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Lakefront family massacre suspect's defense demands apology for 'false' Clorox accusation

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Lakefront family massacre suspect's defense demands apology for 'false' Clorox accusation

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

Authorities discovered the deceased bodies of two adults and three children at the house in Lake Alice, Washington, on Oct. 21, and they immediately took the 15-year-old into custody, police said. 

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The King County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as Mark Humiston, 43, Sarah Humiston, 42, and their children, Benjamin, 13, Joshua, 9, and Katheryn, 7. A judge prohibited the media’s release of the teen suspect’s identity, though he is named in court records. 

The suspect’s 11-year-old sister survived the attack after she “closed her eyes and held her breath and pretended to play dead” and then escaped through a “fire window” in her bedroom, according to court records. 

LAKEFRONT FAMILY MASSACRE TEEN SUSPECT’S ATTORNEYS SHOW POSSIBLE DEFENSE, CLAIM FORENSICS SHOW INNOCENCE

Mark Humiston, 43, and Sarah Humiston, 42, were allegedly killed by their teenage son. (Facebook)

Several members of the suspect’s defense team were granted a 10-hour window on Oct. 29 to take pictures and conduct a 3D scan inside the Humiston home. 

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Last month, prosecutors alleged there was evidence that the teen suspect’s defense team “search exceeded beyond what was permitted,” and they accused those involved in the Oct. 29 search of moving items at the crime scene and removing one item from the crime scene entirely, before ultimately retracting their claims, according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.

Prosecutors said the King County Sheriff’s Office documented the home before and after the defense team’s access, and they originally alleged that a bottle of Clorox wipes from the home was missing and backpacks belonging to the child victims were opened or moved. 

TEEN SUSPECT IN LAKEFRONT FAMILY MASSACRE TOUCHED BODIES TO CHECK IF THEY WERE STILL ALIVE: SURVIVING SISTER

A few days after the Oct. 29 search of the crime scene, the suspect’s attorneys at the time – Amy Parker and Molly Campera – filed a notice to the court that they were withdrawing from the case. A new attorney, Kristen Gestaut, was appointed to represent the suspect “due to staffing shortages at all public defense divisions,” according to recent court records filed by the new defense. 

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Gestaut has since filed a 31-page brief denying the state’s accusations against the previous defense team, arguing that the state committed “prosecutorial misconduct” and asking the state to publicly apologize to the suspect and his former defense team. 

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She claimed the prosecution made “false and defamatory allegations… irreparably damaging [the suspect’s] right to a fair trial.” 

The state then responded to Gestaut’s claims, withdrawing the accusations against the former defense team, adding that a “series of photos” was “missed,” according to court records. 

“The allegation made…that defense must have been responsible for moving the backpacks, and that the Clorox wipes were now out of sight, is therefore inaccurate and in fact contradicted by the available evidence,” the prosecution wrote in the response.

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WEALTHY LAKEFRONT NEIGHBORHOOD ROCKED AFTER FAMILY BUTCHERED IN THEIR OWN HOME

In the early morning hours on Oct. 21, the suspect called 911, claiming his 13-year-old brother had killed his family. He sounded out of breath and said, “He just shot my whole family and committed suicide too,” according to an affidavit. 

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Detectives and prosecutors allege the 15-year-old suspect staged the scene prior to the arrival of first responders to make it appear that his young brother had committed the murders and then killed himself, according to an affidavit. The 13-year-old, Benjamin, was found with a gunshot wound to the head and a Glock in his left hand on his chest. 

During the suspect’s 911 call, police received another 911 call from a neighbor, who told authorities that the 11-year-old Humiston daughter had arrived at their home with gunshot wounds, telling them that her family members were all dead, and her 15-year-old brother was the one who shot them.

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WASHINGTON STATE TEEN IN CUSTODY AFTER SHOOTING AT HOME LEAVES 5 OF 7 FAMILY MEMBERS DEAD

The shooting happened in the Lake Alice neighborhood of Fall City, Washington. (FOX13 Seattle KCPQ)

The suspect was charged with five 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. 

