Arizona boy charged for slaying father

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-9  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

AN eight-year-old boy has been charged with murder in the shooting of his father and another man in a rural community in eastern Arizona, authorities said.

The boy was charged on Friday with two counts of premeditated murder of his father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero, and 39-year-old Timothy Romans, St Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick said.

Police arrived at the home within minutes of the shooting on Wednesday, Melnick said. They found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room.

The boy, who prosecutors say had never been in trouble before, initially denied involvement in the shooting but later confessed, Melnick said.

Police have not said what they think the boy's motive was.

Defense attorney Benjamin Brewer argued on Friday that police over-reached themselves in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney.

"They became very accusing early on in the interview," Brewer said. "Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an eight-year-old kid." A judge ruled there was probable cause to believe the boy committed the killings.