The Christmas Eve Familicide of the Anderson Family: A Tragedy Born of Greed and Rage

Justice Served, But No Peace: The 2007 Carnation Murders

On December 24, 2007, one of Washington State’s most horrific mass murders shattered the quiet sanctuary of a rural Carnation home, claiming six lives across three generations in a single evening of calculated violence. What should have been a cherished family gathering transformed into a bloodbath orchestrated by two perpetrators motivated by financial resentment, family conflict, and unchecked rage. This is the story of how greed and manipulation weaponized one family against itself—and how the pursuit of justice consumed more than eight years of legal proceedings.

The Victims: Three Generations Lost

The Anderson family tragedy is not merely a case of numbers and crime scenes—it is the erasure of six distinct human beings, each with dreams, relationships, and irreplaceable value to their survivors.

Wayne Scott Anderson (60) and Judy Elaine Anderson (61)

Wayne Scott Anderson was born May 31, 1947, in Tucson, Arizona. After serving his country during the Vietnam War, Wayne built a respected career as a Boeing engineer, spending 27 years with the aerospace company before settling his family in Carnation, Washington, in 1980. By all accounts, Wayne was a dedicated professional whose work ethic commanded respect within his field.

Judy Elaine Anderson, born March 20, 1946, in Michigan, brought warmth and community presence to her family and neighborhood. As a carrier for the U.S. Postal Service, she worked diligently for 17 years, becoming a beloved fixture in Carnation. Those who knew Judy remembered her kindness; regular customers looked forward to her postal deliveries, and she was known for stopping at the local espresso shop for her favorite beverage after making her rounds.

Together, Wayne and Judy created a stable home on a five-acre wooded lot where they had lived for 30 years. Their younger daughter Michele still resided on their property in a single-wide mobile home, with her boyfriend, Joseph McEnroe. For Wayne and Judy, this arrangement was meant to be temporary family support—not a permanent living situation.

The rural Carnation property where the Christmas Eve familicide occurred in 2007

Scott Russell Anderson (32) and Erica Mantle Anderson (32)

Scott Russell Anderson, born October 24, 1975, embodied the values his parents instilled. Described as an “All-American” success story, Scott excelled academically and athletically throughout his school years. He earned a degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington and distinguished himself through his work ethic and integrity. By 2007, Scott held the position of crew superintendent at a major construction company, where colleagues consistently praised his leadership. Those who worked under him recognized that he would never ask them to do anything he wouldn’t do himself—a mark of genuine character and respect.

Scott’s high school sweetheart was Erica Mantle, whom he married in Las Vegas on his 24th birthday, October 24, 1999. Erica, born April 23, 1975, grew up in King County, Washington, with parents Tony and Pamela Mantle, sister Sarah, and brother Joe. In high school, Erica channeled her creative energy into track and the drill team, but her true passion lay in culinary arts and baking. She attended Lake Washington Technical College to pursue her dream of becoming a professional baker, and later studied at the Art Institute in Seattle.

Erica’s professional journey saw her advance through the bakery industry, from assistant manager at QFC Quality Food Center Supermarket to bakery manager at Sporty Bakery, where she eventually took on accounting and payroll responsibilities. Her dream—to one day own her own bakery—represented the aspirations of a creative, ambitious woman whose life was cut short before she could achieve it.

Together, Scott and Erica settled in Black Diamond, a rustic community 45 minutes from Scott’s family home. The Andersons and Mantles had welcomed Erica fully into the family from the beginning; the Mantles deeply respected Scott’s character and work ethic, while Wayne and Judy treasured the daughter-in-law who had been part of their lives since she was 17 years old.

Olivia Anderson (5) and Nathan Anderson (3)

Olivia Anderson, born March 10, 2002, was a spirited five-year-old whose grandmother, Pam Mantle, treasured photographs of her: a charming child perched confidently on her new bicycle, embodying the simple joy of childhood. Nathan Anderson, born December 10, 2004, was a delightful three-year-old boy—”overwhelmed by the attention” at his second birthday celebration, captured in family photographs that now represent some of his grandmother’s most precious remaining memories.

