PA. teen accused of killing cabbie for taking the long route

(Reuters) - A teenager who thought a Pennsylvania taxi driver was taking a long route to charge him extra money has been accused of killing the cabbie, police said.

Aazis Richardson, 16, was charged with murder and robbery after admitting the crime to police, according to a criminal complaint filed on Friday by the Scranton, Pennsylvania, police.

Officers found the teen hiding in an attic with bloodstains on his jeans, according to the complaint.

The body of Vincent Darbenzio, the driver, was found in his taxi with bullet wounds to his head, police said. He was discovered by a fellow driver who had become alarmed by Darbenzio's radio silence early on Friday morning.

Police went to an address given to Darbenzio's dispatcher when the taxi was booked and found Richardson in the attic with a handgun believed used in the shooting, the complaint said.

Richardson told police that Darbenzio had ignored his suggested short cuts. The teen "started to get mad and felt the cab driver was trying to rip him off," the complaint said.

He said he told Darbenzio to pull over and then shot him twice in the back of the head, the complaint said.

Richardson also took about $500 from the driver, it said.

(Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Bill Trott)