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1 of 3 Seattle brothers with ‘obsession with young children' expected in court

By KIRO 7 News Staff

Charles Emery, 82, and his brother, Thomas Emery, 80, appeared in King County court on August 31, 2017.

By KIRO 7 News Staff

One of the three brothers in their 70s and 80s arrested in Seattle for allegedly possessing images of child-sex abuse faced a judge Monday morning.

Charles Emery, 82, Thomas Emery, 80, and 79-year-old Edwin Emery were charged in August with two counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexual conduct.

Police say a family member was cleaning the men's Green Lake home and discovered what she believed to be materials depicting the sexual abuse of a child. Charging papers say authorities including members of the FBI's internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched the home, finding evidence prosecutors say that each of the men spent the majority of their lives sexually abusing children and exploiting children depicted in child pornography.

Detectives say it was Charles' "manifestos" about Satanic rituals, kidnapping, raping and killing girls that led them to dig under sheds, searching for evidence of potential murder.

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"Their writings express desires to kill children," said Capt. Mike Edwards, who leads SPD's Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force said at the time of the brothers' arrest. "It's very clear that these three individuals have an obsession with young female children, they've had this obsession for most if not all of their lives, and they acted on it."

Two of the three Emery brothers, Charles, 82, and Thomas, 80, appeared in court last month. Edwin , 78, was in the hospital and unable to appear with his two brothersin court on Aug. 31.

Edwin’s 80-year-old brother Thomas pleaded not guilty and 82-year-old brother Charles was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Timeline of events related to brothers' investigation 

August 31, 2017: Thomas and Charles appear in King County court. Charles Emery will get mental health evaluation at Western State Hospital and will return to court on Sept. 22. Thomas Emery pleaded not guilty.

Edwin Emery is at Harborview Medical Center and did not appear.

August 26, 2017: Detectives and cadaver dogs scour an overgrown Emery family property near Shelton for evidence. Some of the buildings there are so dilapidated that they might have to be demolished to be searched.

August 23, 2017: Detectives return to the 141 N.E. 59th St. property and search the home as part of a forensic investigation. Some of the detectives involved are with the Internet Crimes Against Children unit.

August 17, 2017: The brothers, Edwin, Thomas and Charles Emery, are charged with second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct and another count of second-degree possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

August 16, 2017: Seattle police Detective Danial Conine gets a search warrant for several boxes and bags of materials provided by an Emery relative, listed as T.W. in court documents. The search warrant is signed by King County Superior Court Judge Helen Halpert. Conine searches the materials provided by T.W., which allegedly includes hundreds of nude images of children, dozens of pairs of children's penny loafer shoes, children's underwear that appears used, condoms that appear used, dozens of books and articles related to child homicides and handwritten notes describing how girls would wear penny loafers prior to abuse and murders occurring, according to charging documents.

August 9, 2017: A relative of Charles Emery, who has legal guardianship over him, contacts police and says she has discovered "boxes of material including pornographic images of underage girls, young girls clothing/shoes, magazine clippings of missing and murdered young girls and handwritten notes detailing the kidnapping, torturing, raping and murdering of young girls during the process of cleaning out the garage area," according to a police document.

January 25, 2013: Seattle police Detective Danial Conine interviews Edwin Emery at 141 N.E. 59th St. He admits there could be child pornography on his computer, admits to sexual abuse of one of his sisters and that sister's daughter, according to court documents. Then age 73, Edwin Emery also discusses his sexual attraction to "sub-teenage" girls, court documents state. The interview is recorded. However, prosecutors do not file charges.

January 22, 2013: Seattle police contact Office Depot employees who had reported Edwin Emery brought his black Xion custom-built desktop computer tower with a Seagate 320 GB hard drive there for service and repair. Employees say they had conducted a diagnostic check on the computer and found images of suspected female child pornography. Seattle police are given consent to check the computer by Edwin Emery, and a forensic examination leads to the discovery of roughly 20 pictures of child erotica, nudist colony activity and several lascivious display images, according to court documents.

September 7, 1987: Ermina Emery, the mother of the suspects and wife of Harold, dies.

December 24, 1970: Harold W. Emery, father of the suspects, dies at age 75. Emery, who was a private in the U.S. Army, is buried at the Willamette National Cemetery in Oregon. Harold Emery lived at the 141 N.E. 59th Street, which was searched by police in 2017.

March 14, 1962: Edwin H. Emery, one of the three brothers, buys the Green Lake property at 141 N.E. 59th St. in Seattle. March 14, 1962, is the day the deed was filed. Edwin purchases the home for $12,950. City directories list only Thomas D. Emery at the property in 1965, 1980 and 1990. The 1965 Seattle city directory lists Thomas and Edwin H. Emery.

November 17, 1938: Edwin Harold Emery is born.

July 14, 1937: Thomas Edwin Emery is born.

October 15, 1934: Charles Lee Emery is born.

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