These innocent children had done nothing to earn their fate. In the eyes of their killers, they were expendable—merely potential “witnesses” to an act of familial murder so heinous that their young lives seemed irrelevant.

Memorial tribute to the six victims of the 2007 Carnation murders

The Crime: A Calculated Massacre

The Lead-Up: Two Weeks of Planning

Michele Kristen Anderson, born in August 1978, was the youngest child of Wayne and Judy—twelve years younger than her half-sister Mary Victoria and three years younger than her brother Scott. Unlike her siblings’ apparent stability and success, Michele struggled throughout her life. By 2007, she was unemployed and living rent-free on her parents’ property with her boyfriend of six years, Joseph Thomas McEnroe, a Target store clerk.

The seeds of tragedy had been sown not in sudden rage, but in deliberate, calculated planning. According to her own confession, Michele spent approximately two weeks plotting to kill her entire family. The motive was crystalline in its mundanity: money and wounded pride.

Michele harbored deep resentment against her brother Scott, claiming he owed her approximately $40,000 that he had “borrowed” over the years without repayment. She was angry at her parents for taking Scott’s side in this dispute, convinced that they had dismissed her claims as fabrications. She felt deeply mistreated—emotionally and, in her narrative, physically abused. Most immediately, Wayne and Judy had made a practical decision: after allowing Michele and McEnroe to live rent-free for a year, they asked the couple to begin contributing financially to utilities and rent for the trailer. This reasonable parental boundary triggered the final catalyst.

In her taped confession to detectives, Michele stated she had been “tired of everybody stepping on” her. The financial grievances, the family conflict, the perceived slights—all coalesced into a murderous plan. And she had enlisted McEnroe’s assistance, though the precise nature of his willingness versus coercion would become a critical dispute at trial.

December 24, 2007: The Christmas Eve Massacre

Around 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Michele and McEnroe drove their pickup truck from the trailer to the main house where Wayne and Judy were preparing for the family gathering. The home was warm and inviting—the Christmas tree decorated, presents arranged beneath it, the aroma of roast dinner filling the air as Judy wrapped gifts for her grandchildren.

Once inside, McEnroe deliberately distracted Judy Anderson in a back room while Michele confronted her father. In that moment, Michele raised her gun and attempted to shoot Wayne. The weapon jammed. Without hesitation, McEnroe stormed into the living room and opened fire, shooting Wayne Scott Anderson multiple times. He then turned on Judy, firing twice. Both parents fell dead in their home.^4^1

The perpetrators then committed an act of calculated evil: they dragged the bodies of Wayne and Judy outside to a shed in the backyard and systematically cleaned the blood from the house, erasing evidence and preparing the scene as if nothing had happened. For approximately one hour, they waited.

Around 4:00 p.m., Scott Anderson arrived at his parents’ home with his wife Erica and their two young children. The family carried Christmas gifts, anticipating a joyful holiday gathering. Scott settled into his customary spot on the living room couch; the children began to explore.

Michele immediately confronted her brother about the money he allegedly owed her. The conversation erupted into an argument. As words escalated to violence, Scott charged at his sister to, perhaps, disarm her. But Michele was already armed, already committed. She fired twice, striking her brother down.

Erica Anderson’s maternal instinct activated in the face of horror. As the gunfire began, she leaped over the sofa and desperately dialed 911. Her voice, desperate and terrified, reached the dispatcher: “Not the kids! No!” In those three words, we hear a mother’s primal desperation, her knowledge of what was likely to follow, her attempt to save her children’s lives through the telephone line.

The line went dead. McEnroe had seized the phone, torn the batteries from the receiver, and smashed it on the floor. Erica was left with no means of calling for help, no connection to the outside world that might bring salvation.

McEnroe then shot Erica Anderson, delivering fatal wounds. She fell, a mother who had spent her final moments not for herself, but screaming for the safety of her children.

And then, at Michele’s explicit request because she believed the children would be “traumatized for life” having witnessed their parents’ murders, McEnroe executed five-year-old Olivia Anderson and three-year-old Nathan Anderson. Both children were shot in the head.

All six victims received at least one gunshot wound to the head. A total of 14 gunshots had been fired—each one a deliberate act, each one a death sentence.

