A legal representative has provided insight into a possible motive behind a teenager’s alleged killing of his family members.
On October 21 of the previous year, police in Seattle responded to a shooting incident at a home in Fall City, Washington, around 5 a.m.
Upon arrival, they discovered two adults and three children had been shot, with a fourth child, an 11-year-old, surviving the attack with injuries.
Mark and Sarah Humiston were identified as the adult victims, along with their children, Benjamin, 13, Joshua, nine, and Katheryn, seven.
Reports suggest their 11-year-old daughter survived by pretending to be dead during the incident.
Meanwhile, the Humiston family’s 15-year-old son was taken into custody at the scene, suspected of the killings, though his identity remains undisclosed due to legal protections.
The teenager’s attorney has proposed a motive, suggesting that Mark and Sarah restricted their children’s activities within their expensive lakeside home and raised them under a ‘rigid, militant survivalist ideology’.
Mark, originally from Texas, was employed as an Associate Principal at Hargis Engineers in Seattle for nearly two decades, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Court filings from last week claim that the parents’ decision to homeschool their children, coupled with years of ‘religious extremism’ and distrust of government, led to the tragic event.
Based on interviews with nearly 100 witnesses and relatives, the documents reveal: “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,” according to KOMO News.
“Furthermore, initial reports indicate the home was abusive, tightly controlled, and dominated by extreme religious beliefs.”
The Humistons reportedly became suspicious of the COVID-19 vaccine and medical professionals.
They allegedly had access to firearms, including a handgun believed to have been used by the teenager during the incident.
Witnesses and relatives described the accused teen as ‘kind, respectful and deeply devoted to his family,’ with his maternal grandmother recounting that the mother was ‘abusive and demeaning to the children’.
She reportedly warned that she would alert authorities about the parents if the mistreatment continued.
It is alleged that the teenager opened fire on his family in the early morning hours, later returning to check their pulses.
The 11-year-old girl sustained injuries to her neck and hand but managed to escape through a window to a neighbor’s house.
The shooter reportedly contacted the police himself, misleading them by claiming his brother was responsible for the murders, allegedly triggered by trouble over looking at pornography the previous night.
He allegedly staged the scene to implicate his brother by placing a gun in his hand before officers arrived.
Police reported ‘no significant confrontation’ when apprehending him at the scene.
The prosecution argues the teen poses a ‘threat to community safety,’ while the defense points out his ‘no criminal history’.
He faces charges of five counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder.