An 11-year-old girl in Washington state allegedly faked her death after the murders of five members of her family, before escaping, according to CNN.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested last Monday for the murder of his parents Mark and Sarah Humiston and three of their four children.
According to court documents, an 11-year-old girl was awakened by gunshots on the day of the tragedy. Looking outside, she saw her father and her 9-year-old brother fatally shot. She then heard another gunshot before hearing her 7-year-old sister fall to the ground.
In his room
The shooter showed up in his room before hitting him in the head and neck. The 11-year-old girl recognized her 15-year-old brother who was holding her father’s gun. The teenager had the presence of mind to pretend to be dead when her brother approached to check if she was indeed dead.
She then managed to escape through the window around 5 a.m., before asking her neighbor for help and calling 911.
The shooter himself had called the police seven minutes earlier. He claimed his 13-year-old brother killed his family before taking his own life. The lawyer for the young accused insisted on the presumption of innocence.
“I remind everyone that these are not proven facts, but simply allegations, and that the law presumes that our client is innocent of these accusations,” she said. We want the court to know that our client is a boy who enjoys mountain biking as well as fishing and who has no criminal history.”
If the alleged shooter is tried as a child, he could be detained until the age of 25 without further punishment. However, if tried as an adult, he faces life in prison with no possibility of release for 25 years.
