9-year-old pleads guilty in shooting death

A 9-year-old eastern Arizona boy pleaded guilty Thursday to negligent homicide in the shooting death of his father's roommate.

Two premeditated murder charges for the deaths of the father and the roommate were dropped as part of the plea deal. The boy entered the plea before Apache County Superior Court Judge Michael Roca in St. Johns, sparing the rural community of about 4,000 from what would have been an emotional trial.

The plea deal prevents the boy from serving any time in the state juvenile corrections system, but Roca still could sentence him to time in a county facility.

"It's a compromise -- no one is really pleased," defense attorney Benjamin Brewer said after the hearing.

The boy's mother objected to the plea deal. Through her lawyer, she told the judge she didn't believe her son was old enough to understand the plea agreement and she was worried that his court-appointed guardian hadn't been able to review the deal.

Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said he "had a hard time believing" that the guardian wasn't aware of the plea deal, and Roca accepted the plea without addressing the mother's concerns.

Whiting wants the boy to undergo extensive mental evaluations and treatment, an option allowed by the plea agreement.

The boy is currently free from custody on furlough. He is due back in court for a pre-sentencing hearing on March 5.

The boy previously pleaded not guilty in the Nov. 5 deaths of his father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero, and 39-year-old Timothy Romans. Police had said the boy, who was 8 at the time, used a .22-caliber rifle to shoot the men as they returned home from work.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys had been negotiating a plea agreement for the past month.

Alex Savidge Reports