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Costa Rica charges teen in killing of U.S. student
In this story: Boy's identity withheld Working on a photography project RELATED STORIES, SITES 
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- Costa Rican authorities brought charges Monday against a 16-year-old boy in the killing of one of two American women earlier this month and are looking for two adults in the second woman's death.
Police said they were charging the boy with the killing of Emily Howell, 19. She and her friend, Emily Eagen, also 19, were found March 13 along a highway near the town of Cahuita, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) east of San Jose.
One woman was shot twice in the head and the other three times in the back; one was nude and the other partially nude, police said. Their burned-out sport-utility vehicle was found nearby.
The deaths shocked the Central American country, whose reputation for safety and stability in an otherwise turbulent region has helped attract thousands of U.S. retirees and about $1 billion a year in tourism revenue.
Boy's identity withheld
Police said tests showed that a gun owned by the boy had been used to kill Howell.
Because of his age, police did not release his name, but described him as a local whom the women knew. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years.
Judicial police director Jorge Rojas said police are still looking for a motive for the double homicide.
He added, however, "We are very close to solving it completely."
Working on a photography project
Howell, a Lexington, Kentucky, resident, was a student at Antioch College in Ohio. She had been in Costa Rica since January on a photography project.
Eagen, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was a former student who was visiting Howell and had been in the country 15 days.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES:
Suspect identified in Costa Rica murder of two U.S. women
March 16, 2000
Antioch College student, friend shot dead in Costa Rica
March 15, 2000
RELATED SITES:
Gobierno de Costa Rica
Costa Rica Tourism Board
Antioch College
U. S. Embassy - Costa Rica
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