Latest news with #SarahHumiston
International Business Times
7 days ago
- International Business Times
Seattle Teen Who Shot Dead His Parents and Three Siblings Grew Up Isolated in Abusive Household of Extremists, Lawyer Claims
The deranged 15-year-old accused of killing his entire family in their luxurious lakeside mansion in Washington was brought up in extreme isolation and raised under a "rigid", militant survivalist ideology," according to his attorney. Mark and Sarah Humiston pushed their son toward committing the horrific crime after hammering him and his siblings to years of religious extremism and government paranoia, court documents filed last week show. Prosecutors allege that the couple's eldest son — whose name hasn't been revealed—shot dead his parents, 13-year-old brother Benjamin, 9-year-old brother Joshua, and 7-year-old sister Katheryn during the night last October. His 11-year-old sister managed to survive the massacre by pretending to be dead. Abusive Childhood Triggered Murders Mark and Sarah Humiston Facebook "A common theme that has been expressed amongst extended family, neighbors, and those who knew the Humistons is that the children were isolated from the outside world and did not engage socially with many peers – only a select few families that went to their church and were friends of their family," the court documents, obtained by KOMO News, said. "Furthermore, initial reports indicate the home was abusive, tightly controlled, and dominated by extreme religious beliefs." Mark and Sarah Humiston were shot dead by their 15-year-old son Facebook The accused teen and his dead siblings were homeschooled and raised under a strict, militaristic survivalist belief system, according to the documents. The Humistons were reportedly extremely distrustful of the government and healthcare workers, particularly in relation to the Covid-19 vaccine, which the defense described as contributing to a life of deep isolation. The entire family was reportedly given access to firearms, including the handgun owned by Mark Humiston, which the teen allegedly used in his attempt to kill his entire family. Mark Humiston LinkedIn These details emerged from nearly 100 interviews with relatives and witnesses, many of whom described the teen as "kind, respectful, and deeply devoted to his family." Sympathy with the Killer Even his maternal grandmother supported him, telling lawyers that Sarah Humiston was "was abusive and demeaning to the children." The woman reportedly told police she had previously warned the Humiston parents that she would report them if the alleged abuse continued. Mark Humiston X That alleged mistreatment appeared to reach a breaking point last October when the 15-year-old systematically shot his family members one by one inside their $2 million home in suburban Seattle. The teen began firing around 5 a.m., coldly shooting each victim and then checking their pulses afterward. His 11-year-old sister was the sole survivor. She pretended to be dead after being shot in the neck and hand, then escaped through a window to a neighbor's home before he could finish her off, according to police. Mark and Sarah Humiston Facebook Meanwhile, the teen called 911 and falsely claimed that his 13-year-old brother had murdered their family and taken his own life after getting in trouble for viewing pornography the night before. The teen then staged the gruesome crime scene before emergency responders arrived, trying to frame his dead brother for the murders by placing a gun in his hand, according to the charging documents. He was immediately arrested at the scene and is now facing five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder.
Time of India
02-08-2025
- Time of India
Washington mansion killings: 15-year-old 'killed' parents, siblings; was raised in ‘militant survivalist' home
A 15-year-old boy accused of murdering nearly his entire family in their $2 million lakeside mansion in suburban Seattle was raised under a 'rigid, militant survivalist ideology' and kept isolated from the outside world, according to new court documents filed last week. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Prosecutors allege that the teenager, whose identity remains protected due to his age, fatally shot his parents, Mark and Sarah Humiston, as well as his siblings Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katheryn, 7, in the early hours of a morning in October last year. Only his 11-year-old sister survived after pretending to be dead when he shot her in the neck and hand. She managed to escape through a window and ran to a neighbour's home for help. Court filings, obtained by KOMO News, suggest the family lived an extremely secluded and controlled life shaped by religious extremism and deep distrust of government and medical authorities. 'A common theme that has been expressed amongst extended family, neighbors, and those who knew the Humistons is that the children were isolated from the outside world and did not engage socially with many peers – only a select few families that went to their church and were friends of their family,' the documents said, as cited by the New York Post. 'Furthermore, initial reports indicate the home was abusive, tightly controlled, and dominated by extreme religious beliefs.' The children were homeschooled, and the entire family reportedly adhered to a rigid lifestyle based on survivalist values. The Humistons were described as intensely paranoid about government interference, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and harboured deep mistrust of medical professionals, especially in relation to the vaccine. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the defence team, all the children had access to firearms, and it was Mark Humiston's own handgun that the teenager used to carry out the massacre. Charging documents claim he opened fire at around 5 am, methodically checking the pulses of his victims after shooting them, New York Post reported. Despite the brutality of the attack, nearly 100 interviews with family members and acquaintances painted the boy as 'kind, respectful, and deeply devoted to his family.' Even his maternal grandmother expressed sympathy for the accused, reportedly telling investigators that Sarah Humiston 'was abusive and demeaning to the children,' and that she had once threatened to report the parents for alleged mistreatment. In an apparent effort to mislead investigators, the boy called 911 after the killings and claimed his 13-year-old brother had shot the family before killing himself after being caught viewing pornography the night before. He is said to have staged the crime scene to support this narrative, even placing the murder weapon in his brother's hand before first responders arrived. The teen was arrested at the scene and now faces five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder.
