Argument leads to killings
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ADDY, Stevens County - An argument over firewood left William Lembcke, 16, facing four counts of aggravated first-degree murder, accused of killing his parents, his older sister and his younger brother.
Lembcke's confession provided the motive, according to court papers. The account in the confession is chilling:
"The defendant told the officers his dad was mad at him for not helping get firewood, and then the defendant got mad, and when his dad went into the shower, he loaded the guns," the affidavit of probable cause says.
The victims were all shot in the head at close range sometime between Dec. 22 and 26.
"Shortly after the defendant armed himself, he shot his dad in the hallway, then he shot his mother in the kitchen, then his sister in the living room and his brother in the living room as he was lying on the floor," the affidavit says.
Robert Lembcke, 49, and Wesley Lembcke, 12, suffered "contact" wounds, meaning the rifle was placed directly against their heads. Robert Lembcke was shot three times in the head, Wesley once.
Diana Lembcke, 43, was shot three times in the head with two rifles and four times in the right arm, shoulder and hands, possibly as she tried to ward off what was coming. Jolene Lembcke, 18, was shot twice in the back of the head and once in the back.
"When asked why he shot his mother, sister and brother, the defendant stated he didn't know, then agreed he shot them because they were witnesses," the document says.
Lembcke told deputies he made an extensive effort to cover up the crime - painting some walls that had been spattered with blood and dumping the bodies in a roadside ditch two miles from the home. He told relatives that his family had gone to California to visit a sick uncle.
But all of the family vehicles were at the house, along with wallets and purses. There was blood all over the house and in the snow outside.
When the family was reported missing Dec. 29, deputies interviewed Lembcke at the house and saw all the blood.
"William started sobbing and shaking, putting his hands over his face," they wrote.
Robert Lembcke was a self-employed logger. His wife suffered from multiple sclerosis and rarely left the house, published reports say. Jolene, who did much of the housework, was a senior at Colville High School, where William Lembcke had registered two months ago after having been home-schooled.
"He seemed very close to his sister," Principal Chuck Salina said. "I never heard a derogatory word."
An older brother, Clinton Lembcke, 24, apparently was not living at the family home.
William Lembcke has a police record. The shootings occurred just two months after he pleaded guilty to first-degree theft for taking $25 worth of rolled coins and a silver bar valued at around $166 from a neighbor's home.
Lembcke, who had run away from home at the time the thefts occurred, was sentenced to 12 months of community supervision and 40 hours of community service at a nearby animal shelter operated by neighbor Joyce Tasker.
Tasker described the teen as a pleasant, somewhat quiet boy who had confided feeling unwanted at home. She recalled an incident a couple years ago in which he became angry and beat the bark off a tree with a hammer. She never learned what had made him so mad.
William Lembcke said little during his brief court appearance Tuesday and several times appeared on the verge of tears. He was ordered held without bail. He was charged as an adult Thursday and is scheduled to enter a plea next Friday.
The charge of aggravated first-degree murder would have qualified Lembcke for the death penalty, but minors are not eligible for capital punishment. The only other penalty is life in prison without parole.
Court-appointed defense attorney Patty St. Claire said she arranged to have a mental-health professional examine the teen.