Teen 'killed father over school work fears'

A 15-year-old boy allegedly killed his father, then set their home on fire over fears his father would find out he was failing some classes, prosecutors said.

Ryan Watts was charged yesterday with murdering his father, 50-year-old John Bruner, who was initially believed to have died in the fire earlier this week. He was charged as an adult.

Watts was arrested on Wednesday after a post mortem examination showed that Bruner died from multiple gunshot wounds and not from the fire, Santa Clara police said.

According to court documents, Watts told police he took a .45-calibre handgun from a safe in his father’s bedroom and stashed it in his room shortly before the killing.

Court documents allege he shot his father in the head at close range on Monday, then set the body on fire because it was too heavy to carry to the backyard, where he had planned to bury it.

Watts hid the gun and went to a fast-food restaurant before calling emergency services to report the fire, the documents said.

Watts’ parents apparently were separated, and he had been staying at his mother’s home since the fire, police said.

If convicted, Watts faces life in prison. He is not eligible for the death penalty because he is a juvenile.

Watts is expected to enter a plea during a court appearance next Thursday.