Michele Anderson And The 2007 Carnation Murders
King County Prosecutor’s OfficeMichelle Anderson and her boyfriend, seated center in this 2002 photo. Anderson killed her brother, Scott, left, his wife Erica, far right, and their daughter, Olivia, in 2007.
Like Ronald Gene Simmons, Michele Anderson used a family gathering on Christmas as a means to murder. On Dec. 24, 2007, Anderson and her boyfriend James McEnroe killed her parents, her brother and sister-in-law, and her brother’s two children in Carnation, Washington.
According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the senior deputy prosecutor at Anderson’s trial noted that she arrived at her parent’s house armed not only with guns but also “the trust of the people inside that home, and a hatred for the people inside that home.”
Anderson had planned the Christmas murders for weeks. She later claimed that she was driven to kill because her brother had allegedly failed to pay back a $40,000 loan. Not only had her parents allegedly taken his side, but they’d also asked her to start paying rent for the mobile home she kept on their property.
The house in Carnation, Washington, where Anderson and her boyfriend massacred six members of her family.
On Christmas Eve, Anderson and McEnroe put their plan into action. They first killed Anderson’s parents, then lay in wait for Anderson’s brother, sister-in-law, and niece and nephew. When the family of four arrived, Anderson and McEnroe gunned them down.
A harrowing 911 call placed by Anderson’s sister-in-law, Erica, managed to record the family’s final moments. According to the Seattle Times Erica can be heard shouting, “Not the kids! No!” before Anderson killed her, her five-year-old daughter, and her three-year-old son.
Anderson and McEnroe returned to the property while police were conducting their investigation, and prompted the investigators’ suspicion when they failed to ask about the family’s welfare or even why there were so many police at the house. Anderson later confessed to the murders, and she and McEnroe were both sentenced to life in prison.
The story of the Carnation murders, like so many other Christmas crimes on this list, shows that darkness can lurk even on the most joyful days of the year.
After looking through these horrifying Christmas crimes, discover the stories of murders that happened on Halloween. Then, discover eight deaths that unfolded on live TV.
