02/15/2008
Shooting of Gay CA Student Officially Labeled a Hate Crime
Brandon McInerney, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime in the shooting death of Lawrence 'Larry' King. The charges are expected to be upgraded to murder once King is taking off his ventilator, which is keeping his body alive so that he may donate his organs. McInerney is to be tried as an adult. McInerney reportedly turned 14, which is the cutoff age to be tried as an adult, on January 24th.
King was shot in the head in front of a full classroom of students. It still has not been disclosed where McInerney got the gun that he snuck into the classroom.
According to King's father, when King arrived at the hospital he was making some unintelligible sounds but doctors quickly induced a coma as part of his treatment. He survived for six hours but then suffered a massive stroke, which caused his brain to swell, and ultimately, his death.
Via the AP: "[Ventura County prosecutor Maeve] Fox said she could not discuss the facts behind the allegation of a hate crime because those details of the case have not been publicly disclosed. Oxnard police have not specified a motive but said there appeared to be a personal dispute between the two. King sometimes came to school wearing makeup and high heels, eighth-grader Nicholas Cortez, 14, told The Associated Press. Another eighth-grader, Michael Sweeney, said King's appearance was 'freaking the guys out,' the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. 'He would come to school in high-heeled boots, makeup, jewelry and painted nails — the whole thing,' Sweeney told the Times."
The L.A. Times reports that "classmates of the slain boy, Lawrence King, said he recently had started to wear makeup and jewelry and had proclaimed himself gay. Several students said King and a group of boys, including the defendant, had a verbal confrontation concerning King's sexual orientation a day before the killing."
The paper adds, "Because he is a minor, McInerney will remain in Juvenile Hall and be taken to the Ventura courtroom for court appearances, Fox said. He is being held in lieu of $770,000 bail. If convicted, McInerney could face 50 years to life. The hate crime enhancement would add another one to three years to his sentence."
Up top is a shot of King provided to the media by his family. His father explained that "In Port Hueneme, he used licorice sticks to catch crawdads."
The Ventura County Star reports: "He said his son was headstrong, confident, artistic and sweet. Larry King loved to sing songs by folk rock trio Crosby, Stills and Nash, and was studying 'The Star-Spangled Banner' in hopes of singing it at his younger brother's baseball games, his father said. 'He had a very gifted singing voice.' He was so good, in fact, that one of Greg King's friends — unaware of the family's tragedy — called Wednesday to say his son should audition for 'American Idol.'"
Oxnard school shooting called a hate crime [la times]
Charges Filed in SoCal School Shooting [ap]
Victim's family members say they will donate teen's organs [ventura county star]
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Posted 8:07 AM EST by Andy Towle in California, Crime, Education, Gay Youth, Lawrence King, News | Permalink
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Peterparker has valid points, but then, so do most of the others who have commented. I see this as being a whole series of problems, not just one simple tragedy. The whole societal non-acceptance of minorities, and even attacks on them, is the main issue. It is not just gays, but ALL minorities which get treated with way. Surely it is a case of dehunanizing minorities and then attempting to eliminate them, but shunning, brutality, and murder. To put it at the door of guns is not fair either, because the intolerance is the real problem. Would it have been any better to have Lawrence King beaten to death? Of course not.
Sadly though, this whole issue could once again be swept under the carpet. Either the killer is moved to adult court, and a media frenzy occurs, with subsequent copy cat situations when someone else want their minute of fame, or the killer is tried quietly in juvenile court, and while he might be rehabilitated with help, the underlying problem, intolerance, is once again forgotten. What needs to go on trial, and desperately so, is the intolerance and aggressiveness in our society. Not really the 'perps', but the causes of their behaviour.
Posted by: Bart | Feb 15, 2008 12:08:23 PM
This is so sick. Anyone who's been terrorized by bullies at school, on the street, or at work know how much psychological and physical violence can destroy one's confidence and cripple someone in all ways.
I wonder what all of those politicians and others who fight against anti-bullying laws think about this. Do they even know about this tragedy?
