8-Year-Old Accused of Murders Kept Spanking Tally

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I think I would agree with you, to some degree, however, we don't know exactly how were the circumstances, we just have a very vague idea of it, the murder act may have been out of desperation, it is reasonable to think of the probability of it, if the kid didn't have nowhere else to go, it would be either that or commiting suicide, out of those two, he may have chosen the former. Giving an 8 or 10 year old kid, full responsability for murder, this is something I don't agree with, from what I get from some posts he had easy access to fire arms in the first place and he was thought how to use it by his father, at that age, so I believe, an adult here, the dead one, has the most responsability that caused his own death, if that's the case.


I agree that such things are presented in movies and games, but, don't we need enough evidence in order to make a valid claim about the motive and all the circumstances before condemning anyone, especially an 8 year old?


Depending on the evidence, wether to give him full responsability or not, I think they could, but as I don't know how this works, I'm not sure if a minor, especially at a younger age is ever given a full life sentence.

You are very quick to assume that all "spankings" aren't done based off of malicious intent. There are thousands of parents who raise their children just fine without spanking, so therefore the point is made that it is unecessary to a child's developement. So now why would a parent participate in a uneccessary behavior, that could harm or hurt their child, unless they were getting some thrill from it?

We're not talking about a little slap on the behind, which I'm sure in your fantasy world, is as far as spanking goes. We're talking about parents who pull a child's pants down, who pull a child's underwear down, and hit them. You want to pretend because it's put under the guise of discipline, that it's reasonable. The only difference between spanking and rape, is nothing is being put into the child. Even then, you can't be sure of that either, right?

You really are getting carried away with these definitions are you not? Why does "spanking" have to involve stripping the child bare? It doesn't... Punishments, by definition, are supposed to be unpleasant. I never said I agree with beating a child half to death btw, I dont. I just think that you're putting too much credence in the belief that anyone who spanks a child is trying to sexually abuse them.

actually... yes it does in some cases.

Operative word: SOME

Speaking in absolutes is no real way to analyse something so subjective...

Now the prosecutors want to charge the kid with only one murder now so that they can charge him for the other when he turns 18. This may get shot down due to the constitutional right to a speedy and fair trial.

I say, do anything within the law to keep the little monster behind bars for the rest of his life.

i think it's unfair to force someone into a trial at eighteen when they commited the crime ten years earlier, he might have a change of conscience by then.

also what he did doesn't deserve life behind bars, maybe a life sentance (ten to twenty years) but the rest of his life? that seems pretty harsh for an abused kid who asked for help in the first place.

In murders among family members, typically those who murder their children get lighter sentences than those who murder their parents. (I read this somewhere... sorry no source.) I would think that children are more likely to be rehabilitated.

honestly speaking the kid had a reason for commiting the crime, it wasn't because he wanted to kill but instead because he was given no choice... or at least that's what he believed.

Yes. A lot of parents pull the pants down before spanking to humiliate the child.

There is no statute of limitations on murder.

The only person responsible for murder is the murderer.

His choices included murder, running away, reporting the abuse whenever and wherever he could, and remaining quiet about it.

He made the easy choice. Lock him up.

He told Child protective services and they didn't listen to him.

do you really think an eight year old running away is better than what happened? and from what i've read he did report it and nothing was done.

Well then, just get yourself on over to the courthouse and tell the judge that the boy should be released into your custody because you know so much more about raising kids than any parent or legal professional ever possibly could.

when did i say i wanted the child put into my custody? when did i say i knew more than anyone else?
isn't it strange how some people always take the personal/rude approach when proved wrong?

all i'm saying is the kid asked for help that he didn't recieve and in my oppinion the dad deserved to get shot, maybe not killed, but still charging the kid when he turns eighteen is out of order. as a kid i thought differently to what i did now and i would see it as extremely unfair if i was punished today (and more severe) for something i did ten years ago.

two ten year olds tortured and murdered a two year old 'for fun', they were given fifty thousand pounds and new lives when they were released at eighteen. the eight year old in this article had a reason for what he did and shouldn't be seen as a murderer, more as a kid who lashed out as a last resort.

one thousand is a big number, if someone hit you less than that i'm guessing you would fight back.

You've not proven anyone wrong, Mr. Hoge. I am pointing out that if you think that you are right - that if you are convinced that you are right - then you should have the courage of your convictions and actually do something about them.


When you say things like "... the dad deserved to get shot," you are setting your opinion above those within the legal and law-enforcement professions. At the very least, if you feel strongly enough that the child deserves leniency, then you could have a lawyer file an "Amicus Curia" brief on your behalf to have your opinion considered by the judge in this case.


British law - not American.


Every murderer has a reason of murdering their victims. Many have gone on to be executed while still believing that their reasons were sufficient cause. Note that I am not advocating the death penalty for the child, only a life sentence.


We have only the child's word that this number is accurate. For all we know, he was spanked only more times than he could count, or that he exagerrated the actual number, or that his "tally" is simply part of a ruse.

Look at it this way; it is not as if he was being attacked at the time of the murders. It is not as if he was being beaten when he picked up the gun and pulled the trigger. And it is not as if heis father was approachjing him with fists clenched and a threat of violence on his lips.

No. Instead the kid decided to kill his dad, attempted to justify it with a "Magic Number" that he could have easily picked at random, made the plan to murder his dad, then picked up the .22 caliber rifle and shot his dad and a friend who was renting a room from his dad. After words, he calmly and quietly confessed his crime without any apparent remorse, and by going to a neighbor's house and said he believed that his father was dead.

According to local police, the boy did not act on the spur of the moment. Thus, it is not an act of passion or self-defense, nor was it an accident.

Officers arrived at the home within minutes of the shooting. They found one victim just outside the front door and the other dead in an upstairs room. The boy has been charged with two counts of premeditated murder in the death of his father, 29-year-old Vincent Romero, and 39-year-old Timothy Romans.

This is not the behavior of a child fearing a spanking. This is the behavior of a cold-blooded killer who would likely kill again without warning.

Of course, I could be wrong in siding with the police and the judge. It could be that it was actually a murder-suicide plot to get back at the boy's mom by brainwashing the boy into taking the blame, and somehow the local cops have bought into the boy's story. Maybe it was actually the step-mom who committed the crime and has threatened the boy to go along with it so that she could get away scot-free.

I'm not an advocate of child abuse, nor am I an advocate of coddling criminals. Ultimately, the child had two primary choices (among the others I've mentioned previously): To kill or to not kill his daddy. He chose to kill. He is a murderer. He deserves to be locked away before he kills again. Pure and simple.