Towleroad Guide to the Tube #973

BULLYING IS VIOLENCE: A new campaign from the Anti-Violence Project.

OUR SOLAR SYSTEM: Planets viewed from Earth as if they were at the distance of our moon.

RANDY THOMASSON: Anti-gay activist Randy Thomasson of 'Save California' says Larry King provoked his own murder.

JAVIER DIAZ: Lifted Eddie Vedder's voice.

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Brandon McInerney Trial Jurors Speak Out About the Mistrial: VIDEO

Two jurors in the trial of Brandon McInerney, charged with the murder of gay teen Lawrence King, discuss the deliberations over the case, which ended in a mistrial.

Said Karen McElhaney: "I saw a very damaged young man. I saw I think he is a very intelligent young man and I think he would give anything to take that day back...Yes he knows right from wrong but he was only fourteen. His coping skills... 14-year-olds especially young men are not known for their good decision making...It's very emotional. A child died. Another one... his life is over basically. Let's face it. It's such a horrible thing, especially with all the evidence testimony, it could have been prevented thats the worst part."

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Brandon McInerney's Team Speaks About the Mistrial: VIDEO

L.A.'s local news station KTLA heard from Brandon McInerney's team after the jury was unable to reach a verdict in his murder trial, leading to the shocking mistrial we reported on yesterday.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Lawrence King Murder Discussed on HLN as Jury Continues Deliberations in Trial of His Killer: VIDEO

The jury in the Brandon McInerney trial adjourned yesterday after two hours of discussion without returning a verdict, the Ventura County Star reports:

One of the jurors is a college student who starts classes this afternoon, so Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell is allowing the jury to work around her schedule. They also will deliberate for only two hours Wednesday if no verdict has been reached by then.

On Headline News yesterday, attorney Lisa Bloom, Advocate editor Neal Broverman, and Judy Shepard joined Chris Jacobs to talk about the "gay panic" defense, the atmosphere in the courtroom, and anti-LGBT hate crimes.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

Jury Deliberations Continue Today in Brandon McInerney Trial

The jury got the case on Friday, and more deliberations are expected today, the AP notes:

"Jurors began their discussions on Friday to determine whether 17-year-old Brandon McInerney is guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of 15-year-old Larry King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard. The panel is expected to deliberate for only a couple of hours because a juror has a prior commitment...McInerney has pleaded not guilty to one count each of murder and a hate crime. If convicted, he faces more than 50 years in prison. Jurors also can consider a conviction of voluntary manslaughter, which carries a maximum 21-year term."

I'll post as soon as we get any news about a decision.

Murderous Intent, 'Gay Panic' Arguments Vie to Sway Jury in Closing Hours of Brandon McInerney Trial

Closing arguments should end today in the trial of Brandon McInerney, charged with killing his gay classmate Lawrence King in 2008. Prosecutors argued for a murder conviction, and not the lesser manslaughter conviction the judge allowed earlier this week. Defense attorneys brought  a "gay panic" defense, arguing that McInerney snapped after he was sexually harassed by King.

Prosecutor Maeve Fox made her closing arguments in the murder trial of Brandon McInerney yesterday, the AP reports:

Using McInerney's own words via an interview with a psychologist, Fox said during closing arguments that the teen became enraged after Larry passed him in the hallway in February 2008 and made what he believed was the ultimate insult.

McInerney, then 14, made a conscious decision to kill King the next day, telling a friend he planned to shoot his classmate, she said. He hid a gun in his backpack and brought it to E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, where he shot King twice in the back of the head, a "cold-blooded execution," the prosecutor said.

"He intentionally got that gun; he told people what he was going to do," Fox said. "He shot and killed an innocent person."

Defense Attorney Scott Wippert began his closing argument, which will continue today:

In his closing argument Thursday, lawyer Scott Wippert said his client Brandon McInerney didn't have problems with Larry King until King started wearing makeup, high heels and began sexually harassing him in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Wippert also blamed school administrators for not addressing the simmering feud between the boys.

"We're not saying Larry King is a terror, a bad kid, but the adults should have stopped this behavior," Wippert said...

...Defense attorneys do not deny McInerney killed King, but they contend their client came from a violent upbringing. They say he snapped when he heard moments before the shooting that King wanted to change his first name to Latisha.