There should be a campaign sending copies of the article and pictures of Larry to them. Why are the media not camping out on their doors?
Moreover, I agree with PeterParker; while the killer committed a horrible crime, he is only 14. There are more than enough studies that show that the brain development for logical thinking is not completed until the early twenties.
Obviously, this kid needs to be punished, but he also needs serious help. Something went horrifically wrong in this kid's life to twist him into this kind of thinking.
I'd want to see what psychiatric investigation reveals about this kid. Is he a sociopath--just a cold-blooded killer, mentally ill, or something else. What the hell happened to twist a child into a killer? What did his parents teach him?
If the killer were over 18, I could see the 50 year sentence but 14 year olds are just kids.
Finally, someone send copies of the articles to Dobson, Hutcherson, and other homophobes and ask them if they approve. Wasn't Hutcherson and his wife at some school board meeting complaining that they were being harassed because Rev. Ken's hate? Why doesn't someone ask the good Reverend Ken and his wife what they think of the murder of a 15 year old child? Ask him if he sees the connection between his anti-gay tirades and the action of the killer.
Posted by: noah | Feb 15, 2008 12:10:11 PM
Every time this happens, I hope that people will learn from it. Yet, we're continually persecuted across the world and kept in second-class-citizen status here in America, while we're also bashed and even occasionally killed just for being who we are.
This is a tragedy.
Posted by: Ryan | Feb 15, 2008 12:14:54 PM
I'll tell you this ... I'm sick and tired of reading these stories.
And right now I'm angry enough to feel perfectly okay with this kid being tried as an adult and serving whatever sentence gets sent his way.
But only if every parent in my state also gets sat down and told that their kid is next.
Because I didn't spawn anything that walks the earth that can kill. These parents have, however, and it's their responsibility to make sure they don't load them up with all that hate.
If they do, then the parents should be punished, too, though I have no idea how you would do something like that, or even prove it.
Posted by: Joe Bua | Feb 15, 2008 12:19:44 PM
Joe has a point. The parents are obviously at least a certain amount to blame in getting this child to that point. Maybe there should be instant intervention and therapy for all family members whenever any child commits a crime of violence (including verbal violence like bullying remarks). In other words, at the first sign of a problem with a child, intervene in their personal situation in order to make things better. Counselling at that point might be a lot cheaper financially over the long haul, and would certainly be better than continuing violence.
Posted by: Bart | Feb 15, 2008 12:34:51 PM
I respect all of y'all who ask, "what could make a fourteen year old behave this way? Let us think about the societal causes/family dysfunction while we're punishing the perpetrator." Well, this is where some of us liberals part ways: the issue of violent crime. The damage done by violent criminals in our lives is so great--sometimes the wounds never heal. Whole families can be destroyed by these acts of violence.
You can treat the teenage criminals. You can use our tax dollars to do it. In exchange, we want them sentenced in a way that may make them understand what pain and suffering they've caused; and more importantly, help the victims and loved ones of the victims feel there has been some justice, and, yes, PUNISHMENT.
Are there bad people? When do they become bad? What do we do with them and at what age? How do we do it fairly?
Dammit, when you hurt someone, you pay for it, then you can seek redemption.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Feb 15, 2008 12:41:39 PM
Where are the parents of this 14 year old? THEY should be held accountable for his crimes. As someone who has studied social psych, children learn by observation, especially in the family home. Lord, it wasn't until I was in high school that I began to realize everything my parents believed in wasn't the only truth. My father is a republican (whom has changed his belief structure in recent years, in part from having me as a son), and growing up with him I often adopted many of his beliefs. I am not discounting this child's actions, however why must the sins of the parent be brought on the child? Our adults are the individuals who have been creating a world of hate and ignorance, the children are reaping what they sow. Until we hold these PARENTS, ADULTS RESPONSIBLE the rest of the world will not realize THEY are the ones who are RESPONSIBLE. With all these school shootings, it seems the country is infected with a disease, looking to blame other people. "It was Marilyn Manson" "No, it was the gun companies" "No, it is the video games and movies and violence". The truth is, it is US. It is the parents who are raising their children with their own hate and ignorance, their own sins.