After the massacre was complete, Michele ran to the property’s gate and locked it. When two responding King County Sheriff’s deputies arrived in response to Erica’s partial 911 call, they found the locked gate and heard no sounds. Hearing nothing that compelled immediate forced entry, they chose not to investigate further. Erica’s desperate cry for help had reached no one in time.

The 911 call that connected dispatchers to the Carnation emergency

The Discovery and Investigation

For two days, the Anderson family home remained a tomb.

On December 26, 2007, Linda Thiele, a coworker and best friend of Judy Anderson, became concerned when Judy failed to appear for her postal route. Judy was nothing if not reliable; her absence was profoundly unusual. Linda drove to the Anderson property to check on her friend. Looking through a window, she saw bodies on the floor. Her frantic 911 call at approximately 8:10 a.m. finally brought justice’s machinery into motion.

What Linda initially believed were the bodies of Wayne and Judy turned out to be their son Scott and his wife Erica, lying in the living room where they had fallen. As King County detectives began their investigation, they discovered the bodies of Wayne and Judy in the backyard shed. The grim arithmetic of familicide was now undeniable: six dead, three generations erased.

While detectives were still processing the scene, a blue pickup truck arrived at the property. Michele and Joseph McEnroe drove up to the home—ostensibly returning from a planned trip to Las Vegas where they claimed they intended to elope. The stories given by the perpetrators conflicted with established facts, and their presence at the murder scene at such a convenient moment raised immediate suspicion.

Both were brought in for questioning. And both confessed.

Evidence and Confessions

Michele Anderson provided a detailed taped confession to detectives lasting over two hours. In this recording, she meticulously described the planning, the execution, and her motivations. At one point, after initially attempting to deny her role, she broke down and stated: “It’s not Joe’s fault. It’s all me. As soon as I shot the gun, I felt so bad like what the hell have I done? I’m a monster.”

This admission, however, would later be complicated by her attempts during trial to both accept and deflect responsibility. She described feeling remorse, claiming she loved her family, that she hadn’t wanted to do it—yet the evidence of premeditation, planning, and execution told a different story.

During the confession, Michele revealed critical details: she and McEnroe had disposed of two firearms by throwing them into the Stillaguamish River. She detailed the sequence of killings. She explained the financial motivations and family grievances that had festered in her mind. Importantly, she also mentioned during a June 2008 jailhouse interview with a Seattle Times reporter that she had referenced financial motives over 35 times while explaining her reasoning for murdering her family.

Forensic evidence supported the confessions. The autopsy of Dr. Richard Haruff documented the cause and nature of each death. Police recovered the weapons from the river. Physical evidence at the scene corroborated the narrative provided by both perpetrators.

The Perpetrators: Understanding Evil

Joseph Thomas McEnroe (29)

Joseph Thomas McEnroe was 29 years old at the time of the murders, having worked as a clerk at a Target store in Issaquah, Washington. He had been in a relationship with Michele Anderson for approximately six years. According to McEnroe’s defense team during his trial, he was a man of “fragile personality,” susceptible to manipulation by Michele Anderson—a woman they characterized as “pathological” in her need for control.

McEnroe’s mental health struggles were introduced at trial as potential mitigation factors, but the evidence of his participation was overwhelming. He was not merely present during the murders; he was an active and crucial participant. He killed Wayne and Judy Anderson. He shot Erica Anderson. At Michele’s request, he executed two children to prevent them from being witnesses.

During his trial, McEnroe experienced severe emotional breakdowns. He shook, twitched, and sweated in the courtroom as prosecutors presented evidence of his crimes. Whether these displays reflected genuine remorse, mental illness, or calculated courtroom performance remains uncertain.

In January 2014, McEnroe confessed to the murders as a legal strategy to avoid the death penalty. He was tried from January 19 to March 25, 2015, and convicted on all six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. On May 13, 2015, he was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary.

Michele Kristen Anderson (29)

Michele Kristen Anderson was the orchestrator—the architect of the familicide. At 29 years old, she was unemployed, living rent-free on her parents’ property, and consumed by grievances both real and imagined. But unlike her siblings, who built lives of relative achievement and stability, Michele accumulated resentment instead.

