Carnation murder trial delayed again following last minute ruling
Jan 9, 2015, 4:59 PM | Updated: 6:06 pm
Joseph McEnroe (r) and his ex-girlfriend Michelle Anderson are both accused of killing six of her family members in Carnation on Christmas Eve, 2007. McEnroe's murder trial was set to get underway Monday but has been delayed at least one more week. (MyNorthwest composite/file)
(MyNorthwest composite/file)
The trial of a man accused of killing six family members in a Christmas Eve massacre in Carnation that was scheduled to begin Monday has been delayed for at least one more week.
Joseph McEnroe is charged with six counts of aggravated first-degree murder along with his former girlfriend, Michelle Anderson, for the 2007 shooting deaths of Anderson’s parents, brother, sister-in-law, 5-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew.
The case has been delayed by repeated trips to the state Supreme Court over pretrial issues including King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell’s denial of a defense motion to allow McEnroe, 36, to change his not-guilty plea to not guilty by reason of insanity, The Seattle Times reported.
Lawyers for McEnroe filed a last minute emergency motion Friday requesting the trial be delayed for one week while the state Supreme Court considers their request for a review of Ramsdell’s previous order. Late Friday, the Supreme Court granted the delay and ordered King County to not start the trial for at least one week, our news partner KING 5 learned.
A hearing on McEnroe’s motions is scheduled for Feb. 3.
The defense has also challenged Ramsdell’s denial of a motion to pay jurors minimum wage rather than the $10 a day as is standard practice.
Jury selection took more than three months as the defense and prosecution narrowed a field of more 700 potential jurors to a pool of 16. Seven men and nine women will serve on the panel, although only 12 will take part in deliberations while the others serve as alternates.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, although Gov. Jay Inslee has imposed a moratorium on its use while he’s in office.
Anderson is scheduled to go to trial in September. But her lawyers have asked the judge for permission to withdraw from the case over “complete and irreparable breakdown” in communication with Anderson, who has repeatedly refused to meet with them and participate in her defense, the Seattle Times reports.
The lawyers are also challenging Ramsdell’s ruling that she is mentally competent to stand trial.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
