McInerney, Who At 14 Killed Larry King, Will Be In Jail Until He’s 38

Brandon McInerney, who at the age of 14 took a gun to school and shot and killed 15-year old Larry King, pleaded guilty and just was sentenced to 21 years in jail for second-degree murder and manslaughter, along with use of a firearm. McInerney should be released just before he becomes 39-years old. The 2008 murder has made national headlines, including for McInery’s being prosecuted as an adult — which his hung jury stated was a factor in their inability to reach consensus — and for his defense, which included blaming Larry King for being gay and effeminate.

The Dallas Voice reports:

McInerney last month struck a deal with Ventura County prosecutors in which he agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and charge each of voluntary manslaughter and use of a firearm. The deal came after a mistrial in September in which jurors could not agree on degree of guilt. Prosecutors wanted him convicted on first-degree murder charges and a hate crime charge. Jurors in September rejected the hate crime charge.

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According to this report from FoxNews.com, McInerney should be released from prison just before his 39th birthday. FoxNews.com said McInerney is ineligible for time served or for time off for good behavior because he pleaded guilty to murder.

McInerney was 14 and Larry King was 15 on Valentine’s Day in 2008 when McInerney walked up behind King in a computer lab class and shot him in the back of the head as horrified classmates looked on. King, who had recently begun wearing make-up and women’s clothing and accessories to school, had reportedly angered McInerney by flirting with him, leading McInerney’s friends to tease him.

Speaking during the sentencing hearing on Monday, Greg King said Larry’s family could not forgive McInerney. “You took upon yourself to be a bully and to hate a smaller kid, wanting to be a big man on campus,” Greg King told McInerney. “You have left a hole in my heart where Larry was and it can never be filled.”

Wikipedia adds:

Newsweek described the shooting as “the most prominent gay-bias crime since the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard”, bringing attention to issues of gun violence as well as gender expression and sexual identity of teenagers.