New York Post
01-08-2025
- New York Post
New details shed light on why 15-year-old may have killed parents, 3 siblings in Washington mansion
The deranged 15-year-old accused of slaughtering all but one of his family members in their ritzy lakeside Washington mansion was kept isolated from the world and raised under a 'rigid, militant survivalist ideology,' his lawyer claims. Mark and Sarah Humiston drove their future killer son to the heinous crime after hammering him and his siblings with years of religious extremism and government paranoia, according to court documents filed last week. Prosecutors say their oldest son — whose identity has been kept under wraps — shot his parents, brothers Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and sister Katheryn, 7, in the middle of the night in October. His 11-year-old sister survived the bloodbath by playing dead. 3 Mark and Sarah Humiston and three of their children were killed by their oldest son last fall. Facebook 'A common theme that has been expressed amongst extended family, neighbors, and those who knew the Humistons is that the children were isolated from the outside world and did not engage socially with many peers – only a select few families that went to their church and were friends of their family,' the court documents, obtained by KOMO News, said. 'Furthermore, initial reports indicate the home was abusive, tightly controlled, and dominated by extreme religious beliefs.' The killer and his dead siblings were homeschooled and kept under a 'rigid, militant survivalist ideology,' the documents claim. The Humisons were allegedly deeply paranoid of the government and medical professionals, especially surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, leading to what the defense team painted as an isolating lifestyle. 3 The parents were allegedly religious extremists and ran a 'militant' household. Facebook They were also all allegedly given access to firearms, including Mark Humiston's handgun that the teenager used in his attempt to wipe out his entire family. The revelations were pieced together from nearly 100 interviews with witnesses and family members, many of whom spoke of the killer teen as 'kind, respectful, and deeply devoted to his family.' Even the boy's maternal grandmother sided with him, telling attorneys that Sarah Humiston 'was abusive and demeaning to the children.' 3 The murder took place in the family's $2 million Washington home. KOMO News The woman allegedly told cops she had previously threatened to report the Humiston parents if their abuse did not stop. The alleged abuse apparently came to a head last October when the 15-year-old methodically gunned down his family members one by one in their $2 million suburban Seattle mansion. The teen opened fire around 5 a.m., chillingly shooting them and then returning to check their pulses. Only his sister, an 11-year-old, survived by playing dead when he fired at her neck and hand. She slipped out of a window to a neighbor's house before he could finish the job, police said. At the same time, the gunman called 911 and told dispatchers that his 13-year-old brother had killed their family and 'taken himself out' because he had gotten in trouble looking at pornography the night before. He then staged the bloody scene before first responders arrived in an attempt to pin the killings on his dead brother, even putting a gun in his hand, according to the charging documents. The teen was immediately taken into custody and faces five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder.
Daily Mail
01-08-2025
- Daily Mail
Parents' disturbing behavior before son, 15, murdered them and three siblings at stunning $1.5m lakeside home
The parents of a 15-year-old accused of murdering them and three of his siblings were religious extremists who isolated the family, according to court documents. The accused teen killer, whose identity remains withheld due to a court order, was charged with the murders of his parents Mark and Sarah Humiston, 43 and 42, and siblings Katheryn, 7, Joshua, 9, and Benjamin, 13. Police say he massacred his family at their $1.5million lakefront home in Fall City, Washington, on October 2024. Only his 11-year-old sister survived the attack after she played dead and ran away to a neighbor's home. But the teen's lawyers said in court that his parents were abusive and tightly controlled their children's lives, isolating them from the outside world over their paranoia about the government and medical professionals. The Humistons were extremely religious and particularly suspicious about the Covid-19 vaccine, according to court documents seen by KOMO News. They homeschooled their children and raised them under a 'rigid, militant survivalist ideology,' giving them access to firearms, according to the teen's lawyer. Sarah Humiston's mother allegedly told authorities that her daughter was 'abusive and demeaning' to the children. The grandmother told police she threatened to report her daughter if the abuse did not stop, per court filings. 'A common theme that has been expressed amongst extended family, neighbors, and those who knew the Humistons is that the children were isolated from the outside world and did not engage socially with many peers – only a select few families that went to their church and were friends of their family,' the teen's lawyers said in court documents. The teen's attorneys revealed the information as they asked the court for more time to build a defense for him. They said 'everyone we have spoken with describe [the 15-year-old] as kind, respectful, and deeply devoted to his family.' The attorneys said the family's isolation has made it difficult to build a picture of that their life was like before the killings. Prosecutors, however, want the teen tried as an adult. They said the teen tried framing his younger brother Benjamin for the killings before his surviving sister revealed what had really occurred. The teen called 911 saying his brother had shot the family dead before killing himself after being caught watching porn the previous evening, according to police. He was also accused of staging the crime scene to implicate his 13-year-old brother. According to investigators, the 11-year-old survivor told detectives she witnessed her brother shooting family members and then checking their pulses to ensure they were dead. Her older brother then re-entered her bedroom, where she closed her eyes and held her breath as he stood next to her bed. She played dead before she escaping the bloodbath through a 'fire window' in her room and ran about a quarter of a mile away to a neighbor's house. In a disturbing detail, she remembered her brother leaning over the three family members he gunned down in the hallway before touching their bloodied bodies to make sure they were actually dead.
