I. THE SILENT NIGHT IN CARNATION

The Anderson property in Carnation, Washington, was a picture of rural American success. Wayne Anderson (60), a Boeing engineer, and his wife Judy (61), a postal worker, had built a comfortable life on 10 acres of land.

They were the pillars of their family, preparing to retire and enjoy their golden years with their grandchildren. Like many Filipino families who value close-knit ties, the Andersons kept their family close—literally.

Their daughter, Michele Anderson (29), and her boyfriend of two years, Joseph McEnroe (29), lived in a mobile home (trailer) on the same property, just a short walk from the main house. To an outsider, it looked like a supportive multi-generational setup. But inside the trailer, resentment was festering.

December 24, 2007, was supposed to be a night of joy. Judy was in the kitchen, the heart of the home, preparing a pot roast and other holiday dishes. The house was decorated, warm, and inviting.

Wayne was relaxing in the living room, watching television, waiting for his son Scott, Scott’s wife Erica, and their two beautiful children, Olivia (5) and Nathan (3), to arrive for dinner. But the first knock on the door came from Michele and Joseph.

II. THE FIRST WAVE: PARRICIDE

Michele and Joseph entered the house. They were not there for the food. Michele, fueled by a toxic cocktail of entitlement and rage, approached her father. She raised a pistol and pulled the trigger. Click. The gun jammed.

In that split second of mechanical failure, Wayne looked at his daughter. He didn’t attack her; he didn’t run. He was likely paralyzed by the sheer confusion of seeing his own child try to kill him. Michele turned to Joseph, the man she dominated and manipulated, and said, “You have to do it.” Joseph didn’t hesitate. He raised his weapon and shot Wayne Anderson, killing the family patriarch instantly.

Hearing the gunshot, Judy rushed from the back of the house. She saw her husband dead and her daughter and her boyfriend standing with guns. Before she could process the betrayal, Joseph turned the gun on her. Judy was shot and fell to the floor. The woman who had given birth to Michele, who had let her live on their land rent-free for years, was gone.

The Clean-Up and The Ambush What happened next displays a level of cold-bloodedness that is hard to comprehend. They didn’t panic. They didn’t flee. They began to clean. They dragged the bodies of Wayne and Judy out of the house and into a backyard shed, hiding them from view.

They wiped up the blood on the floor. Then, they sat down. They knew Scott and his family were due to arrive shortly. The plan was not just parricide (killing parents); it was total annihilation. They waited in the house of the parents they had just murdered, surrounded by the smell of the Christmas dinner Judy had been cooking.

III. THE SECOND WAVE: THE SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS

About an hour later, headlights cut through the darkness. Scott Anderson, his wife Erica, and their two toddlers, Olivia and Nathan, arrived, expecting a night of gifts and laughter. They walked into the house, likely confused by the absence of Wayne and Judy. Instead, they were met by a hail of gunfire. Michele and Joseph opened fire immediately. Scott, the brother Michele envied and despised, was shot four times. He died defending his family.

The 911 Call In the chaos, Erica, wounded but fighting for her life, managed to dial 911. The operator answered. “Hello?” Through the line, the operator heard the terrified screams of a mother. “Not the kids! No!” It was a plea that haunts everyone who hears the transcript. Erica was not begging for her own life; she was begging for her children. Then, Joseph McEnroe grabbed the phone. He pried it from Erica’s dying hands. He threw the phone, removing the battery or smashing it to cut the line.

Even though the call was cut, the 911 system registered the location. Police were dispatched, but it would be too late.

The Execution of the Children With the adults dead or dying, the killers turned their attention to the corner of the room. Olivia (5) and Nathan (3) were clinging to their mother’s body, crying and screaming. Michele later told investigators she had a realization in that moment.

She said she didn’t want the children to grow up knowing their aunt had killed their parents. She didn’t want them to be “scarred” by the memory. In her twisted logic, death was a kindness. She ordered Joseph to “dispose” of them. Joseph shot the children at close range. The crying stopped. Six members of the Anderson family were dead. Three generations wiped out in a single evening.

IV. THE POLICE ERROR AND THE DISCOVERY

The Gate Deputies arrived at the property in response to the 911 hang-up call. However, the Anderson property was large and gated. When the police arrived, the gate was locked—likely secured by Michele and Joseph as they fled or hunkered down. The house was set far back from the road, invisible from the gate.

The deputies couldn’t see any disturbance. They heard nothing. They asked neighbors if they heard anything suspicious. The neighbors said no. Assuming it was a false alarm or a glitch, the deputies left. Inside the property, or perhaps just leaving via a back route, were two mass murderers.

