On Tuesday, jurors in the murder case against Carnation killer Joseph McEnroe heard from witnesses at the start of the penalty phase.
McEnroe was convicted of six counts of aggravated first degree murder for killing six members of the Anderson family – his girlfriend's relatives -- in Carnation in 2007.
The same jury that convicted McEnroe will decide his aggravated first-degree murder sentence: either death of life in prison.
Prosecutors pushed for the death penalty.
"Does the defendant get what he wants or what he deserves?" senior deputy prosecuting attorney Scott O'Toole said in his opening statement. O'Toole told the jury McEnroe was more worried about himself than the 6 people he had just killed when he was interviewed by detectives.
"The defendant's reaction 'I'm going to lose my entire world. I'm going to lose my family, my girlfriend.' It was all about him," O'Toole said.
The defense is asking for leniency and mercy.
"Life is the appropriate punishment for aggravated murder in the first degree," defense attorney Bill Prestia said. "Joe is a man with a mental illness who committed a terrible crime against innocent people. He is not one of the worst offenders though he committed one of the worst crimes."
On Tuesday, the prosecutor was allowed to call six witnesses to testify to the impact of the murders.
The most surprising was Mary Victoria Anderson. She is the daughter of Wayne and Judy Anderson, the two oldest victims, and the sister of Scott Anderson, who also was killed.
Michele Anderson, who is also charged with the murder and awaiting trial, is Scott Anderson's sister and the daughter of Wayne and Judy Anderson.
Until Tuesday, Mary Victoria Anderson had never spoken publicly about the killing spree.
She revealed she was supposed to be at her parent's house on Christmas Eve 2007 with her two little boys. But she got sick, so they stayed home. She cried through her entire time on the stand.
"It's destroyed us," Mary Victoria Anderson said. "They were my family. I miss them. We loved each other."
Anderson said she rarely leaves the house, she lives in fear.
Judy Anderson's friend and co-worker, Linda Thiele, found the bodies when Judy didn't show up for work on December 26, 2007. She told the jury she had to quit her job, her route took her past the Anderson home, because it was too hard on her.
"You realize when you say goodbye to a friend you don't know for sure that you don't know for sure you will see them alive again," Thiele told the court.
After finding the victims in 2007, Thiele spent 32 minutes on the phone with 911 not knowing if the killer was still around.
Ken Anderson talked about this brother, Wayne Anderson. Scott Anderson's best friend, Ryan Baker, also took the stand and told jurors Scott wrote him letters while he was in the Navy. He teared up talking about Scott as a father and the two young children.
"I miss his family, I miss his children," Baker said.
Tony Mantle's daughter, Erica Anderson, son-in-law Scott, and grandchildren were killed. When asked what impact the murders have had on him, Mantle answered:
"I'm just not the same person I was. I won't be, and I know that."
On Wednesday, McEnroe is expected to take the stand to plead for his life.
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