Youth Charged in Murders ‘Not Hardened,’ Court Told

A 16-year-old Long Beach youth was “an accident waiting to happen” from emotional problems caused by the murder of his sister, a psychiatrist testified Monday at a hearing to determine whether the teen-ager will be tried as a juvenile or as an adult for shooting two deaf brothers, one fatally.

But Dr. William Vicary said that Joey Paul Bellinger is “not a hardened anti-social individual” and could be rehabilitated by the California Youth Authority.

Bellinger is charged with murdering Cesar Vieira, 30, and attempting to murder Edward Vieira, 25, with a .25-caliber pistol during a confrontation in Granada Hills after the Palmdale brothers traded insults with five teen-agers, including Bellinger.

“This kid is falling apart,” Vicary--called by Bellinger’s attorney--testified in the fitness hearing in Pasadena Juvenile Court. “That is why you see him doing something so stupid--something really out of character for him.”