An 8-year-old boy is scheduled in court Monday to face two counts of premeditated murder in the shooting death of his father and a friend. The hearing comes on the same day mourners were to gather for a funeral.
Police say the boy, a third-grader, confessed to planning and carrying out the shooting deaths of his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and a co-worker who rented a room from him.
The men were found dead inside Romero's home northeast of Phoenix on Wednesday.
Authorities had no motive for the shootings.
"That's what's puzzling to us," Police Chief Roy Melnick said Monday on NBC's "Today" show. "There's no record of any problems in school, no reported abuse."
Romero came from a family of hunters and wanted to make sure the boy wasn't afraid of guns, said the Rev. John Paul Sauter of St. Johns Catholic Church. He said the father taught his son how to use a rifle to kill prairie dogs.
Police say the boy used a .22-caliber rifle to kill his father and the other man, Timothy Romans, 39, of San Carlos.
St. Johns police are hoping a judge will agree to try the boy as an adult, but they admit it's unlikely.
The boy's attorney says police questioned his client without representation from a parent or attorney and didn't advise the child of his rights.
The killings took place in the St. Johns, a town of about 4,000 people located roughly 170 miles northeast of Phoenix.
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Stories like this is like the America's chickens come home to roost. America is still clinging to her ancient and out dated gun laws. You have evil organizations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) who want to see more guns on America's streets including automatic assault rifles. I bet if Mr. Romero had it do all over again he would have never taught his young son about guns.
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