The suspect in the Lakefront family massacre requests an apology for the 'unfounded' accusation of using Clorox.

In October, a 15-year-old suspect was charged with killing all but one member of his family in their Washington state lakefront home. His defense team recently denied accusations that they altered the crime scene during their search of the house.

On Oct. 21, the authorities found the remains of two adults and three children at a house in Lake Alice, Washington. The 15-year-old was taken into custody immediately, according to police.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the deceased as Mark Humiston, 43, Sarah Humiston, 42, and their children, Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katheryn, 7. Despite being named in court records, a judge has prohibited the media from disclosing the identity of the teen suspect.

According to court records, the suspect's 11-year-old sister survived the attack by "closing her eyes and holding her breath and pretending to play dead" and then escaping through a "fire window" in her bedroom.

On Oct. 29, the defense team of the suspect was granted a 10-hour window to take photographs and perform a 3D scan within the Humiston residence.

The teen suspect's defense team allegedly exceeded their search permissions last month, according to court documents obtained by Planet Chronicle Digital. Prosecutors accused those involved in the Oct. 29 search of moving items at the crime scene and removing one item entirely. However, they later retracted their claims.

The defense team's access to the home was documented by the King County Sheriff's Office, and originally, the prosecutors claimed that a bottle of Clorox wipes and backpacks belonging to the child victims were missing or opened.

Recently, due to staffing shortages at all public defense divisions, a new attorney, Kristen Gestaut, was appointed to represent the suspect. The suspect's attorneys at the time, Amy Parker and Molly Campera, had filed a notice to the court that they were withdrawing from the case a few days after the Oct. 29 search of the crime scene.

The previous defense team has been accused by the state, and Gestaut has filed a 31-page brief denying these accusations, arguing that the state committed "prosecutorial misconduct" and requesting a public apology from the state to the suspect and his former defense team.

The suspect's right to a fair trial was irreparably harmed by the prosecution's "false and defamatory allegations."

According to court records, the state responded to Gestaut's claims by withdrawing the accusations against the former defense team and admitting that a "series of photos" was "missed."

The prosecution wrote in the response that the allegation that the defense was responsible for moving the backpacks and the Clorox wipes were out of sight is inaccurate and contradicted by the available evidence.

On Oct. 21 at dawn, the suspect phoned 911, stating that his 13-year-old sibling had murdered their family. The suspect appeared distressed and declared, "He shot my entire family and then took his own life," according to the affidavit.

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According to an affidavit, detectives and prosecutors claim that the 15-year-old suspect intentionally staged the crime scene to make it seem like his younger brother had committed the murders and then took his own life before the arrival of first responders. The 13-year-old, Benjamin, was discovered with a gunshot wound to the head and a Glock in his left hand on his chest.

A neighbor called 911 after hearing about the 11-year-old Humiston daughter's arrival at their home with gunshot wounds, and the neighbor informed authorities that the daughter claimed her family members were dead and her 15-year-old brother was the one who shot them.

The suspect was charged with six counts of first-degree aggravated murder and one count of first-degree attempted murder with a firearm enhancement, all of which have a domestic violence designation, the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said. He is being held in secure detention at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.

The 15-year-old did not enter a plea, and the case will have a status conference on Jan. 8, 2025, pending the judge's ruling on whether it will be moved to adult court.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and Gestaut did not provide a response to Planet Chronicle Digital's request for comment.