Children are like sponges, they will absorb anything and everything they encounter. May it be from their parents or other children, however it STARTS with their family life. You need a license to drive a car but anyone can have a child, and that is the first problem. People are having kids that don't know how to raise them, and their children become extensions of their own issues that are released upon the rest of the world. It starts there, hold these parents responsible.
Kudos to Chip Arndt for all his efforts. It is great to know there are people working to make a difference. It's a shame that other people in his position aren't using their celebrity for more (cough*reichen*cough*cough).
Posted by: Cory | Feb 15, 2008 12:50:50 PM
Derrick,
I've said societal intolerance is the root cause, but I'm not the sort who would use that as an excuse against punishment. I think the District Attorney made the proper decision in seeking 53 years to life (with the hate crimes enhancement).
Remember, there's a degree of legal strategy to this, as that number would go down if the suspect plead guilty. If the suspect's lawyers attempt to deal, the DA's now in the position of saying he won't go lower than 20-30 years. Obviously, a few years in juvenille hall isn't fair to the victim's family. And this will give them a degree of peace.
However, punishment is an act of (righteous) vengence. It is not a deterrent. We can certainly take the vengence, but we also need to explore different ways to improve prevention in the future.
Posted by: John | Feb 15, 2008 12:54:17 PM
I agree with those who have pointed to the family. The biggest issue here to me isn't that this kid committed a hate crime, although that is a huge issue. To me the root issue is that the kid was raised with the kind of abuse that taught him that killing someone was okay. The kind of abuse that resulted in intensely painful, repressed emotions, with no outlet for them at home or, apparently at school. This is partly a societal problem not just because society backed up his family's obviously homophobic, genderphobic abuse, but because the society he saw around him had no compassion or support for him either.
It's not even enough to say that families in which violent acts are committed need to be put in therapy right away. I seriously doubt that there are enough therapists who actually know what they are doing and how to treat abuse and how to reach incredibly abused, abusing, defensive people who are there against their will that this would ever scratch the surface. We need to understand abuse, how it works and its effects and how to approach it, much more deeply and widely as a society, and begin reaching out to people of all ages and especially young children with the support and tools that they need to combat the incredibly intense legacy of abuse in which they are being raised.
Posted by: oakling | Feb 15, 2008 1:26:46 PM
DERRICK, I don't think anyone here has said that they thing the kid shouldn't be punished. I think we're all in agreement that he should be. Some people are just pointing out that punishing the individual without addressing the environment and the influences that lead up to the crime does nothing more than take an individual off the street and give the family some sense of justice but it leaves the rest of the world vulnerable to the next f'd up kid or adult that comes along because the influences haven't been addressed.
Sorry for the run-on sentence.
Posted by: ZEKE | Feb 15, 2008 2:34:25 PM
We may very well find out that this kid was a victim of abuse and sexual assault himself. We may find out that his extreme reaction was not so much about the victim's non gender conforming behavior and appearance but more about his him reacting in rage to something that reminded him of his own abuse. I have no evidence to back up such a consideration and it wouldn't excuse the crime even if it were true, I'm just saying that we MUST find out what runs through a child's head to lead him to such dispicable acts of violence. Simply locking him away, throwing away the key and moving on as if the problem is solved may make some people feel better but it won't help his victim or potential future victims of others like him.
I would prefer that we spend more time, money and energy preventing crime and violence and less time building and maintaining prison warehouses.
Posted by: ZEKE | Feb 15, 2008 2:45:48 PM
Yes, Zeke you're right. I'm just trying to explain why some of us seem to have no sympathy for the perpetrators of violent crime. Most rapists/child molesters/murderers experienced horrific childhoods. I feel sympathy and even pain for them, but I feel more sympathy and more pain for those these former victims victimize.
In 1983, I took revenge for violence that happened to me. I ended up in bigger trouble than my victim did when he originally victimized me. My reason for taking my revenge? I didn't get justice, Zeke.
