The Once Close Sister and Brother Drifted Apart, and Then Six People (Three Generations) Were Murdered in Cold Blood

The tragic case of the Andersons

Warning: This case is so senseless it left me dumbfounded. Anyone who can kill a baby is beyond evil.

Joseph distracted Judy as she wrapped Christmas presents.

Then a gunshot was fired. The police received a frantic phone call.

Caller: “(Screaming)”

Dispatcher: Hello? Hello?

Joseph ripped out the phone battery and disconnected the call.

Three-year-old Nathan picked up the batteries and showed them to Joseph, hoping to fix the situation.

Joseph shot Nathan in the head.

Then, another phone call followed.

Dispatcher: 911.

Linda: Hi, there’s been a murder. There’s three people dead that I can see right now. I just came up, she works with me.

Dispatcher: What do you see?

Linda: There’s a baby, a man, and a woman, and she’s my best friend.

Wayne and Judy Were Grandparents

Wayne Scott Anderson and Judy Anderson were sixty and sixty-one-year-old grandparents, respectively.

They lived in a small, quiet, peaceful rural town in Carnation, Washington, USA. Wayne was an engineer, while Judy was a postal worker.

Wayne and Judy were respected members of their society.

The couple had a happy marriage. They had been together for thirty-one years.

They had married in the 1970s. Then, they welcomed their three children, Mary Victoria, Scott, and Michele Anderson.

Michele grew to have an artistic mind. And she was the sweet girl who hung out with the unpopular kids.

Scott and Michele Shared a Special Bond

Michele was closer to her brother and trusted him more than her other family members.

She had a volatile relationship with her parents.

She claimed that her father was physically violent and abusive towards her. She also said that her mother was mean to her.

Then Scott got married to Erica Mantle Anderson.

Scott and Erica welcomed their two children, a daughter, Olivia, and then a son, Nathan.

Scott and Michele’s once close relationship crumbled. Michele grew jealous of her brother’s marriage.

Michele believed that Erica hated her, and she despised her in return.

Michele Got Into a Relationship With Joseph

Michele began dating Joseph Thomas McEnroe after the two met on an online dating site.

They were both twenty-nine by 2007.

Joseph was a little weird, and he relied on his spirit for advice concerning any decisions he made in his life.

He also suffered from anxiety. But he was neither taking medication nor was he receiving professional help.

Joseph and Michele became inseparable.

The two moved in together in a mobile home in Washington. They kept to themselves, and they didn’t have friends.

They relied on each other and only trusted each other.

Joseph and Michele were unstable and shared their paranoia of how the world was out to get them. The couple lived in fear of their lives.

The two had black windows to stop outsiders from prying inside.

Meanwhile, Joseph and Michele’s relationship sometimes became volatile. Neighbors heard them yelling and fighting.

Michele screamed at Joseph one time, “You have no job! You have no money! You have no life!”

Joseph Followed Michele’s Lead

Michele took the lead in her relationship with Joseph and even answered questions for him.

Michele had grown to believe that her family hated her. She felt that her parents had a lot of money, but they didn’t bother to help her and Joseph.

Things got increasingly hard for Michele and Joseph. They were forced to live in a trailer on Wayne and Judy’s property.

It was Christmas Eve in 2007.

Wayne and Judy invited their three children and grandchildren for a Christmas get-together and dinner.

Mary informed her parents that she couldn’t attend because she wasn’t feeling well. Mary’s son was also not going to make it.

Michele and Joseph were the first to arrive.

The couple found Judy wrapping Christmas gifts in a back room. Joseph kept Judy company.

Joseph and Judy Were Startled by A Gunshot

Joseph and Judy heard a gunshot sound from the next room.

They ran inside and saw Michele holding a handgun.

She had missed the first shot toward Wayne, and her gun was now jammed.

Joseph pulled out a gun and completed what Michele hadn’t. He shot Wayne in the head, killing him.

Judy got terrified and began screaming hysterically.

Joseph shot Judy.

He apologized to her and shot her again.

Joseph and Michele cleaned the blood and waited for Michele’s brother to arrive. Scott and Erica soon arrived with their children, Olivia and Nathan.

Michele approached Scott with a gun as soon as he walked in. Scott tried to fight Michele to get the gun from her. But Joseph intervened.

Michele shot Scott dead before she turned to Erica and shot her twice.

Erica’s Motherly Instincts Kicked in

Erica knew that she had to protect her children.

She reached for a phone and dialed 911.

The dispatcher could only hear screaming before the call hung up.

Joseph had ripped out the batteries and thrown them on the ground.

“You don’t have to do this. We love you.” Erica pleaded with Joseph.

“Yes, we do. I’m sorry, Erica.” Joseph replied before firing one more shot at her.

Both Erica and Scott were thirty-two at the time of their death.

Then Joseph turned to three-year-old Nathan. The little boy tried to make things right and probably make peace.

He held out his little hand with the phone batteries inside to Joseph. Joseph wasn’t moved. He shot Nathan in the head, killing him instantly.

Then, he also shot five-year-old Olivia.

The police tried to return Erica’s phone call but got no response. Then they visited the address, but the gate was locked.

The police left without investigating further.

On December 26th, Judy’s friend and coworker, Linda, visited her house after she failed to show up for work.

Linda noticed three dead bodies lying inside the house and called the police. The police found six bodies comprising three generations murdered in cold blood.

Michele and Joseph later arrived at the scene. They were taken in and questioned separately.

Michele Told the Police Why She Killed Her Family

Michele confessed to murdering her family along with Joseph and also told them a possible motive.

Michele stated that Scott owed her $40,000, but he was refusing to pay back. Wayne and Judy took Scott’s side when she tried to bring the matter to them.

Michele was enraged.

Then Wayne and Judy told Michele she had to start paying rent after living rent-free for a year. Michele was tired of everyone stepping on her.

Michele planned the murders many weeks prior.

Michele and Joseph bought handguns from a pawn shop and carefully armed themselves as they went for the Christmas dinner.

Michele told Joseph that her family had continuously disrespected her and that they were going to kill them.

The couple got inside the house and devised a plan for Joseph to distract Judy while Michele shot her father.

But Michele’s gun jammed, and Joseph intervened.

The Aftermath

Joseph and Michele were arrested.

Joseph avoided the death penalty when four members of the jury voted against it.

Joseph was found guilty of aggravated first-degree murder on all six counts. He was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without parole.

Michele was found guilty of the same charges and received the same sentence as Joseph.

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Sources: seattletimes.com, wikipedia.org, Crime A to Z