During her trial, which began on January 15, 2016, the prosecution presented evidence from 38 witnesses over approximately five weeks. Michele’s defense team called no witnesses. Her defense strategy, rather than contesting the facts, relied on claims of remorse and, in some instances, blame-shifting toward McEnroe—despite the overwhelming evidence of her planning and instigation.

Michele’s taped confession, her detailed description of two weeks of planning, her admission that she mentioned financial motives 35 times, and her explicit request that McEnroe kill the children to prevent them from being witnesses all pointed to one inescapable conclusion: Michele Kristen Anderson was the prime architect of mass murder.

The jury deliberated briefly. On March 4, 2016, they found Michele Anderson guilty on six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. On April 20, 2016, she was formally sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Michele Anderson remains incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. She is expected to appeal her conviction.

The Trials: Eight Years of Delayed Justice

The path from crime to conviction consumed more than eight years—a span of time that extended the agony of survivors, consumed enormous public resources, and tested the patience and endurance of the criminal justice system.

The McEnroe Trial (January-May 2015)

Joseph McEnroe’s trial began on January 19, 2015, delayed more than seven years from the crimes themselves. The jury heard testimony regarding his role in the murders, his confessions, and his mental state. McEnroe’s defense strategy focused on portraying him as a tool manipulated by Michele Anderson—a man whose “fragile personality” made him susceptible to her control.

Prosecutor Scott O’Toole presented a powerful case to the jury and later to the penalty phase jury, describing McEnroe as a participant who murdered multiple people, including two small children. During closing arguments in the penalty phase, O’Toole displayed photographs of the six victims’ bodies. Audience members wept at the images—a visceral reminder of the finality of murder.

The jury convicted McEnroe on all counts on March 25, 2015. In the penalty phase, only one juror was required to vote for life to spare him from execution, and at least eight jurors favored the death penalty. However, a statewide moratorium on capital punishment imposed by then-Governor Jay Inslee prevented execution from being imposed as a sentence. McEnroe received six consecutive life sentences on May 13, 2015.

The Anderson Trial (January-April 2016)

Michele Anderson’s trial followed nearly a year later. Beginning January 15, 2016, the jury heard evidence from 38 witnesses, largely repeating the presentation made at McEnroe’s trial but with additional emphasis on Michele’s role as the originating force behind the murders.

Prosecutor Scott O’Toole opened the trial by painting a picture of domestic serenity about to be shattered: a Christmas tree decorated, a roast simmering in the oven, a grandmother wrapping presents for her grandchildren, a grandfather unwinding in front of the television. He then described the invasion of that sanctuary by Michele and McEnroe, and the methodical execution of six people.

O’Toole characterized the motive as “pure, unadulterated greed.” He presented Michele’s own words from her taped confession, where she described planning the murders for two weeks and mentioning financial grievances 35 times. He described her lockdown of the property gate after Erica’s 911 call—a deliberate action to prevent police intervention. He presented her presence at the crime scene after the murders, where she initially offered false explanations before finally admitting responsibility.

Michele’s defense team did not call a single witness. Instead, they attempted to argue that her confession revealed remorse, that she loved her family, that she had not wanted to commit the murders. Some of the defense narrative, reported during trial coverage, suggested that she had been the victim of abuse—a claim the prosecution forcefully contested with evidence of her own violent and abusive behavior toward others.

The jury deliberated and, on March 4, 2016, convicted Michele Anderson on all six counts of aggravated first-degree murder. Because McEnroe had not received the death penalty due to the gubernatorial moratorium, prosecutorial discretion, or jury sentencing, the death penalty was no longer available as a punishment for Anderson. She was sentenced to six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole on April 20, 2016.

At her sentencing hearing, Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell addressed the courtroom, acknowledging the suffering of the victims’ families: “You have all suffered tremendous losses. Fortunately, this lengthy chapter of your nightmare is almost over.”

The Voices of Survivors: Bearing Witness

The eight-year journey through the criminal justice system was not merely procedural—it was an ongoing ordeal for those left behind.

