Colorado teen accused of killing parents appears in court

ALAMOSA - It will be a month before prosecutors reveal how they will handle a case against a southern Colorado teenager accused of killing his mother and stepfather.

The 14-year-old appeared in an Alamosa courtroom on Monday.

Privacy can be at a premium in a small town like Monte Vista, where little - good or bad - can happen without people knowing.

People in this town certainly know what happened to Tracy and Joanne Rinebarger last Tuesday. They were found dead inside their home outside town.

Most everyone here knows their 14-year-old son, a high school freshman, was arrested later that day.

However, details about the teenager and the crime are being closely guarded by the juvenile justice system.

The 14-year-old was led into court through a back entrance on Monday, the front entrance was locked. The judge's order tacked to the door. No outsiders allowed in and no one inside can talk to people on the outside.

The district attorney told the judge such secrecy was needed to prevent a leak of information that might "cause alarm or outrage within the community."

On Monday, 9NEWS learned both sides agreed to give the public defender another month to investigate the case before charges are filed.

Prosecutors must decide whether to charge the 14-year-old as an adult. If they do that, he will lose the layer of privacy that has protected him and the details of what police say happened to his parents.

The judge ordered the teenager to be held in a youth detention facility until his hearing next month.

9NEWS is not using the boy's name or showing family photos that include him because he has not been formally charged with a crime.