KING COUNTY, Wash. -- The woman accused of killing six members of her own family says mercy and uncontrollable anger fueled the Christmas Eve murders at her parents' Carnation home.

Michele Anderson admitted she and her then-boyfriend Joseph McEnroe shot and killed her parents, Wayne and Judy Anderson; her brother, Scott; his wife, Erica; and their children, 5-year-old Olivia and 3-year-old Nathan.

Prosecutors believe long-standing bitterness and a perceived family debt fueled the tragedy.

In past conversations with KOMO News, Anderson refused to discuss the details of the murders.

But on Wednesday, with her public defenders just days away from asking a judge for a life sentence on her behalf, Anderson decided telling her story may be the only way to guarantee the death penalty for herself.

The accused killer said anger and her "problem" fueled the killings on Christmas Eve.

"I have a problem with my anger. I get worked up and I can't stop myself," she said. "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I didn't stop myself. I just got so angry."

Anderson refused to say what her family had done specifically to make her so angry.

"I've been through a lot my whole life, and my heart had hardened. And when you get so full of hatred, it makes you capable of committing," she said.

She said she understands the sum of her crime's consequences adds up to be much more than six brutal murders.

"It's more than that. I hurt other people, too," she said. "I ruined everybody's lives."

When asked why she had killed the children, Anderson said, "I didn't want them to live with memories I know it sounds horrible, but they were mercy killings. It's horrible. It's the worst thing I've ever done."

Anderson said for all that she has done, she doesn't believe she should live. She claimed to be remorseful and said she misses her family.

When asked if she was taking what some would consider the easy way out by choosing the death penalty, she said her critics simply do not understand.

"I didn't understand the value of life until I took it from other people," she said tearfully. "Even when you're in a horrible environment like jail or prison, life is still the greatest gift ever. It's the most important thing, the most valuable thing in the world."

During a previous interview with KOMO News, Anderson had described the wretchedness of life behind bars, citing feces on the bathroom floor and the constant yelling between inmates.

When asked whether her growing disdain for life behind bars had prompted her to seek the death penalty as a way out, Anderson said that wasn't so.

"I shouldn't be allowed to live after doing that," she said. "I can adapt (to life in prison). If I sit in my room all day and read, you know, it doesn't bug me. It's still life."

Anderson's attorneys are expected to present a list of reasons supporting a sentence of life without parole instead of the death penalty on her behalf.

But Anderson said she only deserves death because she knew what she was doing was wrong, and did it anyway.