ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050103
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
An 8-year-old boy charged with killing his stepfather is being released from a Danville detention home this morning, said the child's lawyer, Glenn Berger of Altavista.
Berger would not confirm where the boy will be taken, but a source close to the case said the child would be admitted to Virginia Baptist Hospital in Lynchburg.
A hearing on the matter was held Tuesday afternoon in Pittsylvania County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
The boy - who is not being identified because of his age - was arrested Jan.14, about a month after Bernard Rosser, a 55-year-old Franklin County probation officer, was found dead from a blow to the head at his home in Gretna.
State law requires that juveniles be tried within 21 days of their detention unless a judge agrees to extend the deadline. Judge Calvin Fowler agreed Monday to postpone the boy's trial because Berger was only recently hired as his attorney.
The child had been represented by J.P. Rogers of Danville, who was appointed by the court.
Also on Monday, the assistant commonwealth's attorney in Pittsylvania County, William Jarvis, said he and Berger agreed that the child should be released from the detention home because of his age and because it will be months before the case goes to trial.
As of Tuesday, the boy was at the W.W. Moore Detention Home in Danville, where other juveniles range in age from 11 to 17.
The child's mother, Frances Rosser, supports the transfer of her son to another facility, said her attorney, Ray Ferris of Roanoke.
Rosser is concerned with what's in her child's best interest, which includes treatment for the traumatic experience he is going through, Ferris said.
She contends that her son is innocent, he said.
Rosser has not been charged in the case. She sought a lawyer because investigators made it clear to her they don't believe her statements, Ferris said.
Pittsylvania County officials are saying almost nothing about the case because of the child's age and the unprecedented nature of the investigation.
Commonwealth's Attorney David Grimes wouldn't even acknowledge that a hearing had been scheduled Tuesday.
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