Teens Face Charges In Murder Of Michigan Couple In Missouri
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (WWJ/AP) - The juvenile office in Stone County has announced its intention to charge two runaways suspected in the killing of a Michigan couple in southwest Missouri as adults.
A judge decided Monday to keep the teens in custody while authorities continue to investigate. Currently, the teen suspects face juvenile charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and burglary.
Juvenile authorities say they intend to ask the court to certify the boys be charged as adults and tried in state court.
The teens -- identified by the Springfield News-Leader as 15-year-old Christopher Allen and 16-year-old Anthony Zarro -- are accused of killing 70-year-old Paul Brooks and his wife, 69-year-old Margaret Brooks.
The Brooks, who were from Baldwin, Michigan, were found slain Thursday night at their son's lake house in Lampe, just north of the Missouri-Arkansas state line, where they were seasonal residents. Police haven't said how the Brooks' were killed, except that they were not shot.
An autopsy was done over weekend and the sheriff's department is expected to release the results later Tuesday.
The teens were arrested after a neighbor called police to tell them he was holding two young men at gunpoint after confronting them for suspicious behavior. When police arrived on the scene about 15 minutes later, they discovered the dead bodies.
Officials said the teens had run away from Lives Under Construction Ranch, a nearby facility for at-risk youth, earlier this week. Investigators believe the teens broke into an unoccupied home next to the Brooks' and stayed there for several days before the killings occurred.
MORE: 2 Teens Held In Deaths Of Michigan Couple In Missouri
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