Today, Dean Holmes, 40, pled guilty as charged to two counts of Aggravated Murder in the First Degree. The defendant shot to death his wife and 11-year-old daughter on August 28, 2012.

“This was a horrendous crime of domestic violence that shocked the community,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “The defendant has taken responsibility by pleading guilty as charged.”

Around 6 a.m. on August 28, the defendant pulled a .38 caliber revolver from a dresser drawer and shot his wife of 12 years, Christy Holmes, as she lay sleeping in bed in their Spanaway home. Violet Holmes, the couple’s 11-year-old daughter, was sleeping in the living room with a friend. Both girls slept through the gunfire, which was drowned out by a fan running nearby.

After killing his wife, the defendant woke the girls and drove the friend to her home in Auburn. On the return trip home, the defendant pulled over to the side of the road and shot Violet as she lay sleeping in the back seat.

The defendant eventually turned himself in at the Pierce County Jail the morning of August 29 and disclosed he had shot his wife and daughter. Deputies went to the family’s home and found Christy and Violet dead.

There are only two possible penalties for Aggravated Murder in the First Degree, life without the possibility of parole or imposition of the death penalty. A decision will be made on whether or not to seek the death penalty by November 20.

“The fact that the defendant took responsibility by pleading guilty as charged is a factor that I will consider in deciding whether or not to seek the death penalty, but other factors must be considered as well,” said Prosecutor Lindquist.

The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7 at 2:30 p.m. in Courtroom 260 in the County City Building.