El progenitor abusaba de él, según ↓ The Press Tribune
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>Médico: Los niños no piensan en las consecuencias 03:05 · Zachary, de 14 años de edad, está acusado de asesinato en primer grado. No es el primer niño del Valle de Treasure que es juzgado como un adulto. Preguntamos a los expertos sobre si los niños deben ser acusados como adultos y lo que puede conducir a un niño a cometer un delito tan grave.
>El rostro de Zachary, mostrado sin pudor ante las cámaras, durante la jornada que abrió el juicioNOELIA SASTRE, 22-05-09 | MADRID /CALDWELL Idaho EEUU (ABC)
Esposado y con el uniforme de preso, Zachary N., de sólo 14 años, se sentó este miércoles en el banquillo de un tribunal de Caldwell (Idaho) para responder como un adulto por la muerte de su padre, al que presuntamente asesinó a tiros.
La venganza pudo ser el móvil del acusado, sometido a abusos sexuales por parte de su padre y cuya madre permanece ingresada en un centro psiquiátrico.
¿Disparó Zachary a su padre en la cabeza con un rifle mientras el hombre dormía la siesta en el sofá el sábado por la tarde? Esa es la gran pregunta de este caso cuyos detalles trascendieron en la vista del martes ante el juez. Detalles que lo convencieron para arrestar al adolescente, acusado de asesinato con premeditación.
La web local ↓ Idaho Statesman obtuvo la grabación de esta vista a puerta cerrada que tuvo lugar justo después del interrogatorio al niño por parte del agente que investiga el caso, Bill Crawford. "Zachary no lo ha reconocido, pero tampoco lo ha negado", testificó Crawford. "En un momento del interrogatorio le dijo su abuela: "no puedo decirlo otra vez". Ella le comentó: "debes explicar por qué lo hiciste". Y él contestó que no podía".
El investigador añadió que según un familiar, el padre podría haber abusado sexualmente de su hijo y había visto cómo lo golpeaba. En cualquier caso, todos los allegados insistieron en que Jason Neagle le daba palizas a Zachary. "El niño me dijo que su padre no le había hecho nada desde hacía tiempo, pero no quiso decirme lo que había ocurrido en el pasado", subrayó Crawford, añadiendo que Zachary llamó al 911 (el teléfono de emergencias) desde su casa poco después de las tres de la tarde del sábado, asegurando que su padre había sido disparado. "En un principio le dijo a la policía que estaba en su habitación cuando escuchó el disparo".
Por otro lado, las evidencias indican que el asesino disparó desde detrás del sofá y dejó el arma detrás de unas cajas en el garaje. La investigación destaca también que el niño es muy introvertido y últimamente ha tenido comportamientos extraños como cuando "se enfadó con un compañero en clase de gimnasia y orinó en su taquilla".
El estudiante del Vallivue Middle School ha sido acusado como un adulto de homicidio en primer grado por la muerte de su padre, Jason Neagle, de 33 años, y está encarcelado en la prisión del condado de Canyon.
Zachary se presentó el miércoles en el tribunal, donde el fiscal del condado de Canyon, John Bujak, confirmó que la pena de muerte está descartada y que necesita más pruebas antes de decidir qué tipo de pena pide para el menor, cuya madre está ingresada en un hospital psiquiátrico y su abuela tiene la custodia.
Prácticamente todos los estados de EE.UU. permiten juzgar a menores como adultos bajo ciertas circunstancias, y muchos de ellos han bajado la edad mínima de 14, llegando incluso hasta los 10 años.
ABC
VO
Prosecutor may revise charges
Jason NeagleShooting victim
Brother-in-law defends shooting victim Jason Neagle
CANYON COUNTY, 23 MAY 2009 (TRIBUNE) — If there was a justifiable reason for the shooting death of Jason Neagle, Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak said Friday he will revisit and amend the first-degree murder charge filed against the 14-year-old son.
Bujak said several people — about 50 Friday via phone, fax or e-mails — have contacted his office, protesting the murder charge and the fact that teen suspect Zachary Neagle is charged as an adult and housed in the adult jail.
Authorities are still waiting for information concerning physical evidence collected after the May 16 shooting at the Neagle home in Caldwell on Ustick Road. Jason Neagle, 32, died from wounds caused by a single shot from a high-powered rifle. Police were called to the scene but did not make an arrest until Tuesday. Three children were home at the time of the murder, including Zachary.
