Last time we checked in on the Lawrence King trial, Brandon McInerney’s defense team had blamed King for his own murder and said that McInerney couldn’t have possibly committed a hate crime because he doesn’t even own any hateful books—right. The defense team’s latest gambit: claiming that the judge is anti-gay because he referred to King as “queer.” One of McInerney’s lawyers has announced that she is in fact a big ol’ lesbian and said that the judge should recuse himself because anyone who uses the word “queer” has to be anti-lesbian too. Ahhh… that… sorta… makes… no… sense… whatsoever.
Looks like the defense team’s last hope is for a mistrial. S-A-D, sad.
randy
A lesbian is defending King?! She must be desparate for the money. I know, I’m an attorney too, and everyone has a right to fair trial, and ethically you must represent your clients with zeal. But you don’t HAVE to represent any client.
Daez
@randy: Maybe she believes that trying to hang a hate crime on a 15 year old kid is bullshit. No one is going to argue he shouldn’t be punished or that he didn’t do the crime, but life in prison for a 15 year old that shot someone that was constantly harassing him on a daily basis is bull shit.
Who better than a gay person to understand the desire to fight back when being harassed. However, we show no empathy whatsoever when someone on the other side does the same thing.
If I was a subject of unwanted sexual advances every day of my life at the age of 15 I’m not sure I would kill the person doing it, but if no one was helping me and I wanted it to stop bad enough I would definitely fight back.
Tony
@Daez: I think if you re-read the facts on this case, you’ll see how ridiculous your comment is.
Cam
@Daez: said…
“Maybe she believes that trying to hang a hate crime on a 15 year old kid is bullshit. No one is going to argue he shouldn’t be punished or that he didn’t do the crime, but life in prison for a 15 year old that shot someone that was constantly harassing him on a daily basis is bull shit.”
_________________________________
1. The kid wasn’t being harassed,
2. Perhaps you would rather that as a punishment, he be given the same sentence that he imposed on his victim?
the crustybastard
@Tony:
You assume, without evidence, that Daez is suddenly interested in facts.
slanty
The defense team is a joke.
AedanRoberts
@Daez: this big ‘ol misconception (or lie, depending on how you look at it) needs to stop.
The little twit wasn’t being harassed by King on a daily basis. The fuckwad was the one DOING THE HARASSING- and King’s fluttered eyelashes and “you know you want me”s were in RESPONSE to the heckling, teasing, and threats he was receiving FROM McInerney.
It is dusgusting how the defense has rewritten the facts to try and convince people that this monster was the victim. He wasn’t. In any way, shape, or form. He was the aggressor from day one and the only one who was doing anything out of defense was King himself. Was his method of defending himself smart? Honestly? Sure. Who was he to know that the monster McInerney was enough of a sociopath to actually go through with his threats of violence. Bullies threaten stuff like this all the time but it is rare that they are mentally unstable enough to actually do it. So King’s method of fighting back with words and air-kisses was a brave alternative to wilting and giving all the power to this fucker.
In the end yes- this sociopath deserves to be removed from a society he clearly does not understand or comply with- permanently. The idiot already admitted to this being pre-meditated murder. All the facts point to it being pre-meditated murder. And the fact that it also classifies as a Hate Crime (which is certainly does) honestly should do little to make this any worse than it already is.
Also, Daez, you AREN’T SURE you would kill the person for unwanted sexual advances? Ones that amount to mere words like “you know you want me” and kiss faces? To even think of that as a possibility is disturbing. I feel you need to seek some help.
Undaezed
@Daez: There is not shred of evidence in this trial or even in media reports that Lawrence King harassed McInerney on a “daily basis” or even regularly. The evidence at trial is that King taunted McInerney a few times and those taunts always came when the two were arguing. McInerney delivered a few choice insults of his own.