Pam Mantle, Erica’s mother, became a constant presence at every court proceeding. Unable to shake the trauma of losing her daughter, her son-in-law, and her two beloved grandchildren, Pam felt compelled to ensure that Michele understood she would be held accountable. She attended trials, suffered through testimony, and carried the weight of survivors’ grief.

During Michele’s sentencing hearing in April 2016, Pam Mantle addressed Michele directly, her words cutting to the heart of familial betrayal: “When you shot her, she called 911 not just to save herself but to save her babies because she knew you’d kill them, too. I don’t think you’re big and tough, Michele. I think you’re a bully and a coward. I am brokenhearted. Every day, I miss those six people.”

Pam’s words encapsulated a truth that transcends legal proceedings: the human cost of murder extends far beyond the courtroom, consuming the lives of those who survive.

Tony Mantle, Erica’s father, remembered his son-in-law with profound respect. He had hired Scott to work in construction after his university graduation, and Scott “earned everyone’s respect. He was a good listener, and everyone knew Scott wouldn’t ask them to do something he wouldn’t do himself. He was a strong and genuinely caring individual.”

Sarah Van Wyk, Erica’s sister, struggled with anxiety and hypervigilance in the aftermath. “I will never be the same person again,” she confessed. The murders had robbed her of the ability to trust others with her young children’s care, trapping her in a cycle of protective fear.

Mary Victoria Anderson, Scott and Michele’s oldest sister, lost a brother in an act of familial violence perpetrated by her youngest sister. Ben Anderson, a grandson of Wayne and Judy, grieved the loss of his grandparents and speculated to reporters about Michele’s sense of being unloved and ostracized from the family—observations that, while potentially true, could never justify mass murder.

Conclusion: Justice, But Not Closure

On December 24, 2007, six lives ended in violence motivated by financial resentment and family dysfunction. Michele Kristen Anderson and Joseph Thomas McEnroe were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Formal justice was served—but true justice, the restoration of what was lost, remains impossible.

The Anderson family Christmas Eve Massacre stands as a haunting reminder that familicide often springs not from external threats, but from internal rot—unresolved conflicts, simmering resentments, and the terrible capacity for violence that lies dormant in some individuals until circumstances and personality align to catastrophic effect.

Wayne and Judy Anderson, who spent 30 years building a stable family home, died at the hands of their youngest daughter. Scott and Erica Anderson, ambitious and loving, were executed for being complicit in a financial disagreement they had attempted to resolve reasonably. Olivia and Nathan Anderson, innocent of all offenses, were murdered to prevent them from being witnesses to violence they had not provoked.

In the end, Michele’s complaints about money were vindicated only in this perverse way: she got what she felt she deserved through the deaths of everyone around her. And the cost of that twisted “victory” is that she will spend the remainder of her natural life in a cell, remembering what she destroyed.

For Pam Mantle, who wakes every morning thinking of the six people she lost, and for the other survivors who carry the scars of December 24, 2007, no sentence will ever be sufficient. The real victims of the Carnation murders are not those who died—they, at least, are at peace. The real victims are those who survived, who must live with the knowledge that three generations of the Anderson family were erased by greed and rage on a Christmas Eve that should have been filled with love.

About This Investigation

This investigative blog post draws exclusively from court documents, police reports, trial transcripts, media coverage, and verified sources documenting the 2007 Carnation murders case. All claims are grounded in specific, documented materials from the King County Superior Court, law enforcement agencies, and credible news organizations. This account prioritizes accuracy, victim dignity, and journalistic integrity in representing one of Washington State’s most devastating mass homicides.

Case Status: Both Michele Kristen Anderson and Joseph Thomas McEnroe remain imprisoned for life without parole. McEnroe is incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary; Anderson is incarcerated at Washington Corrections Center for Women. Both have pursued or are expected to pursue appeals of their convictions.

This investigative piece is dedicated to the memory of Wayne Scott Anderson, Judy Elaine Anderson, Scott Russell Anderson, Erica Mantle Anderson, Olivia Anderson, and Nathan Anderson. Their lives mattered. Their deaths demand accountability and remembrance.