WA - 3 children, ages 13, 9 and 7, among 5 killed inside Fall City home, 15 y.o. in custody - 21 October 2024

[Charlot123]

In regards to the "failing tests" as a homeschooler:

He very well could have been in some hybrid online type of homeschooling. This is just speculation as I have absolutely no idea if that is even an option in WA.

In our state, you can be considered a homeschool student and be 100% enrolled in online public school. Or you can do a hybrid type of schooling. My oldest takes a few online classes offered to public school students & the rest of her subjects are what you would consider "traditional" homeschooling. With these online classes, she has to take tests & quizzes just like any student attending a brick & mortar school. She also has labs & assignments to complete which are graded by a teacher.

Perhaps the shooter was in some type of online or hybrid schooling that would still be considered homeschooling. Hence the "failing tests" comment that came from the sister. Again, pure speculation as I have no idea if this is even an option in WA.

Everything is an option, there are tons of choices, and when we once attended National Merit Scholarship meeting, the kids were from everywhere. Huge public schools, schools for alternative learning, someone was homeschooled. There is no discrimination as long as people learn the material and do well at PSAT. But: one special problem with Fall City, it is in the middle on nowhere, on the highway from Western to Eastern WA, and the only thing I ever heard about the place was the impossibility of getting out using public transportation. So either all kids had to go to hybrid school or maybe, homeschooling.

 

[nightowl1975]

I know that nurses (and other healthcare professionals as well) are leaving in droves, but I do wonder if her not renewing her license was her idea.

It lapsed about 18 months into Covid. This was very, very common. Healthcare was an enormous mess during the pandemic, much more than usual.

 

[airportwoman]

In regards to the "failing tests" as a homeschooler:

He very well could have been in some hybrid online type of homeschooling. This is just speculation as I have absolutely no idea if that is even an option in WA.

In our state, you can be considered a homeschool student and be 100% enrolled in online public school. Or you can do a hybrid type of schooling. My oldest takes a few online classes offered to public school students & the rest of her subjects are what you would consider "traditional" homeschooling. With these online classes, she has to take tests & quizzes just like any student attending a brick & mortar school. She also has labs & assignments to complete which are graded by a teacher.

Perhaps the shooter was in some type of online or hybrid schooling that would still be considered homeschooling. Hence the "failing tests" comment that came from the sister. Again, pure speculation as I have no idea if this is even an option in WA.

Both of my nieces were homeschooled at different times, in both cases due to health issues, and they got their lessons through the nearby public school. The school monitored their progress, and they were also allowed to go on field trips if they were up for it.

 

[Seattle1]

The family residence in the Lake Alice Neighborhood (Fall City, WA) is not so different than living in similar high end areas in the area. They had neighbors, were 14 miles from Costco, and even closer to Starbucks. If they moved to Lake Alice 6 years ago, the offender would have been age 11, and his siblings even younger when they moved in. Hypothetically, if grandparents had lived on the Lake before them, this would not be unfamiliar territory.
7715 Lake Alice Rd SE to Costco Wholesale

Neighbors listing sold 4 days ago...

Home for sale in Fall City: 7805 Lake Alice Road SE, Fall City, WA 98024

3 bed, 3 bath, 2,580 SQFT house. Crafted with distinctive Northwest flair, this lakeside retreat on Lake Alice offers a picturesque setting on ... .

www.windermere.com

And another neighbor with not such a grand estate (1 BR built 1949)..

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7245-Lake-Alice-Rd-SE_Fall-City_WA_98024_M23102-86960

I believe this was the family's previous residence located in Edmonds, WA (Snohomish County) before moving to their Lake Alice neighborhood in Fall City.

Home for sale in Edmonds: 13920 54th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026

4 bed, 3 bath, 2,114 SQFT house. Style, Space & Tranquility Unequaled! Don't miss this exceptional 4-bedroom home in the Wingate Neighborhood... .

www.windermere.com

 

[Zinn]

Yeah it makes perfect sense to me. Assuming the kids were in public school until spring 2020 then the 7 yo would have never attended school, the 9 yo only kindergarten, the 11 yo would have only been in first grade. , and the 13 yo only in third grade. But the 15 yo would have been in middle school. I think the social impact of covid and of homeschooling would have been different on him. Still there are reports the the kids were well socialized so I don't know.

15 year old would have been 10 when Covid began impacting schools. He turned 15 just last month.

