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St. John's Boy Sentencing

Flagstaff, AZ – A prosecutor says psychiatric reports explain why a nine-year-old St. John's boy killed his father's roommate. However, the reports have been sealed by court order. Yesterday, an Apache County Judge set a sentencing date for the case of September 22nd. The sentencing will come months after the boy struck a deal with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to one count of negligent homicide in the shooting death of Timothy Romero. Police reports have hinted at a possible motive after the boy told a state Child Protective Service worker that his one thousandth spanking would be his last. The boy also allegedly shot his father, but prosecutors dropped those charges as part of the plea deal. Under the plea agreement, the boy won't serve any time in State Juvenile Corrections Facilities, but he could be sentenced to a county jail.