So, how can I take such a hard line against violent criminals when I was one for a moment? My victim wasn't innocent.
A childhood of abuse may create a violent criminal, but lack of justice may make law abiding folks seek their own justice.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Feb 15, 2008 3:21:52 PM
Derrick, I'd really like to meet you some day because you seem to me like a very interesting person with more "life experience" than I expect I'll ever have.
I don't always agree with your comments but I do find them interesting to read.
Thanks for providing a perspective different from my own.
Posted by: TJC | Feb 15, 2008 4:54:49 PM
I agree with Peter Parker. It's really just a coincidence the killer is even 14---he was 13 until late January. And having 14 as the cutoff for standing trial as an adult is bizarre anyway. Outside the justice system, no other part of society considers anyone an adult (with any of the attendant rights and responsibilities) until at least 18.
I also agree with everyone who has pointed to the killer's family. The lack of response from them is rather telling. It would not exactly be a huge surprise if the killer's father is virulently antigay, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
I'm actually surprised that school officials allowed Larry to dress like that. Ventura County isn't San Francisco, after all. I wasn't allowed to wear eyeliner in high school, much less full makeup. (See Derrick, I went through my sissy stage too.)
Posted by: Paul R | Feb 15, 2008 4:55:40 PM
Lawrence Kings life couldn’t have been easy. He as in foster care. At school he was maliciously taunted by christian bigots. At the end, far from accepting the innate beauty of his genetic heritage, they killed him for it.
In a better world the shooter would be given the death penalty and his family, friends and cult leaders would be indicted as accomplices. I have to disagree with those who sympathize with the shooter. He, his family, his accomplices and his church should be treated as ruthlessly as possible and if that wrecks their lives so much the better.
We’re not in that better world because we don’t count. Conservative and centrist politicians from both parties sent a clear message about our worth as humans when they dropped ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bills late last year. At the same time they refused to repeal bigot laws like DADT and DOMA sponsored by the Clinton administration
Some might say that the these maneuvers don’t really mean that the Democrats and Republicans are bigots. And they say that in any case nobody pay attentions. They’re dead wrong. These bigoted politicians sent a strong message to street thugs that we don’t deserve to be treated like citizens and humans. Their message to the thugs is that they have friends in high places, friends who agree with them that our lives don’t count. In Oxnard, one of the thugs got the message loud and clear and acted on it. Brandon McInerney murdered Lawrence King.
This murder was the second this year, following on last years total of at least 25. There will likely be more this year because of the bigoted electioneering of the christian right and the politicians of both parties who pander to them. This murder points up the need for national demonstrations to demand the passage of the Matthew Shepard Gate Crimes Bill and ENDA along with the repeal of the Clintons DOMA and DADT. We need a militant massive campaign to force our agenda into law because it’s obvious that the Republicans and Democrats don’t give a damn about our lives. I hope Pelosi, McCain, Frank, Huckabee, Billary Clinton, Obama and Reid have to guts to apologize for what they did, but I won't count on it.
RIP Lawrence King.
Posted by: Bill Perdue | Feb 15, 2008 5:00:24 PM
This is a minor issue, but I hope that King's parents were genuinely supportive of him. The father's comments certainly make it sound like it, but the photo he released looks like a boy much younger than 14, engaged in a traditionally masculine activity. My parents refused to take any pictures of me from the ages of 12 to 17, when I looked too weird for them. Really nice.
Posted by: Paul R | Feb 15, 2008 5:02:09 PM
"...more life experience than I expect I'll ever have..."
Oh, yes you will have them, TJC. The difference is yours will be positive--I hope. I'm certainly not proud of seeking stupid revenge back in '83, and it sure didn't pay off.
I love to listen to other people's stories on this and other blogs. The blogs have become my social life--for now. But stories such as this one make me remember horrible moments when the very way we walk can get a bottle thrown at your head. The violence against brave young people like Lawrence King happens every day--every day.
