Child in St. Johns, Arizona Charged With Murder

An eight-year-old boy living in Arizona has been charged with two counts of murder. The boy’s attorney says he was questioned by local police without an attorney or his mother present, and that he was not advised of his rights. 

Shot His Father and a Tenant with a Rifle

The boy, whose identity has not been released, is in police custody in Arizona after he allegedly used a .22-caliber rifle Nov. 5 to fatally shoot both his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, who was renting a room in Romero's house. According to police, Romero and his wife had full custody of the boy; however the boy’s stepmother was not home at the time of the killings. 

St. Johns, the town where Romero, his son, and Romans lived has only about 4,000 residents, several of whom expressed their shock at the killings. The town is about 200 miles northeast of Phoenix. 

A funeral was held Nov. 10 for Romero at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, with some 600 attendants. The boy's mother lives in Mississippi, according to police.  

Police Say the Boy Confessed

Police Chief Roy Melnick stated that his department was investigating whether the boy had been abused, and that the police would not be releasing any further information about the case, under court order. He had said earlier that Romero's son planned the killings carefully and confessed to the murders. The boy has been charged with two counts of murder. 

According to prosecutors in Maricopa County, the Arizona Child Protective Services has no complaints regarding the boy, and there is no disciplinary record for him at his elementary school.  

(Source: MSNBC) 

Contact an Attorney Before You Are Questioned by Officers

If you were questioned by law enforcement officers without an attorney present, it's in your best interest to contact a criminal defense attorney immediately.