An 85-year-old woman has been charged with premeditated murder and first-degree assault after she shot her roommates—two sisters who had recently moved in with her. The shootings happened a week before Christmas in Federal Way.

Unusual Rental Arrangement

The accused shooter, Beverly Jenne, had lived in the house since 1979, but it went into foreclosure in November 2019 and was purchased by a new owner. The new homeowner allowed Jenne to stay while he began renovating the house, but he also entered into a rent-to-own agreement with the two sisters, Janet and Angela Oyuga, who are originally from Kenya. Neighbors say the sisters moved in about a month ago.

A pastor who knows the sisters said that he believes the sisters' culture and the fact that they are both caregivers contributed to their decision to allow Jenne to stay in the home. He explained,

The African culture teaches you to extend grace to those who need it [sic] support the needy, more so the elderly, the children and the sick... And they thought it wasn't going to take a long time before the previous owner of the house moved out, little did they know that the previous owner had plans of not wanting to move, going by what happened.

The Attack

The police say they responded to a call shortly after midnight on December 19, 2019, from a woman who said she had been shot in her home. When the police arrived, they found the body of Janet, who had been shot multiple times. Angela was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Jenne was found in a bed with an electrical cord around her neck.

Originally the police were confused as to who was a victim and who was a suspect, but then they discovered a note written by Jenne. In it, she had written that "Janet is not a very nice person" and "I had no one to help me." The note also went on to say, "I think she was getting ready to evict me, and I'm 85 and have no place to go." Police believe now that Jenne tried to kill herself with the electrical cord after shooting the two sisters.

Premeditated Murder and First-Degree Assault

In addition to the charge of murder, Jenne has been charged with first-degree assault, which is also a felony. In Washington, RCW 9A.36.011 defines first-degree assault as 

(1) A person is guilty of assault in the first degree if he or she, with intent to inflict great bodily harm:

(a) Assaults another with a firearm or any deadly weapon or by any force or means likely to produce great bodily harm or death.

Update

The house that was the scene of the crime was extensively damaged in a massive fire on Monday, December 30, 2019. The fire is under investigation.

Defense Attorney Steve Karimi

If you or a loved one has been accused of first-degree assault, you need compassionate and experienced legal representation. The Law Offices of Steve Karimi can provide a free consultation of your case and discuss what your best options are to fight the charges you are facing. Call 206-621-8777 or fill out an online contact form today to get started.