Posted by: Derrick from Philly | Feb 15, 2008 5:39:19 PM
I also agree with Peter Parker on this. In my minimal brush with the foster care system, I've been exposed to an amazingly large number of awful (hetero) parents. The damage they do to their kids, and then grandkids, is immense. Maybe all high school kids should have basic parenting classes in their senior year so that we can reduce the number of McInerney's around.
Oh yeah, and stronger gun control so the kids and adults who are messed up don't have the access.
Posted by: David R. | Feb 15, 2008 5:51:05 PM
The thing that's going to get to me is that the Phelps clan are inevitably warming up the RV as we speak. Those degenerates will no doubt try to picket this poor kids funeral and lob more grief onto the King family. We should do to the Phelp's what those veterans did at the last military funeral they tried to picket and surround them with rainbow flags and drown them out with some Sister Sledge or Donna Summer.
Posted by: JerzeeMike | Feb 15, 2008 7:29:43 PM
The thing that's going to get to me is that the Phelps clan are inevitably warming up the RV as we speak. Those degenerates will no doubt try to picket this poor kids funeral and lob more grief onto the King family. We should do to the Phelp's what those veterans did at the last military funeral they tried to picket and surround them with rainbow flags and drown them out with some Sister Sledge or Donna Summer.
Posted by: JerzeeMike | Feb 15, 2008 7:30:58 PM
Slightly off topic, but not far. It was said in an earlier comment: "A childhood of abuse may create a violent criminal, but lack of justice may make law abiding folks seek their own justice." I would like to point out that this is probably the major cause for road rage, and goodness only knows how many other criminal acts, like vandalism, and even shoplifting.
Posted by: Bart | Feb 15, 2008 7:49:20 PM
ever time i think that the youth of our country are in a better world, this kind of shit happens. everyone loses and human kind is worse off. two lives which will never show their promise were snuffed out in the blink of an uncaring eye. what was in the assassin's mind (for surely this was tinged with politics and polemics)? who or what planted the germ there to fester in an impressionable mind? until we can answer that question, our problems will persist.
i know at least this much: we should snuff hate not life. simplistic? i know. but in the face of madness what is the basic human response?
Posted by: nic | Feb 15, 2008 7:49:56 PM
I agree with Peter....as horrific and nauseating as this crime was, we are talking about a fourteen year old perpetrator...who is a child. We have options within the juvenile system to actually work to punish and to save this child..do we really want to throw him in with adult criminals, and expect anything positive to come out of this?
And as for those who believe that this draconian kind of punishment will actually serve to deter other children from killing or behaving in such a reprehensible manner, please remember some basic concepts of human development....kids that age simply are not wired for complex understanding of consequences to behavior, particularly if they have been screwed up in their own home environment.
We serve nothing but the basest form of revenge seeking if we insist on treating children like adults in the penal system.
Posted by: tommy | Feb 15, 2008 9:24:12 PM
Excuse me, but I'm going to have to defend the Ventura District Attorney's decision here.
This was pre-meditated first degree murder. We're talking about a calculated and cold-blooded act resulting from an altercation that occured at least 24 hours before. This wasn't a schoolyard fight that got out of control or an accidental gunshot. Moreover, neither the McInerney family nor the perpetrator himself has shown any remorse for this despicable (and planned) behavior.
So, on the one hand, you have a corpse of an innocent teenager. On the other, you have an apparently unrepentant murderer and his jackass bigoted family.
You know what, I can't say what I'd actually do without all the facts. But given what we do know, if I were that District Attorney, young Mr. Inerney would not find me in the mood for a "slap-on-the-wrist" couple months in juvenile hall.
Posted by: John | Feb 16, 2008 3:56:08 AM
JOHN,
i agree. until kids and parents are made fully aware that for every act there is an equal and opposite reaction, they may never learn. the day before yesterday, a 10 y.o. shot his younger sister in the face over a fight involving a bag of potato chips. his parents should be drawn and quartered for making a pistol accessible. too harsh? maybe, but right now i am not in a mood to negotiate.
Posted by: nic | Feb 16, 2008 5:02:31 AM