 

[Lusitana]

The family residence in the Lake Alice Neighborhood (Fall City, WA) is not so different than living in similar high end areas in the area. They had neighbors, were 14 miles from Costco, and even closer to Starbucks. If they moved to Lake Alice 6 years ago, the offender would have been age 11, and his siblings even younger when they moved in. Hypothetically, if grandparents had lived on the Lake before them, this would not be unfamiliar territory.
7715 Lake Alice Rd SE to Costco Wholesale

Neighbors listing sold 4 days ago...

Home for sale in Fall City: 7805 Lake Alice Road SE, Fall City, WA 98024

3 bed, 3 bath, 2,580 SQFT house. Crafted with distinctive Northwest flair, this lakeside retreat on Lake Alice offers a picturesque setting on ... .

www.windermere.com

And another neighbor with not such a grand estate (1 BR built 1949)..

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7245-Lake-Alice-Rd-SE_Fall-City_WA_98024_M23102-86960

I believe this was the family's previous residence located in Edmonds, WA (Snohomish County) before moving to their Lake Alice neighborhood in Fall City.

Home for sale in Edmonds: 13920 54th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026

4 bed, 3 bath, 2,114 SQFT house. Style, Space & Tranquility Unequaled! Don't miss this exceptional 4-bedroom home in the Wingate Neighborhood... .

www.windermere.com

Well, they did have great taste picking their homes. Both beautiful and really open.

 

[sunflowermomma]

Fall City and most surrounding towns in the valley are expensive but not necessarily wealthy. Land values are high, rent is high, but there are a lot of holdout residents from 20 years ago before Amazon came to town and the property prices increased. I keep seeing the area referred to as very wealthy, but it is definitely very different socioeconomically and culturally than neighboring Issaquah or Sammamish. My mother lives less than a mile from where this happened.

 

[Charlot123]

.So I checked and unbelievably, there is a bus from Fall City to the places with good Running Start programs. But it takes 3 hours to get to these cities! Consider that Fall city is 25 miles East of Seattle, unless the site is glitching it is unbelievable.

 

[Charlot123]

The family residence in the Lake Alice Neighborhood (Fall City, WA) is not so different than living in similar high end areas in the area. They had neighbors, were 14 miles from Costco, and even closer to Starbucks. If they moved to Lake Alice 6 years ago, the offender would have been age 11, and his siblings even younger when they moved in. Hypothetically, if grandparents had lived on the Lake before them, this would not be unfamiliar territory.
7715 Lake Alice Rd SE to Costco Wholesale

Neighbors listing sold 4 days ago...

Home for sale in Fall City: 7805 Lake Alice Road SE, Fall City, WA 98024

3 bed, 3 bath, 2,580 SQFT house. Crafted with distinctive Northwest flair, this lakeside retreat on Lake Alice offers a picturesque setting on ... .

www.windermere.com

And another neighbor with not such a grand estate (1 BR built 1949)..

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/7245-Lake-Alice-Rd-SE_Fall-City_WA_98024_M23102-86960

I believe this was the family's previous residence located in Edmonds, WA (Snohomish County) before moving to their Lake Alice neighborhood in Fall City.

Home for sale in Edmonds: 13920 54th Ave W, Edmonds, WA 98026

4 bed, 3 bath, 2,114 SQFT house. Style, Space & Tranquility Unequaled! Don't miss this exceptional 4-bedroom home in the Wingate Neighborhood... .

www.windermere.com

I think I heard of the place from someone living there, and people told me it was hard to get out. Costco headquarters could be the sign of “civilization”, but it is in Issaquah, a much larger city. Starbucks IMHO is not a landmark. North Bend nearby has a huge outlet mall. I never gave it much thinking, tbh, but Fall City is a rural area and realistically, the only fast way out would be I-90.
One thing about living on the lake: gorgeous in summer, cold and unpleasant in winter. I’d feel trapped in such a place, but to each their own. It still can’t explain what has happened for sure.

 

[Knox]

Defense team for Fall City teen accused of killing 5 family members will be allowed inside home

Over the weekend, the 15-year-old's defense petitioned the court to lockdown the scene.

www.king5.com

 

[Knox]

Why is a Judge protecting juvenile Fall City mass murder suspect?

King County Judge Joe Campagna is censoring the media in an order protecting the juvenile Fall City mass murder suspect. Why?

mynorthwest.com

 

[vls12345]

Some detectives on Fall City killings case have seen this horror before

For John Urquhart, the family tragedy is reminiscent of the 2007 Carnation murders in which six family members were murdered by a relative.

www.king5.com

 

[Hopefullyhelpful]

Everything is an option, there are tons of choices, and when we once attended National Merit Scholarship meeting, the kids were from everywhere. Huge public schools, schools for alternative learning, someone was homeschooled. There is no discrimination as long as people learn the material and do well at PSAT. But: one special problem with Fall City, it is in the middle on nowhere, on the highway from Western to Eastern WA, and the only thing I ever heard about the place was the impossibility of getting out using public transportation. So either all kids had to go to hybrid school or maybe, homeschooling.

