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The Living Force
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1084238/Eight-year-old-boy-accused-shooting-dead-father-abused.html
Eight-year-old boy accused of shooting dead his own father could have been abused
9th November 2008
US investigators believe an eight year old boy who shot his dad and another man dead could have been the victim of abuse.
Vincent Romero,29, and Timothy Romas,39, were blasted at close range with a .22 hunting rifle by the youngster.
Police said the boy, who has not been named, did not shoot on the spur of the moment.
Instead they believe he walked through the house picking out his two targets.
Police found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room.
The youngster faces two charges of premeditated murder and is being held at a juvenile centre near his home in St Johns, Arizona.
The boy, who prosecutors say had never been in trouble before initially denied any involvement but later confessed to the killings.
Police chief Roy Melnick said his officers are looking into whether the boy might have been abused.
'I'm not accusing anybody of anything at this point,' he said.
'But we're certainly going to look at the abuse part of this. He's eight years old. He just doesn't decide one day that he's going to shoot his father and shoot his father's friend for no reason. Something led up to this.' The boy lived in a rural community with his father who had consulted a local Catholic priest about teaching his son to shoot.
The Rev. John Paul Sauter said Mr Romero asked for his advice. He said Romero had taught his son use a powerful hunting rifle to shoot prairie dogs.
'That child was too young,' said the Rev. Sauter.
'I don't think he knows what he did, and it was brutal.' The Rev Sauter said Romero had wanted his son to grow up not being afraid of guns.
Psychological tests are being carried out on the boy. Under Arizona law anyone aged eight and under cannot be charged with a crime.
The crime that unfolded last Wednesday evening has sent shock waves through St Johns, a community of about 4,000 people northeast of Phoenix.
The boy had no disciplinary record at school and there was no indication he had any problems at home, prosecutors said.
The boy's defence attorney, Benjamin Brewer, said: 'It was such a tragedy.
'You have two people dead; you have an eight-year-old in jail. It tugs at the heart strings.
'It's a shocker, no doubt about it.'
On Friday, a judge determined there was probable cause to show that the boy fatally shot his father Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, of San Carlos with a .22-caliber rifle.
Police Chief Melnick said officers arrived at Romero's home within minutes of the shooting.
Romans had been renting a room at the Romero house, prosecutors said.
The two men were employees with a construction company that had a contract to do work at the Salt River Project power plant near St Johns, which is about 170 miles northeast of Phoenix.
Following the shootings, the boy went to a neighbour's house and said he 'believed that his father was dead', said Apache County attorney Brad Carlyon.
Police then later obtained a confession from the boy, Mr Melnick said.
But Mr Brewer said police overreached in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.
'They became very accusing early on in the interview,' Mr Brewer said. 'Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an eight-year-old kid.'
A judge has now ordered a psychological evaluation of the child, who is being held at the Apache County juvenile detention center.
Prosecutors are not sure where the case is headed, Mr Carlyon said.
'There's a ton of factors to be considered and weighed, including the juvenile's age,' he said. 'The counter balance against that, the acts that he apparently committed.'
Mr Carlyon said the boy had no record of complaints with Arizona Child Protective Services.
He added: 'He had no record of any kind, not even a disciplinary record at school.
'He has never been in trouble before.'
FBI statistics show instances of children younger than 11 committing homicides are very rare. Under Arizona law, a juvenile under eight years old is treated as a dependent child.
Charges can be filed against anyone eight or older, which Mr Melnick argued are warranted in this case.
He said the child didn't act on the 'spur of the moment' though he refused elaborate on what the motive might have been.
It has been claimed that the father, Vincent Romero, was from a family of avid hunters and had taught his son how to use a rifle to make sure he wasn't afraid of guns.
Romero had full custody of the child and the boy's biological mother was visiting St Johns over the weekend from Mississippi and returned to Arizona after the shootings, Mr Carlyon said.
Mr Brewer, the defence lawyer, said the child 'seems to be in good spirits'.
'He's scared. He's trying to be tough, but he's scared,' he added.