The Discovery (December 26) Two days passed. The bodies lay in the house and the shed. On December 26, Linda, a coworker and close friend of Judy at the post office, became worried. Judy was punctual. She never missed work without calling. Linda drove to the house. She found the gate locked but managed to jump the fence or find a way in. She walked to the house. She knocked. No answer. She tried the door. It was unlocked. “Judy? It’s Linda!” she yelled, peering inside.

As she looked down, she saw a man lying on the floor. It was Scott. She retreated and called 911. “I know there is something drastically wrong,” she told the operator, fighting back tears. “We’re worried about her.” Crucially, Linda told the police about the family dynamics. She mentioned the tension between Judy and her daughter, Michele. She gave the police their first prime suspect before the investigation even officially began.

V. THE ARREST AND THE MOTIVE

The Return While police were processing the horrific scene—finding bodies in the living room and the shed—Michele and Joseph returned to the property. They played the role of the grieving daughter and son-in-law. They claimed they had been on their way to Las Vegas to get married but got lost and decided to come back.

They said the last time they saw the parents was on Christmas Eve. But the investigators were seasoned professionals. The story didn’t add up. Their demeanor was off. Why would you come back from a Vegas trip just because you got lost? Police brought them in for questioning.

The Confession Under interrogation, the facade crumbled quickly. Michele, perhaps seeking to control the narrative even in defeat, confessed. “It’s not Joseph’s fault,” she said. “It’s my fault. I did it.” She admitted to being the mastermind. She led police to where they had dumped the guns in a river about an hour away.

The Motive: Greed and Spite What drives a daughter to kill her entire family?

The Debt: Michele claimed her brother Scott owed her $40,000 (approx. Php 2.2 Million). She felt he was using her and had no intention of paying her back.

The Rent: Wayne and Judy had started asking Michele and Joseph to pay rent for the trailer and the utilities they were using on the property. Michele viewed this not as a reasonable request from parents to an adult daughter, but as an act of oppression and abuse.

Jealousy: She hated Erica, Scott’s wife. She felt Erica and the children stole the attention that belonged to her. She felt like the outcast, the “black sheep,” while Scott was the golden child.

It was a motive born of extreme entitlement. She killed six people because she didn’t want to pay rent and wanted money she felt she was owed.

VI. THE TRIALS: A CIRCUS OF MADNESS

The Death Penalty Debate The prosecutors initially sought the Death Penalty. The crime was heinous—multiple victims, children involved, premeditation. However, the legal landscape in Washington State was shifting. The Governor declared a moratorium on executions. The case went back and forth to the Supreme Court. Eventually, it was decided: The Death Penalty was off the table. The maximum sentence would be Life Without Parole.

Joseph’s Trial (2015) Eight years after the murders, Joseph went to trial. His defense strategy was to paint him as a victim of Michele’s manipulation. They claimed he had a low IQ and was bullied into pulling the trigger. In court, Joseph wept. When asked to describe Judy’s face before he shot her, he broke down, putting his head in his hands.

But the jury didn’t buy the “helpless puppet” act. The prosecution argued that even if Michele planned it, Joseph pulled the trigger. He had multiple chances to stop, to run, or to save the children. Instead, he executed them. He was found Guilty and sentenced to Life Imprisonment.

Michele’s Trial (2016) Michele’s trial was a spectacle of defiance. She admitted to being a “monster” but then spent hours justifying her actions. She screamed at the judge.

She fired her public defenders, claiming they weren’t helping her. “I have a Constitutional right to counsel of choice!” she yelled, demanding to be let out of jail to earn money to hire a private lawyer—a request so absurd it stunned the courtroom.

She accused her parents and brother of years of emotional abuse, painting herself as the victim who finally snapped. But the evidence showed a cold, calculated killer who wiped out her family for money.

On April 21, 2016, she was found Guilty of six counts of Aggravated First Degree Murder. She was sentenced to Life Without Parole.

VII. CONCLUSION: THE LEGACY OF CHRISTMAS EVE 2007

The Carnation Massacre remains one of the darkest chapters in Washington’s history. It serves as a terrifying reminder of how festering resentment within a family can turn lethal. Michele Anderson wanted money and attention. In the end, she got a lifetime in a concrete cell, and she ensured that no one in her family would ever celebrate Christmas again. For the community, the festive lights of Carnation will always cast a shadow of the six lives lost on that silent, bloody night.