8 Year Old In Arizona Court Charged With Murder

ST. JOHNS, Ariz. (AP) - An 8-year-old Arizona boy accused of
shooting to death his father and another man has appeared in court.
The boy is charged as a juvenile with two counts of murder. He
wore handcuffs at the hearing in St. Johns and sat restlessly next
to his mother. Some people in the audience cried as he entered.
The judge gave defense attorneys until Friday to either find an
expert to evaluate the boy's competency or to agree to one
suggested by the prosecutors.
Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners packed a funeral for the boy's
father.
Friends and neighbors painted a picture of Vincent Romero as a
caring father who seemed to be doing all he could to raise a polite
and respectful boy. They disputed any suggestion that Romero had
abused his son.
Romero was shot with a .22-caliber rifle last Wednesday along
with Timothy Romans, a co-worker who rented a room in his house.