BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A Brevard County teenager, accused of killing a woman to get beer money, broke down in tears Tuesday as he waited to appear before a judge.

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Alan Michael Tanguay, 16, is accused of killing and nearly decapitating his neighbor. He was arrested for allegedly killing Patricia Kaliszeski Friday night while trying to steal $6 from her home for beer money.

Tanguay appeared briefly before the judge Tuesday, who ordered that he be held in the juvenile detention center for 21 days. That is standard for a case like this while prosecutors decide whether he should be charged and tried as an adult.

Tanguay's emotions set in as he waited for his chance to appear before a judge. The 16-year-old high school dropout started shaking and then wiping away tears, cuffed and shackled. He's accused of repeatedly stabbing a woman in her home while he was burglarizing the place last week. Detectives said he slit her throat to ensure she died.

During the brief hearing, the judge assigned him a public defender and ordered him held for trial.

Outside, his mother refused to answer any questions about her son or the murder of 58-year-old Patricia Kaliszeski, a woman who was often seen walking around her neighborhood with a parrot on her shoulder.

Tanguay wasn't all tears. At one point, he made an obscene gesture toward WFTV's camera, but returned to crying and shivering.

Tuesday's appearance wasn't the first time Tanguay has been to court as a juvenile. Police said he was arrested before for battery and for another burglary, but this time there is little chance he will be getting released anytime soon.

Police have indicated the case is likely to go before a grand jury to decide whether or not Tanguay should be tried as an adult.