Washington teen accused of killing his family, surviving sister tells how she escaped
Prosecutors in Washington charged a 15-year-old boy in the killings of his parents and three siblings at a home in an affluent neighborhood outside Seattle.
The suspect faces five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with Monday's rampage in the unincorporated community of Fall City, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
His parents, Mark and Sarah Humiston, as well as three of his siblings – ages 7, 9 and 13 – were found dead at the scene when deputies arrived.
An 11-year-old girl, who is one of the suspect's two younger sisters, was injured in the shooting and has since been released from a Seattle-area hospital. She managed to escape by playing dead before running to a neighbor's house for help, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the Superior Court of Washington for King County.
The suspected gunman was arrested at the scene and has since been held at a juvenile detention facility. At a court hearing on Tuesday, he waived his right to appear and a judge found probable cause to hold him on five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Law enforcement and his attorneys said he has no criminal history.
The prosecuting attorney's office said it will request the case be moved from juvenile court to adult court. If he were convicted in a juvenile court, the teen could be held only until age 25, prosecutors said. If convicted in adult court, he could be sentenced to 25 years to life with a statutory presumption of release after 25 years.
Molly Campera and Amy Parker, the attorneys representing the suspect, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges, which were filed Thursday. After the initial juvenile court hearing, they released a statement reiterating that their client has no criminal history. They described him as a teen who enjoys mountain biking and fishing.
"The law says our client is presumed innocent of these charges, and we are grateful for a judicial process that requires proof and evidence before there is a judgment," the statement said.
Teen shot parents, siblings and tried to frame brother, records say
The first call to report the shooting was from the suspect himself, according to an arrest affidavit. Just before 5 a.m., the teenager called 911 and told the dispatcher the 13-year-old brother "just shot my whole family and committed suicide," it said.
Investigators said that based on the evidence, the suspect shot his parents and siblings and then tampered with the scene so he could pin the blame on his brother.
"It appears that (the suspect) systematically murdered his mother, father, two brothers, and sister, and attempted to murder his other sister," an arrest affidavit said. He "then staged the scene prior to the arrival of first responders to make it appear that (his brother) had committed the murders and then killed himself."
In an interview with investigators, the 11-year-old girl said she woke to the sound of a gunshot and saw one of her brothers and her father lying in the hallway, the affidavit says. She told law enforcement she witnessed the suspect shoot her sister.
The suspect then came into her bedroom and shot her at least once, according to the affidavit. She closed her eyes and held her breath for a while until the suspect left the room. She managed to escape the house through her bedroom window and run to the house of a neighbor, who called 911.
The 11-year-old said she recognized the gun "as her father's silver Glock handgun," the affidavit says. She told law enforcement her father kept the gun in a small lockbox occasionally kept near the front door so he could bring it to work. She added that, of all four children, the suspect was "the only one who knew the combination" to the lockbox.
A black Glock handgun was found at the scene, according to the affidavit.
When investigators asked her what issues the suspect had at home, she told them "he had recently gotten into 'a lot of trouble' for failing some tests at school."
Father was a engineer, mother was a registered nurse
Mark Humiston was an electrical engineer for the Seattle-based consulting firm Hargis Engineers, where he had a reputation as a mentor who brought leadership and vision to the company, Chris Sheldon, a company spokesperson, said in an email to Paste BN.
“We are blindsided and saddened by the tragic events that have led to the loss of a respected colleague, mentor, and friend, as well as the loss of immediate family members," a company statement said.
Sarah Humiston had held a license as a registered nurse, according to the Washington State Department of Health website. Public records show her license expired in 2022.
Mourners gathered Tuesday night at Fall City United Methodist Church to mourn the Humistons and their children. Local residents who knew the couple and their children said they were a seemingly happy family who were known in the community.
"They were very strong Christians. They loved God. You could tell," neighbor Camille Sharp told KOMO News. "It’s one of those cliche things like everyone says on the news: 'You never suspect this,' and it’s true."
This story was updated to include new information
Contributing: Eric Lagatta and Jonathan Limehouse