming that their client has no criminal history. They described him as a teenager who enjoyed mountain biking and fishing.

“The law dictates that our client is presumed innocent of these charges, and we are grateful for a trial that requires proof and evidence before a verdict is reached,” the statement said.

According to the data, the teenager shot at his parents, siblings and tried to frame his brother

The first call to report the shooting came from the suspect himself, according to the affidavit. Shortly before 5 a.m., the teenager called 911 and told the dispatcher that his 13-year-old brother “just shot my whole family and committed suicide,” the report said.

Investigators said evidence suggests the suspect shot and killed his parents, siblings, and then staged a scene to blame his brother.

“It appears that (the suspect) systematically killed his mother, father, two brothers and a sister, and attempted to kill his other sister,” the affidavit said. “He then staged a scene before first responders arrived to make it look like (his brother) had committed the murders and then killed himself.”

In a conversation with investigators, the 11-year-old girl said she woke up to the sound of the gunshot and saw one of her brothers and her father lying in the hallway, the affidavit said. She told officers she witnessed the suspect shoot her sister.

The suspect then entered her bedroom and shot her at least once, according to the affidavit. She closed her eyes and held her breath for a while until the suspect left the room. She was able to escape the home through a bedroom window and run to a neighbor’s house, who called 911.

The 11-year-old girl said she recognized the gun “as her father’s silver Glock,” the affidavit said. She told law enforcement that her father kept the gun in a small box by the front door so he could bring it to work. She added that of all four children, the suspect was “the only one who knew the code” to the box.

A black Glock handgun was found at the scene, according to the affidavit.

When investigators asked her what kind of problems the suspect was having at home, she told them that “recently he got into ‘a lot of trouble’ for failing some tests at school.”

His father was an engineer, his mother a nurse

Mark Humiston was an electrical engineer at Seattle-based consulting firm Hargis Engineers, where he had a reputation as a mentor who brought leadership and vision to the company, company spokesman Chris Sheldon said in an email to USA TODAY.

“We are stunned and saddened by the tragic events that have resulted in the loss of a valued colleague, mentor and friend, as well as the loss of close relatives,” the company said in a statement.

Sarah Humiston was reportedly licensed as a registered nurse Washington State Department of Health website. According to public records, its license expired in 2022.

Mourners gathered Tuesday evening at the United Methodist Church in Fall City to mourn the Humistons and their children. Locals who knew the couple and their children said they were a seemingly happy family they knew in the community.

“They were very strong Christians. They loved God. You could tell,” neighbor Camilla Sharp told KOMO News. “It’s one of those clichéd things that everybody says in the news, ‘You’d never know it,’ and it’s true.”

This story has been updated to include new information

Assistance: Eric Lagatta and Jonathan Limehouse

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shooting in Washington: a teenager is accused of killing his parents, three siblings