An 8 year old boy murdered his father

The Apache County, Arizona Attorney’s Office has released interrogation video of an 8-year-old boy, who allegedly shot and killed his father and another man at his house, the biggest unanswered question is “Why?”

Police say the boy planned and meticulously carried out the shootings, but they haven’t discussed a motive. Child psychologists and others say that while many factors could cause a child to kill a parent, the most common in other cases has been severe abuse.

In the released interview, which lasts about 12 minutes, the boy tells officers that he found the two men dead after coming home from school. He then says he cried for like a half an hour after finding the men.

Under Arizona law children aged 8 and above can be tried as adults. But the boy’s defense attorney argued that police should not have questioned the boy without an attorney or a parent present, and said that police never advised the boy of his rights.

In the Arizona case, the boy’s parents were divorced. Romero had full custody and the boy’s mother, Eryn Thomas, lives in Mississippi, although she had been in St. Johns for a visit the weekend before the shooting. Romero recently remarried.

Heckel said it’s only a matter of time before the motive is revealed.

“There are not that many mysteries,” said Heckel, who is not involved in the case. “I would not be surprised if there’s some pretty reasonable explanation and understanding of what happened — it’s just a matter of digging.”