I’m sorry, we are NOT the middle of nowhere. While we don’t have a great public transport system, we aren’t exactly out 8n the middle of a desert here.

 

[Charlot123]

=I’m sorry, we are NOT the middle of nowhere. While we don’t have a great public transport system, we aren’t exactly out 8n the middle of a desert here.

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anyone else. I just said about my own feeling, trapped. However, if you look at the map of King County (the biggest and most populous one of Washington for those who are not local), Fall City lies in "the beginning of less-populated area", the populated one ending with Snohomish - Issaquah. The area along 202-203 routes, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Duvall, Carnation looks sparsely populated, not a continuum of cities. Curiously, one can see that this is precisely how the housing development will expand, and the property in the towns along these routes is a great investment. I can see why many adults love the area. Teenagers vary, but their "natural habitat" would be public places, malls, where they hang out with friends. Not sure about their feeling, 10 years from now it could be fun and cool.
(Today, 2000 people, very homogenous population, 6.8% of them in the older kids' group, would be dull for me if I were a teenager. JMO).

 

[Knox]

Defense attorneys in Fall City quintuple homicide spend day at crime scene

The defense team took pictures of the crime scene in order to make a 3D scan. They did not collect any physical evidence per a judge's order.

www.king5.com

 

[vls12345]

Defense attorneys in Fall City quintuple homicide spend day at crime scene

The defense team took pictures of the crime scene in order to make a 3D scan. They did not collect any physical evidence per a judge's order.

www.king5.com

Thanks for posting this article. In the video along with it, the news station created a basic floor plan of the house based on public records & marked where each of the victims was found in the house. Also, in the aerial shots of the house, it's interesting to see how close it looks like it is to the house next to it.

 

[Clearsky]

Defense team for Fall City teen accused of killing 5 family members will be allowed inside home

Over the weekend, the 15-year-old's defense petitioned the court to lockdown the scene.

www.king5.com

The 15-year-old boy, who is part of the same family, is accused of pulling the trigger. He remains in juvenile detention while he waits to find out if the case will be tried in adult court.

 

[LadyL]

can anyone tell me why there would be three bottles of pop at a memorial for the victims? maybe it was the three deceased children's favourite kind?

Defense attorneys in Fall City quintuple homicide spend day at crime scene

The defense team took pictures of the crime scene in order to make a 3D scan. They did not collect any physical evidence per a judge's order.

www.king5.com

 

[GRT]

I have to wonder if the family choosing to homeschool had anything to do with the oldest son having some behavioral/scholastic problems in public school.

Pulling five kids out of public school to homeschool seems a lot to tackle all at once. Did the parents feel they were losing control of their children? It's reported that the parents had rules the children could not play with the children of nearby LBGT families and that those rules caused a rift in the neighborhood.

Complete speculation, but I have to wonder if the oldest son had a crush on a daughter/son of the LBGT family. Teens (and adults) can do some crazy things when they're in love.

All JMOO

 

[Deleted member 296739]

I have to wonder if the family choosing to homeschool had anything to do with the oldest son having some behavioral/scholastic problems in public school.

Pulling five kids out of public school to homeschool seems a lot to tackle all at once. Did the parents feel they were losing control of their children? It's reported that the parents had rules the children could not play with the children of nearby LBGT families and that those rules caused a rift in the neighborhood.

Complete speculation, but I have to wonder if the oldest son had a crush on a daughter/son of the LBGT family. Teens (and adults) can do some crazy things when they're in love.

All JMOO

Given Covid and the timing of the mom letting her nursing license lapse, I think that the family made the choice that a lot of families did to homeschool- the whole country schooled at home for a while and some decided to keep going after brick and mortar schools opened back up- I don’t know how long WA schools were on lockdown and mask mandates- so in my opinion that’s not a huge red flag or question mark for me at least-

As a parent and foster parent involved in community organizations, I can say most of the homeschool families Ive known (and/or been related to) over the past 20 yrs across 6 different states are well managed well functioning families and sometimes larger than typical (more than 1-2 kids) with well adjusted well behaved children who mostly go on to college or trade school and become well adjusted adults - and there are a WIDE range of reasons why families choose to begin and or continue homeschooling- state laws vary from state to state dramatically- I’m not familiar with WA-

That said- something was obviously profoundly disturbed about the accused- for him to shoot his family and think to frame his brother- I just don’t know enough to think it was homeschooling that was a huge factor- it might have been! Moo