Brandon McInerney's trial took a frightening turn yesterday as the district attorney's office revealed the 14-year old, who's accused of shooting gay classmate Lawrence King, had a stash of white supremacists materials.

The package included doodles of swastikas and drawings depicting the "racist skinhead philosophy of the variety espoused by Tom Metzger," the founder of the White Aryan Resistance.

Balking at the introduction of such materials, McInrerney's defense attorney William Quest dismissed the move as a "stunt" aimed at turning opinion against their client. The teen couldn't possibly be filled with such hate, he said, because he has brown friends: "There is no evidence Brandon was ever in a gang, no evidence he had any gang tattoos. His best friends at school were black and Hispanic… This is a stretch by the prosecution." Is it?

Brandon McInerney's defense team's busy laying the groundwork for their client's potential murder trial.

McInerney, you'll recall, stands accused of shooting 15-year old Lawrence King to death last February. His lawyers yesterday won access to King's personal records, which they hope will shed light on the "context" of the killing, which many say was motivated by King's crush on McInerney.

The records in question are expected to disclose information on King's behavior during the time he was living at Casa Pacifica, a center for troubled and abused children located near Camarillo, and attending Green School.

[Attorney William Quest] told the judge that he wanted unedited records, including the names of students, so he can talk "to other people," including students, about the case.
…
"As I said before, Brandon is not a sociopath. This is not some crazy kid," the attorney said, adding that this shooting was unlike others that have occurred in schools across the nation.

Quest said there was "a lot of stuff going on" before the shooting.

"There were warnings of trouble," he said. "What I am trying to establish, given the mandatory harsh sentencing that goes with trying a 14-year-old as an adult, is explaining what was going on. How this tragedy happened, not trying to minimize it or take anything away from the tragedy. But at least, provide it in the context which we think would provide a partial defense on behalf of Brandon."

Let's hope this doesn't turn into a "blame the victim" side show…

Things just got worse for Brandon McInerney, the fourteen year old who allegedly shot Lawrence King earlier this year. McInerney reportedly shot his schoolmate after King gave him a valentine.

Now, despite action from all sides of the debate - including gay activists - a judge decided to try McInerney as an adult:

Relying on past court decisions, a judge ruled Thursday that trying a 14-year-old boy accused of murder in an adult court does not violate the constitution, swatting down legal arguments raised by the boy's attorney that it was cruel and unusual punishment to do so.

"I cannot say that this is unconstitutional," said Ventura County Superior Court Judge Douglas Daily.

Though things look bad for McInerney, the teen's lawyer also cited other cases in which juveniles convicted in adult court successfully lobbied for lighter sentences.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, this shit's mad messed up. We have a dead boy and another who's life might as well be over. This is a perfect example of a homophobic culture's horrific repercussions…

The ongoing drama surrounding Lawrence King's February murder took another twist yesterday.

California Judge postponed the arraignment of 14-year old Brandon McInerney, who's accused of shooting fifteen year old King, who had a crush on the boy. The arraignment was meant to take place yesterday, but will now occur on June 12.

In the meantime, journalist Karen Ocamb had a chat with District Attorney Maeve Fox, who discussed the limited possibility of a plea bargain, why McInerney represents a very adult threat and, yes, took on the defense team's claim that the school is to blame for King's murder…

CONTINUED »

The debate over who's to blame for Lawrence King's death continues to rage two months after his murder.

For those of you living under a rock, 15-year old King died in February after a 14-year old classmate, Brandon McInerney, shot him in the head. King had reportedly asked McInerney to be his Valentine, which many say spurred the violent outburst. Thus, many claim that King only invited the explosive retaliation. Journalist Neil Broverman once mulled that theory, while a Mississippi State University student took it one step further: "King… may have gone too far by imposing his sexuality on others." A pretty distasteful conclusion - and one that will no doubt be getting heavy play during McInerney's murder trial…

CONTINUED »