Prosecutors Offer Plea Deal-8 Year Old Boy Charged with Double Murder

Prosecutors have offered a plea deal to an 8 year old boy, charged with double murder in the shooting deaths of his father, Vincent Romero and another man, Timothy Romans, in Arizona.

County Attorney Criss Candelaria has “tendered a plea offer to the juvenile’s attorneys that would resolve all the charges in the juvenile court contingent on the results of the mental health evaluations.” This was Candelaria response to a defense motion seeking to block him from dropping one of two first-degree murder charges the boy faces in the deaths of his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, earlier this month.

The 8 year old boy defense attorney, Benjamin Brewer argued in a filing Tuesday that prosecutors wanted the charge dismissed so they could refile it when the boy was older and pursue case in adult court.

Brewer said Saturday that the new plea deal would resolve the case without it being transferred to adult court. Although he is considering the offer, Brewer said he is unsure of his client’s ability to understand the proceedings. At least two mental health evaluations are yet to be completed. Defense is holding out to get those evaluations.

The prosecutor explained in his response to Brewer’s opposition filing that he wasn’t trying to obtain an unfair advantage, but he pressed for the dismissal because the judicial system isn’t equipped to deal with an 8 year old charged with double murder.

Candelaria wants to make sure that, “It is done to ensure that the juvenile and the two murder victims in this case do not fall through the cracks in the system that might occur if both charges remain in the pending delinquency petition.”

The 8 year old boy charged with double murder is still in protective custody, but was allowed to be released to spend time with his Mother for Thanksgiving. He is back in custody.

For a wider explanation of what the courts are facing in trying an 8 year old charged with double murder go to CNN News and Yahoo.com.

~The Baby Boomer Queen~

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