The mother of a 9-year-old Battlement Mesa shooting victim lashed out Thursday at the 14-year-old accused of killing her son, saying his behavior in the courtroom this week was inappropriate and disrespectful.
Wendi Robyn said alleged killer Eric Alan Stoneman’s smiling and smirking at witnesses Wednesday “is a good indication of the lack of respect and the lack of remorse in his heart.”
Robyn said she was also bothered by Stoneman’s behavior during breaks. He hugged his mother, who was allowed to briefly sit at his side at the defense table. He turned back to relatives to joke with them and to tell them he hoped he was going to get McDonald’s for lunch or that he had a good nap during the noon break.
Robyn watched as she held a picture of her son and looked at Stoneman past a canister of her son’s ashes on the railing in front of her. Now, she said, she can’t hold back her anger.
“I felt sad, incredibly sad. I felt that it was unjust that she gets to hug her son,” Robyn said Thursday. “I wouldn’t have been allowed across that railing. It just didn’t seem appropriate to me.”
Stoneman’s father, Rick Parks, said his son was simply trying to put people at ease.
“He was trying to make everyone smile. He was not being disrespectful at all,” Parks said. “He knows he did wrong. He’s really sorry for it.”
Robyn’s son, Taylor DeMarco, died July 20 when Stoneman shot him in the chest with a .22-caliber pistol. Stoneman admitted to authorities that he shot DeMarco but said it was an accident.
Stoneman has been charged as an adult with first-degree murder after deliberation. Eric Warde, 13, the lone witness to the shooting, has given police conflicting stories. At times, he has said he thought the shooting was intentional. At other times, he has said he thought it was accidental.
Robyn’s former husband, William DeMarco, left Wednesday’s hearing after loudly telling Stoneman during a break that he would wipe the smile off his face.
Staff writer Nancy Lofholm can be reached at 970-256-1957 or nlofholm@denverpost.com.
