Boy, 8, charged with murder says he came home, found men dead

[Sequoia]

An 8-year-old Arizona boy suspected in the deaths of his father and another man told police he found the two men dead upon arriving home from school, according to a portion of a videotaped interview released Tuesday by authorities.

The Apache County Attorney's Office said that the boy, whose name has not been released, confessed to the slayings in another portion of the tape, but in the 12-minute-long portion released Tuesday, he admits no involvement in the deaths.

The boy is charged with killing his father, Vincent Romero, 29, along with Tim Romans, 39, a man who rented a room in Romero's home in St. Johns, Arizona. Police have said the boy had confessed to shooting the men with a .22-caliber handgun.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/18/arizona.boy.murder/index.html

On the tape, the child continued to deny being home when the slayings took place.

"You're sure?" one officer asks. "Because I heard something that somebody said that somebody was calling your name and you weren't answering."

(Yes you dorky cop, he didn't answer because maybe he WAS NOT home!) I could never believe that boy kept reloading the gun and did this like the hystrical media said.

[rug]

1. That tape will be tossed. They'd better have some real evidence.

[elocs]

2. It often seems that the most important to police is to clear the case

and if the person is actually the guilty party, then it's a bonus. It's going to be tough to brow beat a 12 year old into a confession, especially when you are allowed to lie and whoever is questioned is always supposed to tell the truth.

[LisaL]

9. The kid is 8.

[elocs]

17. I don't know where I got 12 from. 8 is even more of a challenge for the police. n/t

[FedUpWithIt All]

25. They got a confession from the boy in an interrogation where the boy was NOT represented. n/t

[elocs]

26. Having representation, now that's not sporting. How does that get a confession?

Gee, who would ever have thought of giving an 8 year old representation?

[liberalmuse]

3. An 8 year old kid overpowering two grown men...

by loading and reloading a shotgun? There is something more to this story.

[LisaL]

7. The father was found upstairs. The renter was found in front

of the house. The renter was talking to his wife on a cell phone before getting shot.

[Initech]

13. To quote the movie Super Troopers:

"I'll believe that when me shit turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbert."

[LisaL]

14. They were found in different places.

The renter was found in front of the house. The father upstairs.
Apparently the renter was talking on a cell phone to his wife when the father was shot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/us/11child.html?em

[Initech]

15. I completely agree with that.

I mean how could an 8 year old kid possibly conduct a premeditated murder of two people in two different locations? Makes no sense whatsoever.

[LisaL]

16. Agree with what?

The second guy was on the cell phone to his wife before being shot. He was apparently talking to the wife when the father was shot.
Supposedly, according to the article, the guy told his wife he had to go because the boy was calling him. If that is true, then police has a witness (the wife).

[Sequoia]

31. The NYT story says the boy was spanked the night before

for doing well in school. I'll wager he's been spanked many times and yelled at too. "Come on be a man, you little wuss. Shoot that critter. And it ain't cute so quite your crying. What? Are you a girl? Sissy, shoot the damn animal or I'll have to get out my belt and whup you!"

[JuniperLea]

4. This is sickening...

The whole thing needs trown out... these cops are fucking idiots.

[DoctorMyEyes]

5. Don't be so "jumpy"

with your conclusions. You think they'd charge an 8 year old without rock solid evidence?

The boarder who was killed was on his cell phone with his wife when the kid shot the father.

[Shardik]

10. Of course. Because the police are infallible.

[DoctorMyEyes]

12. Feeling froggy in here

with all this jumping.

If I'd meant to say the police are infallible that's what I would have said. I'm capable of stringing those words together.

What is it you meant to say? That an eight year old is incapable of shooting two people to death?

[RedCappedBandit]

28. "You think they'd charge an 8 year old without rock solid evidence?"

Is that a trick question?

[Sequoia]

30. Yes, I see the news has changed again. I did read that part you mention.

I just have a hard time thinking of an 8 year old doing this sort of thing. I'll let Nancy Grace tell me what's going on. :sarcasm:

[Wapsie B]

6. Is this the same story that came out a couple weeks ago?

That whole thing seems weird to me.

[LisaL]

8. Yep that's the same one.

[malaise]

11. When this horrible arrest was made there was one report

suggesting that the boy was not involved. I'm really glad to hear this. I don't beleieve the kid committed these murders.

[itsrobert]

18. All those shotgun blast and what did the kid have on his hands and clothing?

Did he have any residue on his hands/and or clothes?

[TexasObserver]

27. I believe it was a single shot twenty two rifle, which the kid had to reload for each shot.

He had to kill the father. Then call inside the other guy, and kill him, too. Then make up a story and call the police.

The kid is clearly a dangerous sociopath who should not be allowed on the street, but the police blew the case by questioning the kid without the child having an adult rep. They'd better have forensics to prove it.

[eilen]

19. They really believe

an 8 year old could shoot a shotgun twice, and kill two adult men? The kickback would knock him out.

[underseasurveyor]

20. The angle of the wounds should tell them

whether a shorter stature person or a taller person shot the victims. I wish they'd just wait for the ballistic evidence and let it speak as to whether this boy possibly killed these people or someone else did.

[LisaL]

22. Obviously if they tested his hands they would know if he fired the

gun or not by gun powder residue test.

[underseasurveyor]

23. That too

:thumbsup:

[gollygee]

21. I certainly hope he didn't do it

I don't know enough about guns to know whether it's possible. I know people whose kids hunt with them - deer hunting so I assume shotguns? - but I don't really know anything about what kinds of guns they use.

I hope he didn't do it because I hate thinking an 8-year-old would be able to. :(

I will be interested in what future news comes out.

[FedUpWithIt All]

24. Guess they should have had counsel there to represent the kid. This is ugly. n/t

[Brooklyns_Finest]

29. This case is crazy

I am apt to believe the cops in this situation. No prosecutor would try to charge an 8 year old for murder if they didn't have real good evidence. WIth that said, the kid might get off on a technicality. All to weird. Growing up I new some really messed up kids, but that was in junior high school.

I am sure we will be hearing a lot more about this case in the future.

[WI_DEM]

32. If the wife of the renter who he was talking to on the phone testifys that the kid was calling the

renter it will provide a witness. But there is a lot here that needs to be sorted out before I form any firm opinions for myself.