The debate about the proper charges has been fueled in part by the horrific nature of the crimes, as well as the reputation of the victims. From the outside, the Long family seemed to be large, loving and deeply religious, but with an adventurous spirit. For example, Charles was a member of a Seventh-Day Adventist prayer group, but also a unicyclist and guitarist whose Facebook page saluted both the Bible and Ted Nugent.
No wonder authorities were so shocked when they responded to a call from the boy about a shooting. They found Charles and Marilyn dead and his younger sister and brother grievously wounded. The five-foot-tall, 75-pounder allegedly used a knife on his five-year-old sister, a gun and a knife on nine-year-old brother. The wounds were so serious that it wasn't immediately clear they'd survive them.Fortunately, they did -- and they're reportedly doing well in the custody of their uncle, Wally Long.
Meanwhile, nine charges have been leveled against the twelve-year-old, including two counts of first-degree murder, two attempted first-degree murder beefs, three first-degree assault allegations, and two accusations connected to his status as an accused aggravated juvenile offender.
The aggravating circumstances could lead to adult charges -- but a judge in Kit Carson County, where the crimes took place, has accepted a request by the boy's attorney to extend the deadline for filing arguments on the subject by sixty days. That means we may not know whether he'll be tried in the adult or juvenile system until August.
Look below to see a CNN interview featuring Wally Long and the boy's older brother, Jacob; a Denver Post video featuring a press conference about the killings; and a 9News report about a vigil staged in the wake of the killings.
More from our Mile High Murder archive: "Chrisopher Wells: Car lot link to murder of ex-wife Amara Wells, Robert Rafferty (56 & 57)."
