The 15-year-old suspect was charged in October with killing all but one of his family members at their lakeside home in Washington state, and his defense team recently denied charges that he altered the crime scene during the raid. .
Authorities discovered the bodies of two adults and three children at a home in Lake Alice, Washington, on October 21, and immediately took a 15-year-old boy into custody, police said.
The King County Coroner's Office identified the victims as Mark Humiston, 43, Sarah Humiston, 42, and their children Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katherine, 7. ) was identified. A judge prohibited the media from publishing the identity of the teenage suspect, but his name remains in court records.
According to court records, the suspect's 11-year-old sister survived the attack by “closing her eyes, holding her breath, and pretending to be dead” and escaped through a “fire window” in her bedroom.
Lawyer for teenage suspect in Lakeside Family Massacre offers possible defense, claims innocence based on forensic science
Mark Humiston, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, were allegedly murdered by their teenage son. (Facebook)
Several members of the suspect's defense team were given 10 hours on October 29 to take photographs and carry out 3D scans inside Humiston's home.
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Prosecutors argued last month that the teen's defense team had evidence of an “exceeding authorized search” and that those involved in the Oct. 29 search moved items at the crime scene. accused of removing certain items from the crime scene entirely. before ultimately retracting the claims, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Prosecutors said the King County Sheriff's Office recorded the home before and after the defense entered the home, and initially found that a bottle of Clorox wipes was missing from the home and that the child victim's backpack had been opened or removed. He claimed to have done so.
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Days after the Oct. 29 crime scene search, the suspect's attorneys at the time, Amy Parker and Molly Campella, filed a notice with the court to withdraw from the case. New attorney Kristen Guestow was appointed to represent the suspect “due to staffing shortages in all public defense departments,” according to recent court records filed by the new attorney.
Gestaut then filed a 31-page brief denying the state's charges against his former defense team, claiming the state had committed “prosecutorial misconduct” and calling on the state to publicly release charges against the suspect and his former defense team. asked for an apology.
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She claimed that prosecutors had made “false and defamatory allegations… that caused irreparable harm.” [the suspect’s] The right to a fair trial. ”
The state later dropped the charges against the former defense team in response to Gestaudt's claims, adding that a “set of photographs” had been “lost,” according to court records.
“The defense's assertion that the backpack should have been moved and the Clorox wipes were no longer visible is inaccurate and inconsistent with the evidence available,” prosecutors said in their response.
Wealthy lakeside neighborhood shakes after family brutally murdered in their home
Early on the morning of October 21st, the suspect called 911, claiming that his 13-year-old brother had killed his family. “He shot my whole family and he also killed himself,” he said under his breath, according to the affidavit.
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According to the affidavit, detectives and prosecutors allege that the 15-year-old suspect staged the scene to make it look like his younger brother had committed the murder and committed suicide before first responders arrived. Benjamin, 13, was found with a gunshot wound to the head and his left hand holding a Glock against his chest.
During the suspect's 911 call, police received another 911 call from a neighbor, who told authorities that Humiston's 11-year-old daughter arrived at the home with a gunshot wound. He told them that his entire family had died., And it was her 15-year-old brother who shot them.
Washington state boy shot in his home, killing five of seven family members, taken into custody
The shooting occurred in the Lake Alice neighborhood of Fall City, Washington. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)
The suspect is charged with five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, both of which are designated as domestic violence, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. He is being held securely at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.
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The 15-year-old did not enter a plea pending a judge's ruling on whether the case should be transferred to adult court. This incident is scheduled for a debriefing conference on January 8, 2025.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Gestaut declined further comment.