Information presented at a Tuesday warrant hearing indicated that some relatives suspected possible sexual and physical abuse of Zachary and that it might suggest a possible motive. Pornographic material involving young children was discovered on the computers removed from the home.
But the prosecutor's office has not released information about whether the allegations of abuse are true.
Timothy Ryals, a maternal uncle to Zachary, said he is upset that there's been so much empathy for the teen and that Jason Neagle's name has been smeared before the investigation is complete.
"Nothing, to date, has been mentioned as to Jason or the man that he was," Ryals said in an e-mail.
"Jason Neagle was a good man, was a constant member of the family ... and would lend a hand to anyone in need at anytime," Ryals continued, explaining that it was not fair for Jason to be on trial.
"If there was suspicion of any wrong doing on his part prior to his death," Ryals said, "why was it not brought up until a time that he will never be able to defend himself?"
Jailed teen stirs empathy
Zachary's arrest has caused public outrage, both locally and abroad.
People are upset that the 14-year-old is being treated as a cold-blooded murderer when he should perhaps be held up as a hero. Most of the comments on Idaho Press-Tribune's Web site support the teen.
"He obviously had enough of the abuse and couldn't take it any longer. He was looking out for himself and protecting his siblings from ever being abused sexually and physically from this man they called their father," one person commented.
There is a Web site where people can sign a petition to urge justice for Zachary Neagle. It also encourages people to contact the prosecutor, urging leniency for the teen. As of Friday night, 70 people had signed the petition, with only two from Caldwell. Many of the people who signed are from countries including the United Kingdom, Germany and Korea.
Meanwhile, Zachary remains in protective custody, safe and separate from other adults, Bujak said. Although the teen does not have contact with juveniles, he is able to have visitors.
"I would like people to understand that this is not an easy case," Bujak said, adding that he is personally handling the case to make sure that the boy's rights are protected.
Bujak said he has tried to reach each person who has sent protests to his office if they provided contact information.
TRIBUNE
Dad may have abused son
Zachary Neagle, 14, makes his first appearance in court at the Canyon County courthouse Wednesday on a charge of first degree murder. Neagle is accused of killing his father, 33-year-old Jason Neagle of Caldwell, who was found dead in his home Saturday.
CALDWELL (TRIBUNE) — A Caldwell eighth-grader may have been sexually abused by the father he now stands accused of murdering in his sleep.
In his first court appearance (audio of hearing), 14-year-old Zachary Neagle sat silently as a judge read the criminal accusation that Neagle shot his 33-year-old father in the head with a rifle. The slender, 5-foot-4-inch teenager could face life in prison if convicted of the crime.
Neagle, an eighth-grade student at Vallivue Middle School, was arrested Tuesday afternoon on a warrant for first-degree murder after an interview with Caldwell police. The investigation began Saturday after Jason Neagle was found dead in his Caldwell home.
Neagle did not confess to the murder during police interviews, nor did he deny it when presented with the evidence against him.
Investigators believe Neagle fired a single shot from a high-powered rifle, which pierced his father's wrist and struck his head while he slept on a couch. Two younger siblings were in the home at the time of the shooting, but in a different room.
Neagle, who is charged as an adult in the case, is scheduled to appear in court in two weeks for a preliminary hearing. A judge set his bond for $300,000. The teen awaits his trial in the Canyon County jail, where he is isolated from the adult inmate population. Authorities said this is not a death penalty case.
Family suspected abuse
Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak, who represented the state at Neagle's first appearance hearing, said Wednesday investigators had identified a motive for the shooting, but that he could not make that motive public at this time.
But during a recorded warrant request before a judge Tuesday, Bujak and Caldwell detective Bill Crawford discussed details of the investigation that hinted at why the teen may have allegedly pulled the trigger.
Crawford said members of Neagle's family indicated a sometimes violent father-son relationship, and an uncle told investigators he suspected sexual abuse.
The uncle told police he saw child pornography on a computer in the home depicting children as young as 8 or 9 engaged in "daddy-and-daughter" and "brother-sister" sexual scenarios. Crawford said the man told investigators he suspected Neagle and others had been abused by Jason Neagle.
It was not clear from Crawford's statements whether the uncle claimed to have found the pornography and developed his suspicion before or after the murder.
Zachary told investigators his father had not "done anything to him in a while," but did not specify what had been done, Crawford said.
Crawford said when detectives told Neagle's mother that Jason Neagle had been shot, her immediate response was, "Who did it, the kids?"
