Monday, December 19, 2011

One Life Lost, One Life Ruined by a Firearm

This was a tragedy for all concerned.  This would have been less of a tragedy if the firearm had not come into the shooter's possession.  No one should be sexually harassed, not the victim, and not the shooter either.  Adults appear to hae dropped the ball here, including whatever adult allowed a firearm to fall into the hands of this teenager.  That adult or adults should be sharing at least a portion of this sentence.

From MSNBC.com and the AP:

updated 2 hours 53 minutes ago
    A Southern California teenager was sentenced on Monday to 21 years in state prison for killing shooting a gay student in the back of the head during a computer lab class three years ago.
    Brandon McInerney, 17, didn't speak at the hearing but his lawyer Scott Wippert said his client was sorry for killing 15-year-old Larry 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, Wippert said.
    King's family said they couldn't forgive their son's killer.
    "You took upon yourself to be a bully and to hate a smaller kid, wanting to be the big man on campus,'" King's father, Greg King, said on behalf of his wife. "'You have left a big hole in my heart where Larry was and it can never be filled.'"
    In a deal reached with Ventura County prosecutors last month, McInerney agreed to avoid a retrial and to plead guilty to second-degree murder, as well as one count each of voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm.
    A mistrial was declared in September when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the degree of guilt. Several jurors said after McInerney's trial that he shouldn't have been tried as an adult.
    Leading up to the February 2008 killing, teachers and students saw a dispute growing between King and McInerney, who shot King twice in the head in a computer lab at E.O Green Junior High School.
    McInerney, then 14, had reached an emotional breaking point after King made repeated, unwanted sexual advances toward him and other boys, defense lawyers said. In the weeks leading up to the shooting, school administrators allowed King to wear heels and makeup because federal law provides the right of students to express their sexual orientation.
    The case drew widespread attention because of its shocking premise and raised questions about how schools should deal with students and sexual identity issues. Comic Ellen DeGeneres, a lesbian, weighed in on her talk show shortly after the shooting and said gays shouldn't be treated as second-class citizens.
    Because of pretrial publicity, the trial was moved from Ventura County to Los Angeles.
    Prosecutors said the shooting in front of stunned classmates was first-degree murder and that McInerney should be punished as an adult. They argued the shooting was a hate crime, an aspect jurors rejected, after authorities found white supremacist materials in his home.
    Defense attorneys, who unsuccessfully argued to keep the case in juvenile court, said it was voluntary manslaughter because McInerney lost control of his emotions. They said the teen was beaten by his father and was described as a bright student who lost his motivation.
    King's father also blamed the school district for not doing more to address the brewing feud between the two teens and their son's flamboyant behavior.
    "Instead of protecting him from himself and his poor impulse control, they enabled and encouraged him to become more and more provocative," Greg King said.
    King's family and Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox wore buttons with the teen's face on it, while some of McInerney's supporters wore powder blue wristbands that read "Save Brandon."
    After serving nearly four years since King's slaying, with the additional 21 years McInerney will be released just before his 39th birthday.
    His murder conviction will be stayed, and the plea deal calls for McInerney to be given the harshest sentence under California law for voluntary manslaughter — 11 years — and use of a firearm — 10 years, prosecutors said. McInerney is ineligible for time served or good behavior because he pleaded guilty to murder.

    5 comments:

    1. Adults appear to have dropped the ball here,

      Yup sure dropped the ball....

      So how many of the adults in the School's chain of command should share in the sentence of Brandon McInerney, ?


      Principal,
      guidance counselor,
      Immediate teachers,
      the entire school board,
      King's Father,

      all of who allowed his King Jr. to sexually bully another child and apparently did nothing to discipline him....

      There is a lot of blame to go around.....

      ReplyDelete
    2. For those who deserve to be behind bars: Lets start with the family shall we of the convicted killer? The father who beat his son often? And then lets move on to the person who supplied the killer with the gun.

      Parents and others SHOULD have stopped the bullying, but that bullying appears to have gone BOTH WAYS - from the killer to the victim, and from the victim to the killer.

      You don't kill someone for making a pass at you. It is offensive, but it is not deserving of murder. Whether gay or straight, people have to accept No from those who are not interested, but not NO with a couple of shots to the back of someone's head.

      ReplyDelete
    3. Tommy appears (from his tone in this post and another one I saw in moderation late last night) to have had his wingnuts torqued a bit past the limit.

      This:

      "McInerney, then 14, had reached an emotional breaking point after King made repeated, unwanted sexual advances toward him and other boys, defense lawyers said."

      has been substantiated?

      Back when I was younger and, for whatever reason, the subject of unwanted attention from a few gay men I considered their attentions unwarranted, unwanted and bothersome. I did not consider them threatening. I certainly wouldn't have shot one of them in the head to let them know that "'NO!' means 'NO!'".

      Where DID the kid get the gun?

      ReplyDelete
    4. And if the murderer had killed himself over the bullying instead of killing Mr. King?

      Would you be all over the administration of the school like white on rice or just it was a sad tragedy?

      He was just exploring his sexuality, and never really punished for sexual misconduct in school, since we have been told that the principal told MR. King Jr to explore sexuality but never to stop being a sexual bully......

      ReplyDelete
    5. "He was just exploring his sexuality, and never really punished for sexual misconduct in school, since we have been told that the principal told MR. King Jr to explore sexuality but never to stop being a sexual bully......

      December 21, 2011 2:54 AM"

      That's a lovely strawman, tommy, but WHERE did the kid get the GUN? Oh, wait, that doesn't matter, does it?

      ReplyDelete