Joseph McEnroe, who admitted killing four adults and two children on Christmas Eve 2007, is trying to convince a jury to spare his life.
Quick Facts:
- Carnation killer Joe McEnroe tells jurors: "If you want to kill me, go ahead."
- He was talking about the killings to avoid the death penalty.
- The jury is in the penalty phase of trial, deciding death penalty or life in prison.
- McEnroe was already convicted of killing six members of his girlfriend's family.
- Defense claims McEnroe's girlfriend, Michelle Anderson, forced him to kill her family.
But Wednesday McEnroe admitted Michele Anderson told him he could stay home on Christmas Eve 2007. It was his decision to go protect her.
Now McEnroe acknowledges they were never in danger.
McEnroe admitted if he hadn’t loaded the guns, the Anderson family would still be alive. At one point during questioning from the prosecution, McEnroe demonstrated how Judy Anderson screamed after seeing her husband shot, knowing she was next.
The six people he shot were family members of Michele Anderson, his girlfriend at the time. The victims were her parents, Wayne and Judy; her brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Erica; and their children, Olivia, 5, and Nathan, 3.
Relatives of the victims cried as McEnroe described the murders.
Follow this link to see photos of the Anderson family.
McEnroe kept blaming his girlfriend Michele Anderson for murders. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O’Toole got McEnroe to acknowledge Michele Anderson froze after firing one shot, that’s when he took over the shooting.
“I shot Erica, Nathan, and Olivia and before I shot them I told them I was sorry,” McEnroe said Wednesday.
Relatives of the victims shook their heads and cried during the testimony. The same jury that convicted McEnroe of six counts of murder will decide if he get the death penalty or life in prison.
McEnroe said he knew he could face the death penalty after the murders.
“We could have saved everyone a lot of effort and killed ourselves,” said McEnroe Wednesday.
Michele Anderson is also charged with the murders. Her trial is schedule for the fall.
McEnroe will be back on the stand Thursday morning. The prosecution has more questions then the defense gets another chance to question McEnroe.
Click here to read previous coverage of the McEnroe murder trial.
Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.
KIRO
