8yo charged with father's murder

An eight-year-old Catholic schoolboy, who never caused any disruptions at school, is accused of shooting his father and another man.

Police and neighbours from the small community of St Johns, Arizona are trying to fathom why he would allegedly shoot the pair with a .22-calibre rifle.

Police have said the young boy killed his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39 last Wednesday. The two men worked together, and Romans had been renting a room at the house, reported the Associated Press.

St John Police Chief Roy Melnick said the boy, who is facing two charges of premeditated murder, did not act on the spur of the moment and they were looking into whether he had been abused.

"I'm not accusing anybody of anything at this point, 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."

A psychological evaluation of the boy has been ordered by the judge.  

"That child, I don't think he knows what he did, and it was brutal," said the family priest, the Very Reverend John Paul Sauter.

"They were just really nice people, and that's why it is such a sad thing."

While nothing could be done for the boy's father, there must be something which could be done for the child, he said.

"At that age he's just a baby."

Under Arizona law, charges can laid on anyone eight years or older.

The boy's lawyer, Benjamin Brewer, said his client was generally in good spirits.

"He's scared, he said. "He's trying to be tough but he's scared."

The boy had no disciplinary record in school, and no complaints were filed with Arizona Child Protective Services, prosecutors said.

- © Fairfax NZ News