AZ - Timothy Romans, 39, & Vincent Romero, 29, slain, St Johns, 5 Nov 2008 - #4

[Linda7NJ]

Hi Razzle and welcome!!! I tend to believe this boy is covering for someone of whom he is extremely frightened. If he actually witnessed the murders, that would be logical. He wasn't seriously questioned until the following day, so there was plenty of time to go into shock, calm down and try to figure out what he should say. And we don't know if someone may have further influenced him in the hours between the murders and the interrogation. If he is a cold, calculating sociopath, as some believe, he would have had his story straight from the get-go.

He did have his story straight. He only began changing his story when he believed he was caught in lies.

 

[Fairy1]

He did have his story straight. He only began changing his story when he believed he was caught in lies.

Or badgered by the detectives into saying what they wanted him to say. Doesn't take a genious to rattle an 8-year-old child.

 

[Trino]

We don't know that she had or hadn't talked to him about it. My guess would be she hadn't, as a child may repeat what is said. I'm sure she went "by the books" and enjoyed bonding with her son for the lost time they had to make up.
There are so many things they could have done asides from talked about what happened. Granted, it was most likely very hard for both of them. Maybe they watched a movie, had popcorn.
I'm sure if they had talked, it would have leaked out somewhere by now, gag order or not. It'd be a stretch to expect a newly turned 9 year old to keep secrets if they had talked.

If the testimony about the murders isn't believeable, would anyone believe the boy if he said he talked to his mother about the case?

 

[SoobsinMI]

I don't find it impossible to believe that the mother hasn't spoken of the crime to her son. Judges tell jurors all the time, not to watch television, read the papers, or discuss the trial with family. Are you saying that's impossible? If one can show restraint as a finder of fact, how much more easily would it be to do so, when your child's life is at stake?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I don't find it impossible to believe that the mother hasn't spoken of the crime to her son. Judges tell jurors all the time, not to watch television, read the papers, or discuss the trial with family. Are you saying that's impossible? If one can show restraint as a finder of fact, how much more easily would it be to do so, when your child's life is at stake?

#1 who is the mother gonna tell?

#2 undisputed fact, the kid's a liar. Who is he going to tell and be believed?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Or badgered by the detectives into saying what they wanted him to say. Doesn't take a genious to rattle an 8-year-old child.

He has not recanted. One would think after all of this time in lock-up he would spill what he knows. IF.... he was actually covering for someone else.

 

[fran]

The child was asked if he knew who did this. He said he didn't know.
The child said there was a white car, just like grandpa's.
Coincidentally, the grandpa's Mossberg 22 LR automatic is missing.

There is now a GAG order.

Pretty self-explanatory.
JMHO, of course,
fran

 

[OrdinaryLife]

He has not recanted. One would think after all of this time in lock-up he would spill what he knows. IF.... he was actually covering for someone else.

We have absolutely no idea what the child has told his lawyer. And, we won't until the time any information will be made available. This is one of those times it's good to have legal counsel. I think his advice to the child and his family is being followed.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

If the child was in a dissociative-state, he would not have had that first story he gave.

If he was covering for someone, I believe he would have sung like a bird by now.

We know he was there.

If the child planned it and went as far as to lure the roomie ...he wasn't shaking. He was as cool as a cucumber. Every bit as cool as he was telling his tales to LE.

imo

I have always felt one of the best pieces of evidence that LE has is the time line, which much of it will be backed up with cell phone records.

But lets consider this. At 4:52 pm Tim told Tonya that Vinnie was walking through the door. At that time he was very much alive. Two and a half minutes later Tim tells Tanya that he has to hang up because the boy is calling him saying something bad had happened to his dad. Shortly thereafter Tim is also dead. Approximately around 5 pm is when the neighbors say they heard the gunshots.

So how could this boy have come upon the scene afterward, saw Tim, threw his book bag under the table, went through the house calling for his dad, found his dad on the stairs and then sat beside him for 30 minutes. Then have time to get the gun to shoot at the car that was passing by and then hightail it to the neighbors? And where is the extra spent casing when he said he shot at the car?

Now he didn't even need 11 minutes to fire the weapon 10 times. It takes seconds to eject the spent casing and to reload. Anyone that doesn't think 11 minutes is a long time, then they need to sit there and look at their watch for 11 minutes. He didn't even need 8 minutes imo and the neighbor's house was not that far at all from his home which would take him less than a minute to reach imo.

imoo

 

[MeoW333]

If the testimony about the murders isn't believeable, would anyone believe the boy if he said he talked to his mother about the case?

I don't understand your question, or what it implies, or if it is a rhetorical question..

 

[MeoW333]

I have always felt one of the best pieces of evidence that LE has is the time line, which much of it will be backed up with cell phone records.

But lets consider this. At 4:52 pm Tim told Tonya that Vinnie was walking through the door. At that time he was very much alive. Two and a half minutes later Vinnie tells Tanya that he has to hang up because the boy is calling him saying something bad had happened to his dad. Shortly thereafter Tim is also dead. Approximately around 5 pm is when the neighbors say they heard the gunshots.

So how could this boy have come upon the scene afterward, saw Tim, threw his book bag under the table, went through the house calling for his dad, found his dad on the stairs and then sat beside him for 30 minutes. Then have time to get the gun to shoot at the car that was passing by and then hightail it to the neighbors? And where is the extra spent casing when he said he shot at the car?

