Victim Larry King left, Brandon McInerney Right (ABC Video Snapshot ) A Californian teenager has been jailed for 21 years for killing 15-year-old gay student Larry King during a computer class, where he shot him in the back of the head. Brandon McInerney, who was 14 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced under terms of a plea agreement calling for him to report to prison next month, after he turns 18. He earlier pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and unlawful use of a firearm. A mistrial was declared in September when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the degree of guilt. McInerney had just turned 14 when he shot King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. AP reports prosecutors alleged the crime was the result of a homophobic rage spurred by King's feminine clothing and unwanted sexual advances toward McInerney. Defense attorneys, who unsuccessfully argued to keep the case in juvenile court, said McInerney reached an emotional breaking point after King's many advances. They said he snapped when he heard King wanted to change his first name to Latisha. At the sentencing hearing, King's father, Greg King, blamed the school district for not following through on the family's request to help tone down their son's flamboyant behaviour. He read a statement on behalf of the slain teenager's mother Dawn King, saying the family can't forgive his killer. "You took upon yourself to be a bully and to hate a smaller kid, wanting to be the big man on campus ... you have left a big hole in my heart where Larry was and it can never be filled." McInerney didn't speak at the hearing but his lawyer Scott Wippert said his client was sorry for killing King. "He feels deeply remorseful and stated repeatedly if he could go back and take back what he did he would do it in a heartbeat."
Credit: GayNZ,com Daily News staff
First published: Tuesday, 20th December 2011 - 1:38pm