Brandon McInerney is not a victim. He is a perpetrator who planned and carried out the execution of Lawrence King. McInerney was not simply killing King. He was sending a message that gays will not be tolerated or accepted.
o
I’m pretty sure that since McInerney killed Brandon for being gay, McInerney is the one who’s anti-gay, not the judge. I mean, I could be wrong, but killing someone for their sexuality seems to make the offender anti-gay. I suppose I might just be getting a little dramatic about a hate crime, since all gay men are terribly dramatic and not capable of the serious work and the serious thought straight males are. I also suppose I’m getting a teensy bit dramatic since there is no such thing as a hate crime, if you consider it logically, positively, and objectively, since only cliche liberal gay ideology believes in hate crimes.
Cam
What of the things that would be interesting to know…
Why would Daez lie and claim that the kid was harrassing the other every day?
Daez often comes on here to speak out against something like ENDA etc…
The fact that he would lie about this fact makes it seem very much like he is a troll.
Henry
@Cam: He’s not a troll, he’s a psychopathic bigot who wants to give normal people a brain tumor from reading such horrible lies about a young person who was senselessly killed.
o
@Henry: That reminds me of a scene from Family Guy, when things got super srs super fast. Peter does something dumb, and hey, it’s just Peter being his dumb self, right? And Peter isn’t even a psychopath, so we can just laugh him off for being a clown. But then we see a shot of the inside of Lois’ brain. And a tumor is growing.
Ginasf
No, he didn’t just kill (or really execute) King for being gay, he killed King for being gender variant and very likely trans. This is where the entire notion of… ‘why didn’t McInerney kill the lesbian girl in his class’ is completely absurd. Yes, lesbian’s are sometimes attacked attacked (like the recent case in Seattle), but not at 1/20th the rate young trans women are (especially trans women of color) and not nearly as often fatally.
Bryan
Wow, it’s because of people like the defense lawyer that people think lawyers are the lowest of the low and will do anything to get ahead. How will she sleep at night if she manages to win the case?
GayGOP
@randy: I too am an attorney, and I too agree that we are not a public service. That being said, have you never heard of the black Klan lawyer? It is not a wholly uncommon phenomenon.
Ish
What a gong show!!!
Little Kiwi
everyone saying that King “instigated this” deserves every ounce of anti-gay hatred they’re destined to experience in life.
for real.
you fucking wimps were likely not Out in school the way Lawrence was. you have no fucking clue what it’s like to be Out in school, and thus have no idea the resilience and strength and defiance needed to get by, day by day.
cochise
Undoubtedly there is a monster in this sad young man. He killed in cold blood. He should be removed from the rest of humanity. But in taking a look at the forest from the trees so to speak; there are honestly two victims here. One most certainly was King, he fought back in his own way. The manner in which he must have felt was his only weapon and defense.
The other was McInerney. But he was a victim of his upbringing and his environment. I hold some remorse for him. Some small little forgiveness. Because both boys were born into his own circumstance. In some strange way neither one had a choice to be who they had become on that day. The elements leading to that horrible moment all converged. King had not chosen to be gay, or trans or really just him. He was on his way to be a great strong person willing to fight for his acceptance. McInerney too had not chosen to be born into a family devoid of love. A family filled with hate. But where the difference lies is how we as individuals push against the obstacles we are born into. Unlike King, who had no choice to be who he was McInerney had that choice. He had many. But especially his final choice to pull that trigger. Perhaps he was surrounded with indifferent adults that could have been there for him and failed at every chance.
We will never know the entire story but maybe we can pray or hope at least that something good can be grown from this. Maybe someone somewhere is sitting with their child or with a student hearing this story and they see a chance. They see a child hurting, a child growing and maybe just maybe they make that decision to do something. To love that child and make a change before its too late.
I watched that crying mother wringing her hands and I wept with her but not because I felt for her but because I felt sorry for son. She had every opportunity to love that child. She could have been there long before that reporter sat with her. But she obviously took no interest. She created the monster who stole the life of King. It might take decades but maybe one day we will all be reading a story about how her son is speaking about what he did and maybe one day we are all surprised to hear he is championing for equality. That would be amazing. But more likely we will never again hear his name as he slowly rots away into oblivion.