Now he didn't even need 11 minutes to fire the weapon 10 times. It takes seconds to eject the spent casing and to reload. Anyone that doesn't think 11 minutes is a long time, then they need to sit there and look at their watch for 11 minutes. He didn't even need 8 minutes imo and the neighbor's house was not that far at all from his home which would take him less than a minute to reach imo.

imoo

That's just Tonya's words. She wasn't there, she didn't see anything. As to what conversation she had with Tim, we really have no idea, all we have to go on is what Tonya says.
What we do know is that they were going to get a divorce and that Tim was openly cheating on her. That's why i think it's weird they still called each other babe. If they were trying to get their marriage back together, then she was the only one trying.

 

[MeoW333]

Where is grandpa's mossberg? Was it reported stolen? Or is it just missing?

 

[Linda7NJ]

I have always felt one of the best pieces of evidence that LE has is the time line, which much of it will be backed up with cell phone records.

But lets consider this. At 4:52 pm Tim told Tonya that Vinnie was walking through the door. At that time he was very much alive. Two and a half minutes later Vinnie tells Tanya that he has to hang up because the boy is calling him saying something bad had happened to his dad. Shortly thereafter Tim is also dead. Approximately around 5 pm is when the neighbors say they heard the gunshots.

So how could this boy have come upon the scene afterward, saw Tim, threw his book bag under the table, went through the house calling for his dad, found his dad on the stairs and then sat beside him for 30 minutes. Then have time to get the gun to shoot at the car that was passing by and then hightail it to the neighbors? And where is the extra spent casing when he said he shot at the car?

Now he didn't even need 11 minutes to fire the weapon 10 times. It takes seconds to eject the spent casing and to reload. Anyone that doesn't think 11 minutes is a long time, then they need to sit there and look at their watch for 11 minutes. He didn't even need 8 minutes imo and the neighbor's house was not that far at all from his home which would take him less than a minute to reach imo.

imoo

I absolutely agree 100% with everything you stated.

 

[Linda7NJ]

That's just Tonya's words. She wasn't there, she didn't see anything. As to what conversation she had with Tim, we really have no idea, all we have to go on is what Tonya says.
What we do know is that they were going to get a divorce and that Tim was openly cheating on her. That's why i think it's weird they still called each other babe. If they were trying to get their marriage back together, then she was the only one trying.

They may be just Tonya's words to you. Her words, cell records and everything else is obviously enough to hold him and him alone. No other arrests have been made. That tells me the judge, whose privy to far more than we are feels there's enough to hold him. The fact remains the boy has been charged and remains in custody.

As far as her relationship with Tim, I have no idea of the innerworkings of their marriage and neither do you. I've known plenty of men that cheat on their wives and have had long term relationships outside of their marriage, while still all lovey dovey with their wives. We just do not know.

 

[Razzle]

Where is grandpa's mossberg? Was it reported stolen? Or is it just missing?

This is what I am dying to know. I would also like to know what follow up investigating was done on the white car, if any.

 

[Razzle]

They may be just Tonya's words to you. Her words, cell records and everything else is obviously enough to hold him and him alone. No other arrests have been made. That tells me the judge, whose privy to far more than we are feels there's enough to hold him. The fact remains the boy has been charged and remains in custody.

<respectfully snipped by me>

But what if they just don;t want to back pedal and admit that they wrongfully charged an 8.5 year old child with the murder of his father and a friend? That would look pretty bad on the PD as well as the courts in St Johns. I hate to think that people would be so corrupt, but things like that DO happen.

I don't know if that is the case in this situation, but I'm just sayin'...

 

[oceanblueeyes]

That's just Tonya's words. She wasn't there, she didn't see anything. As to what conversation she had with Tim, we really have no idea, all we have to go on is what Tonya says.
What we do know is that they were going to get a divorce and that Tim was openly cheating on her. That's why i think it's weird they still called each other babe. If they were trying to get their marriage back together, then she was the only one trying.

No, imo it will not only be her words. Imo the time line will line up for all of this to have happened to her husband after she hung up with him when he told her he had to go see what the boy wanted.

I don't think that Tanya, who lived a 170 miles away, even knew about Tim's St. Johns girlfriend until after he was killed.

No, we do not know that they were going to get a divorce. No divorce papers were ever filed and Tim wouldn't be the first man who told their lover they were going to get a divorce and had no intentions of doing so.

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

But what if they just don;t want to back pedal and admit that they wrongfully charged an 8.5 year old child with the murder of his father and a friend? That would look pretty bad on the PD as well as the courts in St Johns. I hate to think that people would be so corrupt, but things like that DO happen.

I don't know if that is the case in this situation, but I'm just sayin'...

No DA in this country would want this case. If they had their pick they would have much preferred the defendant be some snarly brute with a rap sheet a mile long but the DA doesn't get to pick the age of the suspect. It is what it is.

imoo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

I absolutely agree 100% with everything you stated.

Thank you.

We know that Tim Romans was killed between 4:55 p.m and 5:00 p.m.

That gave the boy only enough time to leave and go to the neighbors, so he would not be caught in the home, with his dead father's body and with his father's friend on the front porch.

I know this is not a popular opinion but I truly feel he did this.

imoo

 

[SoobsinMI]

#1 who is the mother gonna tell?

#2 undisputed fact, the kid's a liar. Who is he going to tell and be believed?

I'm not sure I understand your point in #1. Are you suggesting that someone can't NOT talk about something, even something this important? Or are you suggesting that the mother talked to her child about it, but no one will know she did because she won't tell anyone? I don't believe all people have so little self-control.

As to #2....it could be said that it is an "undisputed fact" that everyone is a liar. My young children will lie to get out of trouble ("Not Me" gets into trouble at my house.) Doesn't mean I don't believe a word they say.