A 15-year-old Washington state boy is facing charges related to the deaths of four members of his family in their Lake Alice home. The teen's legal team is arguing that there are two differing narratives surrounding the tragic event – one from the surviving 11-year-old sister and another from the accused teen – and that the forensic evidence aligns with the latter.

On October 21, authorities responded to a gruesome scene where the bodies of Mark Humiston (43), Sarah Humiston (42), and three of their children (Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katheryn, 7) were discovered. The 15-year-old son was taken into custody. The surviving daughter, referred to as BAH in court documents, managed to escape with injuries after playing dead.

The 15-year-old initially called 911 and implicated his 13-year-old brother, Benjamin, in the killings, claiming he then took his own life. However, BAH told authorities a different story, alleging that her older brother was the perpetrator. The defense asserts that the absence of blood on the 15-year-old, in a crime scene they describe as inevitably bloody, supports their client's version of events.

BAH recounted a harrowing experience to investigators. She described being awakened by gunfire, witnessing her father and brother lying injured in the hallway, and then seeing her younger sister shot. She alleges her older brother then shot her and checked the bodies of the other victims. She escaped through her bedroom window. BAH also stated her older brother was the only sibling who knew the combination to the lockbox where their father kept his Glock handgun, the weapon she identified as used in the shootings.

Prosecutors, however, believe the 15-year-old staged the scene to implicate his deceased brother. Benjamin was found with a gunshot wound to the head and the Glock in his hand. The accused teen faces five counts of first-degree aggravated murder, one count of first-degree attempted murder with a firearm enhancement, and all counts carry a domestic violence designation. He is being held at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center. A plea has not been entered, and the case awaits a judge’s decision on whether it will be transferred to adult court. A status conference is scheduled for January 8, 2025.