KING CO., Wash. — Eight years after a Carnation family was shot to death on Christmas Eve, accused killer Michele Anderson will go to trial.
Anderson, 37, is charged with six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Friday, potential jurors were called to the King County Courthouse.
Those jurors didn't know which trial they'd been called for until Anderson walked in and the judge read the charges.
According to investigators, Anderson and her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe, went to her parents' house armed with two guns, planning to kill the entire family.
Detectives say Anderson fired the first shot at her dad, Wayne Anderson. When the gun jammed, McEnroe took over killing Wayne and Judy Anderson. Charging documents reveal the pair moved the bodies outside, then cleaned up the crime scene. When Michele Anderson's brother Scott and his family arrived, it was Michele Anderson who fired the first shot at Scott, according to detectives. Then McEnroe shot Scott and killed Erica Anderson and the couple's two young children, Olivia, 5, and Nathan, 3. Nathan was still in diapers. Nathan Anderson would have celebrated his 11th birthday on Thursday.
Joe McEnroe was convicted of six counts of aggravated murder last spring. The jury could not agree on the death penalty, so McEnroe was sentenced to life in prison. When McEnroe was spared from the death penalty, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg decided to no longer to seek the death penalty in the Michele Anderson case.
Prosecutors say the two are equally responsible. "It is our belief that she was as involved as he was in the murder of her family," said Scott O'Toole, senior deputy prosecuting attorney.
Jury notices were sent to 1,600 residents in northern King County. On Friday, about 400 potential jurors arrived at the King County Courthouse to fill out juror questionnaires. The answers to the questions will help the prosecution and defense narrow down the jury pool. Jurors who are dismissed will be notified by Dec. 22; the rest will be called back to answer questions on Jan. 11.
A large pool of potential jurors was called because of the proximity of the two trials. McEnroe was convicted last spring.
"There are a lot of people. There's some concern about publicity, people knowing about what happened in the first trial, and to make sure that Ms. Anderson and the state both receive a fair trial in this case," said O'Toole.
Anderson has chosen not to plead guilty. She's also choosing to not meet with her attorneys. According to court records, the last time she met with them was in October. She sat between her attorneys on Friday and gave a small wave to the crowd when she was introduced.
At this point, the defense has not revealed its strategy. Anderson claims she is insane, but the defense expert who examined her six months after the murders said she isn't. KIRO-7 reached out to the defense team, and was told they might be interested in talking about the case next week.
The trial will begin Jan. 19 and is expected to last six weeks.
KIRO
