Boy in court on hunting death of father

SILVER CITY, N.M. (KRQE) - A Grant County magistrate judge Thursday set a bond of $500,000 for an Albuquerque teen accused of murdering his father during a weekend hunting trip.

Magistrate Ron Hall set the cash or surety bond during Thomas Manning's first court appearance. Manning, 16, is being held on an open count of murder in the death of Jeffrey Manning, 43, who was shot to death Sunday in the Gila National Forest.

The younger Manning was advised of his rights and told a public defender will be assigned to his case possibly as early as Thursday afternoon.

Grant County sheriff's investigators have said the boy initially said he accidentally shot his father on Sunday afternoon in McKnight Canyon on the west side of the Black Range. However, he gave conflicting stories as to what happened and where the shooting occurred, they said. According to a KRQE News 13 investigation, Thomas Manning had threatened his father before.

It was late Tuesday morning before search teams located the elder Manning's body in rugged country about 35 miles northeast of Silver City.

Court records indicate prosecutors want to try Thomas Manning as a serious youthful offender eligible for an adult prison sentence if convicted.