A California jury couldn’t decide whether Brandon McInerney shot and killed his gay classmate Lawrence King premeditatedly or in the heat of passion, so there’s gonna be a retrial. The first jury did agree however that McInerney didn’t kill King for being gay (hence the hate crime charge had nothing to do with hanging the jury like we originally thought.
Mike in Asheville
I don’t care what any of the “law and order” crowd thinks, gay or straight: 14 year-olds are children. He should be tried as a child. If Californians think that juveniles should serve sentences past the age of 25, then change that law.
As it stands now, should McInerney be found guilty of neither murder or manslaughter, as a juvenile, he would be sentenced to the maximum allowed punished — incarceration until his 25th birthday.
Perhaps California should abandon this wingnut notion that children are adults, if and only when, they commit crimes — mature enough to be sent to adult prisons but not mature enough to enter into a contract? That is crazy.
Change the punishments for juveniles, in cases of maximum sentences, to the greater of age of 30 or 15 years from the crime. In this particular case, if that were in effect, McInerney would face until age of 30, or 16 years from the crime.
************
Many readers of others posts are mistaken in believing if McInerney were convicted as a juvenile in a second trial, he would be released upon his 18th birthday. THAT IS WRONG. He would be incarcerated until his 25th birthday, totaling almost 11 years including his confinement since the shooting occurred.
christopher di spirito
Yes. Bring it on.
If this little shit Brandon McInerney knew how to operate a gun to kill his classmate Lawrence King for the “crime” of being gay, then he should be charged as adult.
the crustybastard
The only way that McInerney could have killed King “in the heat of passion” is if his state and school allowed 14-year-olds to carry concealed weapons into classrooms.
Being California, this seems unlikely.
Marcus
Maybe I need to re-read this trial all over again…if he didn’t kill the kid because he was gay, what exactly did he shoot him for?
Mav
I think once “teen” can be tacked to your age, you should be tried as an adult if you murder someone.
Commmit an adult crime, do adult time. Say what you want about the poor innocent lambkins, I don’t know a single fourteen year-old – and I know some really stupid ones – that doesn’t know shooting someone is wrong.
Shooting someone from behind? In the back of the head? If I could sentence McInerney to hang, I would.
Duncan Osborne
@Mike in Asheville: He certainly acted like an adult.
McInerney announced his intention to harm King several days before he shot him. He tried to recruit others to assist him, but was rebuffed so he made a plan that he could carry out on his own. McInerney used a handgun, which is easy to conceal, that was loaded with hollow point bullets which are particularly destructive. He waited for a class that he and King had together. Either he deliberately sat behind King or he knew that there were assigned seats in that class and he would be sitting behind King. That position means that King would not see McInerney pull out the gun and so could not easily avoid being shot. McInerney’s intent to kill is crystal clear. He thought about this killing. He explored multiple options and decided upon one. He was patient and thoughtful.
There may be some science that says that 14-year-old brains are different than, say, 30-year-old brains, but doubtless there are exceptions to such a general theory. McInerney is quite clearly such an exception.
Ginasf
@Mike in Asheville: There is zero guarantee that if he were tried as a juvenile he WOULD be incarcerated until he turns 25. That’s a possibility, but not at all guaranteed. If there is a plea bargain (and I still think that’s very likely) it’s also very possible his time served would be subtracted, which means release when turning 22. It’s also likely that, if plea bargained, he will also be liable for time off for good behavior, which might mean another year off or release at 21. So much for all those saying McInerney’s life ‘is ruined just as King’s life was.’ Brandon will, in all likelihood be out of his juvenile detention by his early 20s whereas King I suspect will still be dead.
In general, I’m against juveniles being tried as adults (one of the reasons he was here was because he was determined to have ‘lied in wait’ for his victim… which in CA is one of the criteria for juveniles being tried as adults… it was originally created to prosecute juvenile gang-bangers). But it bugs me that, considering how rarely people even get convicted for murdering trans feminine persons, that THIS needs to be the case where we all stand up for juveniles being tried as juveniles. I think it’s fair to say that, if McInerney did what he did to a non-trans girl or if he were black and his victim white, he would have been convicted in the first trial without much of this outpouring of sympathy for him.
Riker
@Ginasf: Erm, Lawrence King isn’t a transgirl. There is no evidence indicating that he identified as a woman. I occasionally wear feminine clothing, makeup and heels out in public, and i’m a happily cisgendered male who enjoys drag.
Sed
By all means let’s charge this little shit a child so that in 10 years he can get out of jail and go on to live a normal life. He can have a girlfriend, go to ball games, see his parents, have kids of his own, go on vacations etc.
Oh but of couse Lawrence King won’t be able to do any of that will he, and his parents can wait for the day they get the news that Brandon McInerney will be getting out of jail and that his parents will be able to see him, hug him, talk to him. Lawrence Kings parents won’t get to hug their child ever again.
Maybe I’m crazy but i’m the type of person who’s empathy is never directed toward the murderer or rapist it’s always towards the victim. If I had my way at the very least Brandon McInerney would never see the outside of a jail cell again.
Most of us here are gay men who will never know what it’s like to lose a child to murder so let me break it down. Imagine not only losing your lover or husdand forever but never being able to get anyone to take their place. For the rest of your life you will never experience romantic love ever again. No intimacy ever again. That’s probably as close as I can think losing a child to murder would feel like or be equal to.
Ginasf
@Riker: King was reguarly crossdressing since 7th grade and increasingly used the name ‘Letitia’ when referring to themselves. McInerney claimed that when he heard about King using “Letitia” that this made him decide to murder his classmate. No, that’s not ‘regular’ femme gay boy behavior. Whether King was completely female identified or not isn’t the point… clearly they were, at least, gender variant and way more so than “going out occasionally in drag.” Coming out as trans in high school is a hard process… maybe even way harder than coming out as gay. Exhibiting cross-dressed behavior that young is not just being a ‘cisgendered gay male’… did you present that way in middle school?
ewe
I have said it more than once and will say it as long as necessary when this topic comes up. IF NOT FOR BRANDON MCINERNEY AND HIS VILE ACT OF HATE LAWRENCE KING WOULD BE ALIVE TODAY. Case fucking closed. He should be incarcerated for at least 25 years. AT THE VERY LEAST. He killed another human being because he fucking felt like it and there is no defense and no excuse in this particular case. I don’t give a shit if he was 14 years old. I knew the fucking difference between right and wrong at the age of 14 and killing and murder was on the side of WRONG. Total fucking bullshit all this discussing his guilt. He is guilty and there is no question about that fact. He must be severely punished. This is at the top of the list for the absolute worst things anyone can do. Fucking rediculous jury. They are homophobic and it’s obvious.
ewe
He fucking shot someone in the back of the fucking head. He is a scumbag dirtfuck.
ewe
I don’t want to hear about how people are raised. Scumbag dirtfucks raise more scumbag dirtfucks. so what? That is not a free pass.