A teenager suspected of having murdered his whole family in Washington tried to pin the blame on another sibling after living to tell the tale, but his little sister knows the truth.
Teenage boy allegedly kills his whole family
Authorities have arrested the Seattle-based family’s 15-year-old son, who now faces multiple murder charges for slaying five of his immediate family members.
Initially, the teen claimed his younger brother was responsible for the killings in a murder-suicide, but the story was soon disputed by the boy’s 11-year-old sister — the only other survivor of the tragedy.
The victims have been identified by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office as Mark Humiston, 43; Sarah Humiston, 42; and their three children: Benjamin, 13; Joshua, 9; and Katheryn, 7.
A probable cause statement details a brutal scene in which the father suffered four gunshot wounds, while the mother was shot twice. Only the accused teen and his younger sister survived, with the latter escaping after playing dead.
The King County Sheriff’s Office received a call shortly before 5 a.m. on Monday from the 15-year-old, who claimed that his 13-year-old brother, Benjamin, had “shot my whole family and committed suicide.”
According to a probable cause affidavit, the boy alleged that his brother had been driven to violence after getting into trouble for looking at pornography. His version of events was soon refuted, however, when detectives heard from the 11-year-old girl.
Little sister refutes story of older brother who is accused of murdering the whole family
In a harrowing account, the young girl revealed that her older brother, not Benjamin, was responsible for the murders.
According to her statement to investigators, her 15-year-old brother was the one who committed the heinous crime with Glock handgun, which their father kept in a lockbox. She added that he was the only sibling who knew the lockbox combination.
The girl was shot by her brother before she heard him shoot their parents and siblings before she managed to escape by playing dead.
Once her brother left the room, she climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor’s house.
The neighbor’s call corroborated the 11-year-old’s account, stating that she had just survived an attack by her brother during a 911 call.
According to law enforcement, the scene was staged by the 15-year-old in an attempt to make it appear that Benjamin was the perpetrator. The teen was arrested when police arrived at the family home.
Detective Aaron Thompson of the King County Sheriff’s Office noted in the probable cause statement that the teen “systematically murdered his mother, father, two brothers, and sister, and attempted to murder his other sister.”
On Thursday, the teen appeared in juvenile court where he was charged with five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
All charges have been designated as acts of domestic violence, with the attempted murder charge carrying a firearms enhancement that could increase the potential sentence if he is convicted.
The judge ordered that the teen remain in juvenile detention with no contact allowed with his surviving sister.
Teenager will get hearing to determine if he should be tried as adult
Prosecutors have also filed a motion for a “discretionary decline hearing,” a procedural step that could allow the case to be transferred to adult court.
This decision, according to legal experts, hinges on whether the court believes the nature of the crime warrants adult-level prosecution.
For serious crimes such as murder, suspects aged 16 and 17 are typically tried as adults, but for those 15 or younger, like this suspect, a decline hearing is necessary to determine if adult prosecution is appropriate. The boy’s decline hearing is on June 4.
The 11-year-old girl has been treated for her injuries and discharged from Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, according to a hospital spokesperson. When questioned about her brother, she told police that “he had recently gotten into ‘a lot of trouble’ for failing some tests at school.”
Definitely try him as an adult! Not only was the whole family murdered, but then accused one of the victims of doing it. This was pre-planned, and praise God one of the family lived through this horror. This regime is giving children a get out of jail card, so they think they can get away with absolute murder. may this girl find peace with God and grow faithful.