Accused boy given Thanksgiving leave

An 8-year-old boy accused of killing his father and another man in rural eastern Arizona will be allowed to spend Thanksgiving with his mother.

The boy and his mother, Eryn Thomas, sat beside each other in court Wednesday in St. Johns, often leaning over and whispering into each other’s ear. The boy, wearing a navy blue shirt and pants, was free from the cuffs he wore in a previous hearing.

Judge Michael Roca agreed to allow the boy to leave juvenile detention from noon on Nov. 26 until noon on Nov. 28. Prosecutor Brad Carlyon objected, citing public safety concerns.

Defense attorney Ronald Wood said the boy is not doing well and has trouble sleeping in detention. He said it was important that the boy “have somebody to talk to.”

The judge said that if the boy didn’t return to detention on time, arrest warrants would be issued for him and his mother. Roca ordered that there be no guns or knives in the home while the boy is free and that he not be allowed to play video games or watch TV.

The boy has been charged in juvenile court with two counts of murder in the Nov. 5 shootings of his father, Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, a co-worker who was renting a room.

St. Johns Police Chief Roy Melnick has said he would push for the boy to be tried as an adult.