Joseph McEnroe is a convicted mass murderer serving life without the possibility of parole for the Carnation murders, the Christmas Eve 2007 killings of six members of his girlfriend’s family at a rural property outside Carnation, Washington. He and his girlfriend, Michele Anderson, shot her parents, her brother, her sister-in-law, and their two young children — ages 5 and 3 — over the course of a single evening on the Anderson family’s five-acre property about 30 miles east of Seattle. McEnroe was convicted on six counts of aggravated first-degree murder in March 2015 and escaped a death sentence when the jury split 8–4 on execution.
The Six Victims
Everyone killed was a member of the same family, spanning three generations:
- Wayne Anderson, 60, Michele’s father
- Judy Anderson, 61, Michele’s mother
- Scott Anderson, 32, Michele’s brother
- Erica Anderson, 32, Scott’s wife
- Olivia Anderson, 5, Scott and Erica’s daughter
- Nathan Anderson, 3, Scott and Erica’s son
The family was gathering for Christmas at Wayne and Judy’s home in Carnation.
What Happened on Christmas Eve 2007
McEnroe and Michele Anderson had been living rent-free in a mobile home on her parents’ property. On the evening of December 24, 2007, they armed themselves with a 9mm handgun and a .357-caliber Magnum revolver and walked to the main house.1The Seattle Times. Prosecutor May Rest Case in Carnation Murder Trial This Week
McEnroe later told police he distracted Judy Anderson while Michele shot her father. Michele’s 9mm jammed, and McEnroe used the .357 to kill both Wayne and Judy. The pair dragged the bodies to a shed, cleaned up the scene, and waited for the rest of the family to arrive.2The Seattle Times. McEnroe Escapes Death Sentence for 6 Carnation Murders3KUOW. Carnation Family’s Killer Dodges Death Penalty
When Scott, Erica, and their two children arrived, Michele drew a gun on her brother. Scott charged her, and she shot him multiple times. Erica tried to call 911. McEnroe grabbed the phone, ripped the batteries out, and cut off the call. He then shot Erica and both children.4Fox 13 Seattle. Killer Details the Carnation Slayings In his taped confession, McEnroe said he killed the children because they had seen everything and would identify the killers if left alive: “If we left them alone, if we walked away, we’d be here telling you what I am now.”5Fox 13 Seattle. McEnroe’s Taped Confession Played for Jury in Carnation Mass Murder Trial Three-year-old Nathan, McEnroe recalled at trial, picked up the phone batteries off the floor and held them up to show him.
The Motive
Prosecutors described the motive in a single word: greed. Michele Anderson had grown angry when her parents began pressing her and McEnroe to start paying rent and contribute to car insurance. She was also furious with her brother Scott over money she claimed he owed her, a sum prosecutors put at roughly $40,000.6Washington State Courts. Michele Anderson to Be Sentenced for Deaths of 6 Relatives
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O’Toole called the motive “pure, unadulterated greed” and noted that in a post-arrest interview, Michele Anderson mentioned money more than 35 times while explaining why the family had to die.7The Seattle Times. Greed Was Motive in Carnation Killings, Prosecutor Tells Jury She told investigators the killings were “all my idea” and acknowledged pushing McEnroe into participating. Prosecutors said she had begun planning the attack roughly two weeks before Christmas Eve.2The Seattle Times. McEnroe Escapes Death Sentence for 6 Carnation Murders
How They Were Caught
Erica Anderson’s 911 attempt lasted about 10 seconds. A dispatcher heard yelling in the background but described it as sounding “more like party noise than angry heated arguing.” Two return calls went to voicemail. Deputies were dispatched at 5:19 p.m. and arrived at 5:45 p.m., but they found a locked gate, did not enter, and left without speaking to anyone. The King County Sheriff’s Office later opened an internal review of the response, though a spokesman said it was “doubtful the slayings could have been prevented” because the call likely came near the end of the attack.8The Seattle Times. Deputies’ Action After 911 Call From Carnation Home to Be Investigated
After the killings, McEnroe and Michele Anderson dumped both firearms in the Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County, drove toward Canada, then turned south toward Oregon before reversing course and returning to the property, apparently intending to pretend they had just discovered the bodies. By the time they arrived on December 26, King County detectives were already there. A colleague of Judy Anderson’s from the Carnation Post Office had gone to check on her friend and found several of the bodies.9KOMO News. Michele Anderson Gets Life Without Parole in Carnation Murder Spree Investigators noted the couple’s conspicuous lack of concern about the crime scene. Both confessed after questioning.3KUOW. Carnation Family’s Killer Dodges Death Penalty
