LOS ANGELES – Lawyers presented closing arguments Thursday in the Los Angeles trial of a teen accused of murdering a gay classmate at school three years ago.
Seventeen-year-old Brandon McInerney is accused of first-degree murder and a hate crime in the killing of 15-year-old Larry King at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard.
McInerney was 14 at the time of the slaying. His defense team hasn’t disputed he shot King, but they have argued McInerney was provoked into attacking King because the victim had made unwanted sexual advances toward him.
Prosecutors contend the murder was premeditated and McInerney was fueled by white supremacy ideology.
The case has brought national attention to the issue of violence against gays. The trial was moved from Ventura County to Los Angeles because of pretrial publicity.
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