Daily Mail
11-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Bad news for Washington boy, 15, accused of murdering parents and three siblings at stunning $1.4m lakeside home
A 15-year-old boy accused of killing his parents and three siblings in a picturesque, $1.4 million lakeside mansion in the Pacific Northwest may be tried as an adult under a move that would result in harsher penalties if found guilty. The Humiston family were horrifically massacred with the boy's father's Glock handgun in Washington last October. The accused teen killer is currently being tried in juvenile court with five counts of first-degree aggravated murder for allegedly killing his parents, Mark, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, and three of their children: Katheryn, 7, Joshua, 9, and Benjamin, 13. He is also facing one count of first-degree attempted murder of his surviving sister, 11. A King County Superior Court judge held a hearing on Tuesday as part of the push by prosecutors to determine if the boy will be tried as an adult, The Seattle Times reported. The prosecution requested a 'decline hearing' to begin a long investigation into the boy's life, including his school success, mental health history, or previous disciplinary actions or criminal activity. Judge Veronica Galván said: 'I understand that there's still some investigation, but the factors in the decline hearing are not all tied within some of the things that remain to investigate.' 'So I want to make sure that we are not conflating the two.' Prosecuting attorney Jason Brookhyser said a 'first round' of DNA analysis had been completed, ballistics analysis of shell casings is ongoing, and additional evidence was being tested for DNA. The couple's eldest son, 15, (in green) is accused of killing his parents, two brothers, and one of his two sisters. The surviving sister, 11, (in red) was shot twice and is now in hospital. The siblings are pictured with their father during happier times Brookhyser added that they're also waiting on a crime scene response report from the Washington State Patrol, but that they are ready to set a date for the hearing. The boy's defense attorney Kristen Gestaut requested additional evidence before addressing the juvenile decline factors, the outlet reported. Judge Galván ordered the defense to file a brief addressing the factors by next month. But Gestaut argued that 'initial testing' showed 'contamination' of the firearms in evidence for the case. She added that records for the boy's school and medical records were 'very limited' and it has been a challenge to obtain any information from other family members. The next hearing on the decision will be held in September. The two parents and three of their children were found dead, and another injured, just before 5am on October 21 in Fall City, about 25 miles east of Seattle. Mark and Sarah Humiston were said to have been extremely religious and imposed a highly-controlled existence on their five homeschooled children - including dictating who they could be friends with. A police report obtained by alleged that the teen tried to blame the massacre on his younger 13-year-old brother Benjamin. He claimed Benjamin shot the family and then killed himself after being caught watching porn the night prior to the incident. But it was the 15-year-old's younger sister and sole survivor of the bloodbath that said it was her eldest brother who fired two shots at her. The 11-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the neck and arm but managed to survive the attack by playing dead before escaping through a window and running to a neighbor's home for help, according to an affidavit from the King's County Sheriff. According to detectives, the 15-year-old also attempted to stage the crime scene to lend credence to his story that it had been a murder-suicide perpetrated by Benjamin. The report notes that a black Glock pistol had been placed in the child's hand, but forensic investigators found that the ballistics didn't align with the scene as blood splatter from a fatal wound to the boy's face was in the wrong place. Neighbors had described the Humistons as 'the perfect family.' Soccer coach Rhea Robertson, who had mentored one of the victims, told KOMO News at a vigil held on Tuesday night that the couple had been 'dedicated' parents. 'Dad worked so hard, and mom was the most dedicated, loyal mother you could ask for,' she said. 'You thought they were perfect. From the outside, they looked perfect to me.' But family insiders told that their idyllic existence had a dark side, with the ultra-religious parents imposing a strict schedule on their five children and having extremely 'high expectations' of them. The source described how the family maintained a small tight-knit circle and had caused some bad feeling in the community over the summer after ordering their eldest sons to stay away from the children of LGBTQ families living nearby. 'It caused some disquiet,' the source said. 'Mark found out that the boys had made friends with those kids and insisted they didn't see them again. Everyone was quite upset about it.' Yet, a memorial of flowers was placed outside of their home the week of the deadly shooting.