By December 29, 2007, King County prosecutors had charged both defendants with six counts of aggravated first-degree murder.10Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Autopsies Complete on Victims of Carnation
The Trial and Conviction
McEnroe sat in the King County Jail for roughly seven years before his trial began in January 2015, a delay driven largely by the complexity of the death penalty proceedings. Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell of King County Superior Court presided.1The Seattle Times. Prosecutor May Rest Case in Carnation Murder Trial This Week
The centerpiece of the state’s case was McEnroe’s three-hour taped confession, recorded two days after the murders by Detective Jake Pavlovich. On the tape, McEnroe described the killings in detail, admitted shooting Judy Anderson at “point-blank range” — “I shot Mom, too,” he said, explaining he called her “Mom” because he felt close to her — and told the detective, “Of all the things that I’ve ever seen in my life, nothing is worse than seeing somebody dead and knowing that it was my fault.”5Fox 13 Seattle. McEnroe’s Taped Confession Played for Jury in Carnation Mass Murder Trial11KOMO News. Court Hears Murder Suspect’s Confession
The defense, led by attorney William Prestia, did not dispute that McEnroe participated in the killings. Instead, it focused on his mental state, arguing that mental illness made him susceptible to manipulation by Michele Anderson. McEnroe testified that she had “treated me like an attack dog, a guard dog” and had broken him down to be “obedient.”4Fox 13 Seattle. Killer Details the Carnation Slayings
On March 22, 2015, after more than 100 days of proceedings and five days of deliberation, the jury convicted McEnroe on all six counts of aggravated first-degree murder.12Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Jury Returns Verdict in Carnation Slayings
Why McEnroe Wasn’t Sentenced to Death
The trial moved into a penalty phase where the same jury would choose between death and life in prison without parole. Prosecutor O’Toole urged execution, arguing McEnroe had “wiped out three generations” and “destroyed them for all time.” Prestia asked the jury to “choose life,” presenting mitigating evidence that included McEnroe’s history of mental illness, a childhood marked by bullying, and his record as a “trouble-free inmate” during seven years of solitary confinement in the King County Jail.13Washington State Courts. Carnation Killer Jury to Weigh Mercy or Death for 6 Murders
On May 13, 2015, the jury reported it had split 8–4 in favor of the death penalty. Washington law required unanimity to impose death, so the split meant a mandatory sentence of life without parole. Judge Ramsdell formally imposed that sentence on June 10, 2015. McEnroe, then 36, declined to address the victims’ families.14The Seattle Times. McEnroe Won’t Address Court When He Is Formally Sentenced
The point became moot in October 2018, when the Washington Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state’s death penalty in State v. Gregory, ruling that capital punishment was imposed in an “arbitrary and racially biased manner.” The decision converted all existing death sentences in Washington to life imprisonment.15Washington State Courts. State v. Gregory, No. 88086-7 Even if McEnroe’s jury had voted unanimously for execution, his sentence would have been converted.
What Happened to Michele Anderson
Michele Anderson was tried separately. Her five-week trial ended on March 4, 2016, with a jury convicting her of six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg had dropped the pursuit of the death penalty against her in July 2015, influenced in part by McEnroe’s jury deadlock. On April 21, 2016, Judge Ramsdell sentenced her to six consecutive terms of life without release.16Fox 13 Seattle. Michele Anderson Given 6 Life Sentences in Christmas Eve Slayings of Carnation Family9KOMO News. Michele Anderson Gets Life Without Parole in Carnation Murder Spree The Washington Court of Appeals affirmed her conviction in February 2019, calling the evidence of her guilt “overwhelming.”17Washington State Courts. State v. Anderson, No. 75074-7-I
Where McEnroe Is Now
Joseph McEnroe is incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla, where he has been held since 2015.18Washington State Courts. Notorious Inmates Call This Eastern Washington Prison Home His sentence of life without parole means he will never be eligible for release.