Neagle's grandmother, grandfather and uncle all told police "Jason was very heavy-handed to him (Neagle)," Crawford said. The uncle reportedly related one incident during which "Jason punched him in the head two or three times."
Crawford said the investigation indicated Neagle was a troubled loner who was not liked by his peers and sometimes lashed out at others.
Neagle was in the custody of his grandmother prior to his arrest at the request of his mother, who is in a Boise hospital.
Computers from the home were turned over to police and are being investigated, he said.
Weapon found
Investigators found a .30-30 rifle containing a spent cartridge and two live rounds in the garage under some cardboard boxes.
Crawford said most everything in the garage was covered in dust, but the rifle was found clean, as if it had been stored in a case. Investigators found a case, unlatched and containing the type of ammo used by the rifle, under the master bed, he said.
Crawford said Neagle initially said he did not know where the rifle was kept, but later said it was kept in the master bedroom, and that Neagle's uncle told investigators the teen knew where the gun was kept.
Crawford said the angle at which the bullet struck Jason Neagle and a burn mark left as the bullet grazed the couch suggested the shot was fired by someone of Neagle's slight stature.
Police still awaited results of a fingerprint analysis on the weapon and tests for gunshot residue on Neagle's hands when Tuesday's discussion took place. It is likely impossible to determine conclusively that the fatal bullet was fired from the gun found in the garage, Crawford said, but an autopsy confirmed the wounds were consistent with those caused by a high-powered rifle.
Accounts of the crime
During the 911 call that brought police to the home, Neagle told dispatchers his dad had been shot, Crawford said. Dispatchers asked where the gun was, to which Neagle reportedly replied, "It's not in the house."
The teen initially told investigators he had been in his room listening to music when he heard a gunshot, Crawford said. Neagle told police he immediately ran to check on his siblings, who were in their room cleaning. After finding them fine, he found his father, his account reportedly continued. He told investigators he could still smell gunpowder in the room, and noticed an entryway to the home was ajar.
But Crawford said Neagle grew increasingly emotional as investigators laid out the evidence found at the crime scene.
"At one point he was in tears, holding his head down, and he told me 'I want a lawyer.' At that point I quit talking and grandma continued to talk to him," Crawford said.
During that exchange, Crawford overheard Neagle say, "I can't say it again, I can't say it again," to which his grandmother replied, "You need to tell why you did this," he said.
"Based on his emotional responses and his demeanor throughout the whole interview, at the end of the interview, I mean, I feel certain that he wanted to say that he did it but, because of that emotional block, he didn't," Crawford said.
Siblings' accounts
Crawford said Neagle's siblings told police their dad was sleeping on a couch and Neagle told them to go into their room and that he was going to listen to music. The children reportedly went into their room and shut the door, and heard the gunshot a short time later. They said Neagle then returned and told them to stay in their room, Crawford said.
Vallivue calls in counselors
CALDWELL (TRIBUNE) — Charges that a 14-year-old student murdered his father prompted officials at the Vallivue School District to take additional measures to help students cope.
Assistant Superintendent Pat Charlton confirmed that Zachary Neagle is an eighth grade student at Vallivue Middle School. He did not comment on the level of Neagle's involvement in the school or student body.
Neagle has competed in a regional wrestling competition as a member of the Vallivue Wrestling Club in 2009, though the club's coach declined to comment Tuesday night.
Charlton said school officials became aware of Neagle's arrest and murder charge late Tuesday afternoon and that a crisis team met at the school that night. Extra grief counselors were brought in to the middle school Wednesday, although Charlton said, in talking with the principal, there didn't seem to be a need for the additional staffing.
Investigators interviewed students at the school prior to Neagle's arrest. Caldwell detective Bill Crawford, speaking during a warrant request hearing Tuesday, said Neagle didn't get along well with others.
In one case, the school reportedly lodged a complaint against Neagle because he urinated in another student's locker after clashing with him during gym class.
"These are all things that indicate to us that the kid's got some serious problems," Crawford said. "Nobody really liked the kid; he stayed to himself, he kept to himself. He didn't have any friends that he could call friends or anything like that."
TRIBUNE
Zachary Neagle's former stepfather said the boy took on responsibility for his mom.
BY KRISTIN RODINE - 05/23/09 (IDAHO ST)
John Carey last saw Zachary Neagle on Monday, the day before the 14-year-old was arrested on a first-degree murder charge.