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

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The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Gestaut did not have further comment.



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Oregon

Recall issued for organic ice cream sold in Oregon over metal concerns

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Recall issued for organic ice cream sold in Oregon over metal concerns


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The Food and Drug Administration announced that Organic ice cream sold in Oregon is being recalled over concerns that the products could contain metal fragments.

California-based Straus Family Creamery issued a voluntary recall on May 14 for select flavors of its Organic Super Premium Ice Cream after identifying the possible contamination issue.

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The recalled products were distributed to stores in Oregon and 16 other states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Which flavors are being recalled?

Affected flavors include vanilla bean, strawberry, Dutch chocolate, mint chip and cookie dough in multiple container sizes.

The recalled ice cream can be identified by best-by dates printed on the bottom of the containers. They include:

  • Ice Cream Vanilla Bean
    • Container Size: Pint
    • Best By Date: December 23, 2026; December 28, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10030-6
  • Ice Cream Strawberry
    • Container Size: Quart
    • Best By Date: December 24, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10097-9
  • Ice Cream Strawberry
    • Container Size: Pint
    • Best By Date: December 25, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10095-5
  • Ice Cream Cookie Dough
    • Container Size: Pint
    • Best By Date: December 26, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10104-4
  • Ice Cream Dutch Chocolate
    • Container Size: Quart
    • Best By Date: December 27, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10012-2
  • Ice Cream Mint Chip
    • Container Size: Pint
    • Best By Date: December 30, 2026
    • UPC: 7-84830-10050-4

What should Oregonian do with their recalled ice cream?

Oregon consumers are urged not to eat the recalled ice cream. The company said the products should not be returned to the store but instead should be thrown away. Customers can then fill out a form with Straus Family Creamery for a replacement voucher by visiting strausfamilycreamery.com/recall/.

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For questions, Oregonians can contact Straus Family Creamery at support@strausmilk.com or 1-707-776-2887.

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval is a lifelong Oregonian who covers trending news, entertainment, food and outdoors. She can be reached at GSandoval@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @GinnieSandoval.



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Utah

‘Preserving the art of Utah culture’: Utah-artist museum opens in Salt Lake City

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‘Preserving the art of Utah culture’: Utah-artist museum opens in Salt Lake City


SALT LAKE CITY — A new art museum located in the historic B’nai Israel Temple in downtown Salt Lake City, dedicated to preserving Utah culture and providing a platform for Utah artists, is opening.

The Salt Lake Art Museum, 249 S. 400 East, aims to highlight both historic and contemporary Utah artists while also promoting thoughtful conversations on modern topics. It is the first new art museum to open in the city in more than 40 years.

“Opening the Salt Lake Art Museum is a defining moment for our state’s cultural landscape,” said Chris Jensen, museum executive director.

While the official grand opening of the museum isn’t until July 24, it has already begun hosting events and programming, including an interactive “Make Your Mark” installation where community members can trace their silhouettes onto the walls.

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“The project serves as both an introduction to the museum and a living time capsule capturing the voices and identities of the community in the weeks leading up to the grand opening,” a statement from the museum said.

People participate in the “Make Your Mark” installation at the new Salt Lake Art Museum in Salt Lake City. (Photo: Salt Lake Art Museum)

The Salt Lake Art Museum was founded by Micah Christensen, a distinguished art historian based in Salt Lake City. About a year ago, Christensen contacted Jensen, who has a background in nonprofits and cultural and historical preservation, to discuss purchasing the B’nai Israel Temple to create a museum.

The focus of the museum would be to elevate Utah artists, Utah art collections and art created in Utah.

“Utah is home to an incredible number of artists, yet we’ve long lacked a dedicated space to fully celebrate their work. This museum changes that. It’s a place where Utah artists are centered, their stories are elevated and our community can come together to experience the power of art,” Jensen said.

The museum began its programming with a Utah Master Series, which celebrates Utah’s most influential visual artists and recognizes their contributions to the state’s cultural legacy.