Eight-year-old boy accused of shooting dead his own father could have been abused
9th November 2008
US investigators believe an eight year old boy who shot his dad and another man dead could have been the victim of abuse.
Vincent Romero,29, and Timothy Romas,39, were blasted at close range with a .22 hunting rifle by the youngster.
Police said the boy, who has not been named, did not shoot on the spur of the moment.
Instead they believe he walked through the house picking out his two targets.
Police found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room.
The youngster faces two charges of premeditated murder and is being held at a juvenile centre near his home in St Johns, Arizona.
The boy, who prosecutors say had never been in trouble before initially denied any involvement but later confessed to the killings.
Police chief Roy Melnick said his officers are looking into whether the boy might have been abused.
'I'm not accusing anybody of anything at this point,' he said.
'But we're certainly going to look at the abuse part of this. He's eight years old. He just doesn't decide one day that he's going to shoot his father and shoot his father's friend for no reason. Something led up to this.' The boy lived in a rural community with his father who had consulted a local Catholic priest about teaching his son to shoot.
The Rev. John Paul Sauter said Mr Romero asked for his advice. He said Romero had taught his son use a powerful hunting rifle to shoot prairie dogs.
'That child was too young,' said the Rev. Sauter.
'I don't think he knows what he did, and it was brutal.' The Rev Sauter said Romero had wanted his son to grow up not being afraid of guns.
Psychological tests are being carried out on the boy. Under Arizona law anyone aged eight and under cannot be charged with a crime.
The crime that unfolded last Wednesday evening has sent shock waves through St Johns, a community of about 4,000 people northeast of Phoenix.
The boy had no disciplinary record at school and there was no indication he had any problems at home, prosecutors said.
The boy's defence attorney, Benjamin Brewer, said: 'It was such a tragedy.
'You have two people dead; you have an eight-year-old in jail. It tugs at the heart strings.
'It's a shocker, no doubt about it.'
On Friday, a judge determined there was probable cause to show that the boy fatally shot his father Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, of San Carlos with a .22-caliber rifle.
Police Chief Melnick said officers arrived at Romero's home within minutes of the shooting.
Romans had been renting a room at the Romero house, prosecutors said.
The two men were employees with a construction company that had a contract to do work at the Salt River Project power plant near St Johns, which is about 170 miles northeast of Phoenix.
Following the shootings, the boy went to a neighbour's house and said he 'believed that his father was dead', said Apache County attorney Brad Carlyon.
Police then later obtained a confession from the boy, Mr Melnick said.
But Mr Brewer said police overreached in questioning the boy without representation from a parent or attorney and did not advise him of his rights.
'They became very accusing early on in the interview,' Mr Brewer said. 'Two officers with guns at their side, it's very scary for anybody, for sure an eight-year-old kid.'
A judge has now ordered a psychological evaluation of the child, who is being held at the Apache County juvenile detention center.
Prosecutors are not sure where the case is headed, Mr Carlyon said.
'There's a ton of factors to be considered and weighed, including the juvenile's age,' he said. 'The counter balance against that, the acts that he apparently committed.'
Mr Carlyon said the boy had no record of complaints with Arizona Child Protective Services.
He added: 'He had no record of any kind, not even a disciplinary record at school.
'He has never been in trouble before.'
FBI statistics show instances of children younger than 11 committing homicides are very rare. Under Arizona law, a juvenile under eight years old is treated as a dependent child.
Charges can be filed against anyone eight or older, which Mr Melnick argued are warranted in this case.
He said the child didn't act on the 'spur of the moment' though he refused elaborate on what the motive might have been.
It has been claimed that the father, Vincent Romero, was from a family of avid hunters and had taught his son how to use a rifle to make sure he wasn't afraid of guns.
Romero had full custody of the child and the boy's biological mother was visiting St Johns over the weekend from Mississippi and returned to Arizona after the shootings, Mr Carlyon said.
Mr Brewer, the defence lawyer, said the child 'seems to be in good spirits'.
'He's scared. He's trying to be tough, but he's scared,' he added.
