Linda Thiele fought back tears as she relived the terror she experienced the day after Christmas in 2007. She had stopped by the house of her best friend Judy Anderson to see if everything was okay when Judy didn't show up for work. From the witness stand, Thiele listened as her 911 call was played for jurors.
"Oh, God," she cried to the dispatcher. "There's a baby and a man and a woman, and she's my best friend."
Dead were 3 generations of family, including two small children. Thiele stayed on the line with 911 for 35 terrifying minutes, not knowing whether the killer was still on the property. One telling excerpt from the 911 call came when Thiele immediately suspected Judy's daughter Michele of the murders.
"The gate is locked, which makes me wonder if her daughter did it, which is scary because I might be up here with a murderer," Thiele said.
Thiele testified that Michele Anderson had been fighting with her parents about having to pay rent for the trailer she and her boyfriend Joseph McEnroe were staying in on the family's property. Anderson is alleged to have manipulated McEnroe into taking part in the killings after experiencing paranoid delusions. McEnroe was found guilty for his part, last year, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Anderson is currently standing trial.
Pam Mantle lost her daughter, two grandchildren, son-in-law and his parents that day. She testified Tuesday about being with her 11 year old son, and getting that dreadful phone call.
"I told (my son) Joe something bad had happened and our whole life was gonna change," said a tearful Mantle. "I couldn't get a hold of Erica. I'd been trying to call her for a day and a half."
Most chilling on Tuesday was a brief 911 call from inside the house as the killings were taking place. On it you can hear frantic screams before the line goes dead. Prosecutors asked Mantle if she recognized the voice.
"It's my daughter," said a stoic Mantle.
"Can you tell what she is saying in that excerpt?" Asked Prosecutor Scott O'Toole.
"Not the kids, no!" Mantle responded, believing her daughter was desperately trying to save her 3 and 5 year old children. Both were found shot in the head, along with four other family members.
Anderson's trial is expected to last approximately six weeks.