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“It’s almost like a hall of fame of Utah artists,” Jensen explained.

The first three artists to be part of the exhibition were Galina Perova, Stanley Wanlass and Ben Hammond. Each artist had a dedicated night at the museum, where their work was displayed and they discussed their art-making process and the arts in Utah.

One of the museum’s opening exhibitions will be on Albert Bierstadt, a famous painter in the late 1800s who painted the American West. He spent three weeks painting in Utah and the museum will display 25 of his approximately 30 Utah landscapes he created.

To make the gallery extra special, the museum will have modern pictures of the same landscapes alongside each painting.

“It’s really a tale of how human interaction changes landscape and how our landscapes in Utah have changed since the 1800s. So that is really exciting and it’s the first of its kind on Albert Bierstadt,” he said.

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The museum will also have exhibits on Pilar Pobil, a Spanish-born immigrant who self-taught herself painting and sculpture and died in 2024, and a show on the Julia Reagan billboards and how they intersected with pop culture and art in Utah.

Additionally, the museum’s opening exhibitions will include a gallery on the history of the B’nai Israel Temple, which was completed in 1891, two years before the Salt Lake Temple was finished.

The B’nai Israel Temple was dedicated in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 2026, the building is reopening as the Salt Lake Art Museum. (Photo: Utah State Historical Society)

Museums preserve the culture of whatever they are targeting, Jensen said. The Salt Lake Art Museum aims to preserve Utah’s art culture and its communities, he added.

There are many great artists from Utah who are famous around the world but unknown within their home state, and this museum hopes to change that, Jensen said.

“We have more artists here per capita than anywhere in the U.S., and it’s time that we shine a light on it and celebrate it. And that goes all the way from arts and crafts up to fine art,” he said.

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He hopes people are proud of how much quality art comes from our state. When people come to the museum, they support great Utah artists and have a chance to learn more about the place they call home.

Art can be a great avenue to discuss modern issues, such as immigration, climate change and discrimination, through both historical and contemporary lenses, Jensen said. For example, the Salt Lake Art Museum plans to do a show soon on the Great Salt Lake and host a plein air competition at the lake.

“I want people to think of everything that’s happening in our modern world when they come through here and to see themselves reflected in that and how they should be reacting to it,” he said.

Overall, Jensen hopes people appreciate and support art museums as they “tell the story of us as a species.”

“When you go to a museum, it’s a chance to reflect on what we were and what we have become — things lost and things improved. So I really think it’s important because it tells us the greater story of humanity,” Jensen said.

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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Washington

NOAA outlines why Washington’s snowpack fell short after a brutal winter

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NOAA outlines why Washington’s snowpack fell short after a brutal winter


It was a brutal winter for the snowpack in the western states, including Washington, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

That has current snowpack levels beyond bleak.

ALSO SEE | Pass travelers to encounter wintry driving in the Cascades this weekend

A map from NOAA shows the percentage of typical moisture in the snowpack across the West. It’s based on the median of the last 35 years.

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An 8-14 day precipitation outlook. (NOAA)

Parts of the Cascades have just 13 to 27 percent of the water we could expect in our snowpack this time of year. The Olympics are at just 10 percent.

It was hoped that snowfall in April and May in some areas would offset the snow deficit, but that didn’t happen.

A dry snowpack is going to be a strain on agricultural water use this summer and will boost fire danger during the hottest months of the year.

What comes next?

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Fin, Win, and their uncle Shawn were surprised and delighted by the unexpected  April snowfall in the Cascades. (KOMO)

Fin, Win, and their uncle Shawn were surprised and delighted by the unexpected April snowfall in the Cascades. (KOMO)

According to the 8-14 day precipitation outlook from NOAA, our state can expect equal chances of the typical amount of wetness over the next 2 weeks.

At the same time, government forecasters are expecting a 33 to 40 percent chance of above normal temperatures.

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Forecasters are hoping for a surge of spring rain to at least delay a spike in the fire danger, but without a healthy snowpack heading into the summer months, water supplies could be bleak in parts of our state.



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