The boy's father, Jason Neagle, had been shot to death Saturday, and Zachary seemed withdrawn and "not quite there," Carey said.
"When I heard it might have been Zachary who did it, I was pretty shocked," he said.
Carey was married to Zachary's mother a few years ago, when the boy was 11. The oldest of three kids, Zachary seemed to have skipped over his childhood, taking on considerable responsibility for his siblings and his mother, who often was sick, Carey said.
"This boy took on a lot of burden for his mother and put up with a lot from his father," he said. "He had a lot on his shoulders."
The burdens likely increased after Zachary's mother was hospitalized a couple of weeks ago, he said.
Investigators described the boy as a loner who lacked friends at school. Carey said Zachary didn't have much time or opportunity to socialize, but he was communicative and friendly when he felt comfortable.
"He liked to go shovel walkways for people," Carey said. "He'd get a couple of bucks and give them to his mother."
Zachary also enjoyed playing video games and riding his scooter, he said.
Police and prosecutors are investigating allegations that Zachary may have been sexually abused by his father, but Carey said he had no inkling of anything like that.
What he did observe, he said, was "little-man syndrome - (Jason) pushing down on his son to be a tougher individual."
Zachary is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, punishable by up to life in prison or death. Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak has said the death penalty is off the table in this case, and he's waiting for further information about motive and mitigating factors before he'll decide what sentence he'll seek for the eighth-grader.
"I hope the boy gets a fair shake," Carey said. "I think he's already paid his dues."
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THIS CASE
Jason Neagle, 33, was shot to death May 16 while sleeping on the couch in his Caldwell home, investigators say. His 14-year-old son, Zachary, was arrested on a murder charge three days later. He is being held on $300,000 bond in the Canyon County Jail, where he is kept separate from adult inmates. His preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. June 2.
IDAHOST
Caldwell boy charged with dad's murder may have been abused, detective says
BY KRISTIN RODINE - 05/21/09 (IDAHO ST)
Did 14-year-old Zachary Neagle shoot his father in the head with a rifle while the man slept on his couch Saturday afternoon?
Details spelled out in a hearing Tuesday convinced a judge there was probable cause to arrest the boy on a charge of premeditated murder. The Idaho Statesman obtained a recording of the closed-door hearing, which was held shortly after a Caldwell detective interviewed Neagle.
"Zachary never said that he did it, but he never said he didn't do it, and at one point he told (his) grandma, 'I can't say it again,' " investigator Bill Crawford testified. "She said, 'You need to tell why you did this,' and he said, 'I can't say it.' "
The 5-foot-4 Vallivue Middle School student is charged as an adult with first-degree murder in the death of his father, Jason Neagle, 33. He is being held in the Canyon County Jail.
After the teen's first court appearance Wednesday, Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak said the death penalty is off the table and further investigation of possible mitigating factors is needed before he decides what kind of a sentence to seek.
A close relative of the victim told investigators he suspected Jason Neagle sexually abused Zachary and that he had seen Neagle hit his son, Crawford said.
All of the relatives interviewed by police said Jason Neagle was "pretty heavy-handed" on Zachary. Crawford said the teen told him his father "hadn't done anything to him in a while. ... but he wouldn't tell me what he had done to him."
Other details in Crawford's testimony:
• Zachary Neagle called 911 from the house on Ustick Road shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday, saying, "My dad's been shot." He initially told police he was in his room listening to music when he heard a shot.
• Evidence indicates the killer stood about 6 feet behind the couch and fired one round from a .30-.30 rifle at Jason Neagle. The bullet went through the victim's wrist, into his head and out the other side of his head.
• The apparent murder weapon, with one spent cartridge and two live rounds, was found behind some boxes in the home's garage.
• Interviews at Zachary's school indicated the boy lacked friends, kept to himself and had been acting out. At one point, the school lodged a complaint that Zachary "got mad at a kid in gym class, and when everybody left the gymnasium he went in and peed in the kid's locker."
• Zachary's mother is in a mental hospital and his maternal grandmother has custody of him.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Caldwell 14-year-old arraigned for murder, won’t face death penalty
14-year-old Caldwell boy charged with first-degree murder of his father
ELSEWHERE
Read about crime in the Treasure Valley
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
WHAT'S NEXT?
A preliminary hearing is set for 10 a.m. June 2 in the Canyon County Courthouse, where a judge will decide if there's enough evidence to send Zachary Neagle's case to District Court, where felonies are tried.
IDAHOST
