California juror believes murdered gay teen was the bully
”This wasn’t about him being gay…. This was about bullying. There was a ton of evidence that Larry was acting inappropriately with other kids at school, and they didn’t do anything to stop him.”
A juror identified as Lisa S. speaking with the LA Times about the trial of Larry King. He was 15 years old when a schoolmate shot him in the back of the head during class. The alleged killer, Brandon McInerney, was 14 years old in July 2008 when the incident took place. This juror is reported to have been one of three wearing “Free Brandon” bracelets when they attended the announcement of a retrial. (LA Times)
A jury heard the case in the first trial, but the twelve became deadlocked and the judge declared a mistrial in September 2011. Many observers of the court’s proceedings were shocked by the development. The vote was 7 to 5 in favor of convicting McInerney of voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors had tried McInearney as an adult for murder in the first degree and a hate crime. King, in the days before his murder, had sometimes dressed in a feminine manner; and classmates said that he had expressed a “romantic interest” in McInearney. Both King and McInearney were reportedly troubled kids. (KTLA)
McInerney will be retried again for first degree murder and as an adult, but the hate crime charge will be dropped. (CBS)
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