On a cold November day in 2008, a shocking crime shook the small town of St. Johns, Arizona.
Two men were found shot dead in their home, one at the front door and the other in a bedroom.
The victims were Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, who worked together at a power plant construction company.
Romans was renting a room from Romero, who had an 8-year-old son named Christian.
The police arrived at the scene after a neighbor called 911, saying that Christian had come to his house looking scared and saying that something bad had happened.
The boy was taken to the police station for questioning, where he initially denied any involvement in the killings.
He said he had been playing with his friends and came home to find his father and Romans dead.
However, after hours of interrogation, Christian changed his story and confessed to shooting both men with a .22 caliber hunting rifle that belonged to his father.
He said he had been angry with his father for spanking him and decided to kill him.
He also said he shot Romans because he was a witness.
He said he had planned the murders for several days and waited for them to come home from work.
He then hid the rifle under his bed and ran to the neighbor’s house.
Christian’s confession shocked the nation and raised many questions about his motive, mental state, and legal fate.
How could an 8-year-old boy commit such a brutal act? What made him so angry and violent? How should he be treated by the justice system?
The case sparked a heated debate about the age of criminal responsibility and the ethics of interrogating minors.
Some experts argued that Christian was too young to understand the consequences of his actions and that he was coerced into confessing by the police.
They said he needed psychological help and rehabilitation, not punishment.
Others argued that Christian was a cold-blooded killer who knew what he was doing and deserved to face justice.
They said he posed a danger to society and needed to be locked up.
The legal process was complicated by Arizona’s laws, which did not have a minimum age for charging children as adults for serious crimes.
The prosecutor initially charged Christian with two counts of premeditated murder and sought to try him as an adult.
However, after reviewing the evidence and consulting with experts, he agreed to drop the charges in exchange for Christian pleading guilty to negligent homicide in juvenile court.
In 2010, Christian was sentenced to an indefinite stay in a treatment facility, where he would receive counseling and education.
He was also ordered to undergo periodic psychological evaluations at the ages of 12, 15, and 17, which would determine his progress and readiness for release.
In 2015, after his second evaluation, a judge ruled that Christian was ready to move into a foster home and attend public high school.
The judge’s decision came despite objections from Romans’ widow, Tanya, who feared for her safety and that of her two daughters.
She said she did not believe Christian had changed or felt remorse for what he had done.
Christian’s attorney, Ron Wood, said that the boy had made significant progress in his treatment and had formed a bond with his counselor.
He said that Christian was eager to start a new life and hoped to become a mechanic someday.
Christian Romero is now 21 years old and still under probation until he turns 18.
His current whereabouts are unknown to the public.
He remains one of America’s youngest killers and one of its most controversial cases.
