Washington state prosecutor seeks death for man convicted of killing family

SEATTLE (Reuters) - A prosecutor urged a jury in Washington state on Wednesday to hand down the death penalty against a man convicted of killing three generations of a family in a grisly 2007 murder at a home near Seattle. Joseph McEnroe was convicted in March of killing six of his former girlfriend's family members, including her parents and young niece and nephew, during a Christmas Eve celebration in rural Carnation, about 30 miles east of Seattle. During closing arguments in the penalty phase of the trial, King County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott O'Toole told jurors the extreme nature of the crime warranted the most severe penalty. "I would suggest to you the appropriate penalty is death," he said. The jury was expected to begin deliberations on Wednesday. It was unclear how quickly they would reach a decision on whether to recommend death or a life sentence in prison. During his trial, McEnroe apologized for his crimes and asked the jury to spare his life. His defense attorney, asking for a life sentence, told the court that McEnroe was coerced into the killings by his former girlfriend, Michele Anderson. Prosecutors say McEnroe and Anderson acted together when they shot her parents, brother, sister-in-law, 5-year-old niece and 3-year-old nephew. The pair killed Anderson's parents first, then they hid their bodies and cleaned the home, waiting until the other four family members arrived to kill them, prosecutors said. Pam Mantle, who lost her daughter and two young grandchildren, told local broadcaster KING-5 news that she saw drawbacks to both possible penalties. "I think (death) would be an easy way out for him," she said. "On the other hand, I just don't think I can take another 15 years of appeals and trials and looking at him every day. I'm just pretty done." Anderson will also stand trial on six counts of murder. Last year, Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a moratorium on the death penalty in the state and said he would issue a reprieve in any death penalty case that crossed his desk while in office. (Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Eric Beech)