Mistrial Declared in Larry King Murder Case

Brandon McInerney shot Larry King in the back of the head in front of numerous witnesses yet jurors in California deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of voluntary manslaughter, so a mistrial was declared. It's a sad commentary on how little the lives of LGBT citizens matter in the United States. If the jury could not convict McInerney for murder, manslaughter ought to have been a no brainer. At least unless one holds the Christianist mind set that the only good faggot is a dead faggot. Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer, Maggie Gallagher and similar anti-gay hate merchants must be smiling on this outcome.It's frightening to know how little one's life means in this country if your are LGBT. It literally sickens me. The Los Angeles Times has coverage on this travesty and here are highlights:

The trial of a middle school student who shot and killed a gay classmate during a morning computer lab ended in a mistrial Thursday when jurors said that after 17 hours of deliberations they could not agree whether to convict Brandon McInerney.

The parents of victim Larry King, Greg and Dawn King, stormed from the courtroom with other relatives, even as the judge was still addressing the jurors.

McInerney was 14 when he walked into a morning computer lab at E.O. Green Junior High, pulled a .22-caliber handgun from his backpack, put the gun to Larry King's head and pulled the trigger twice. King was 15.

But jurors universally rejected the prosecution's contention that the shooting was a hate crime carried out by a youth filled with white supremacist beliefs and a hatred for homosexuals, Wippertsaid.

During the trial, McInerney's attorneys presented what prosecutors called a "gay panic" defense, arguing that the teenager was driven to violence by King's repeated sexual taunts. They also called to the stand teachers who testified that campus administrators turned a blind eye to the tensions King was creating on campus with his flamboyant dress and behavior.

After the mistrial was declared and jurors left the room, McInerney turned and smiled at his family. When he spotted his former girlfriend, Samantha Cline, sitting in a back row, he threw her a kiss. And then he was taken away by sheriff's deputies.

Excuse me while I go vomit!

Trial of Larry King Murderer to Begin

At long last the trial of Brandon McInerney, the 14 year old who brought a gun to school with premeditation and shot classmate Larry King in the back of the head, is about to begin. In a display of just how sleazy and unethical some criminal defense attorneys can be, McInerney's attorneys plan on possibly using a "gay panic defense." A defense that even though bogus requires a "in the heat of the moment" context. Never mind that McInerney planned ahead, brought a gun to school, positioned himself directly behind King during a morning computer class and fired twice into the back of Larry King's head. Frankly, in my opinion, if defense counsel try that shameless defense, disbarment would be to lenient a punishment. The Los Angeles Times looks at the upcoming trial and has these highlights:
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When he was just 14, Brandon McInerney walked into an Oxnard classroom, took his seat, pulled a .22-caliber handgun out of his backpack and shot the student sitting in front of him. Then he tossed the weapon to the floor and walked out. The victim, Lawrence King, was an openly gay student who McInerney reportedly thought had a crush on him.
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Prosecutor Maeve Fox says she will outline a straightforward case in opening arguments set to begin Tuesday in a Chatsworth courtroom. The Oxnard teenager carefully planned and carried out the Feb. 12, 2008, execution of his eighth-grade classmate, she said. He brought a gun to school, positioned himself directly behind King during a morning computer class and fired twice into the back of the 15-year-old's head.
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McInerney is being tried in adult court under the provisions of Proposition 21, which allows prosecutors to bring murder charges against juveniles as young as 14 for certain serious crimes. McInerney's lawyers, Scott Wippert and Robyn Bramson, say their client doesn't deny the killing. But they argue it was voluntary manslaughter because the adolescent was provoked by King's repeated sexual advances.
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A voluntary manslaughter conviction would prevent a life sentence, Wippert said, making McInerney eligible for release before he's 40. Even a finding of second-degree murder would virtually assure that he wouldn't be eligible for parole until he was in his 70s, his lawyers said.
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The defense could face a challenge in portraying McInerney as a naive youth. At the time of the shooting, he looked young and sweet-faced. In court recently, the defendant was a tall, lanky young man dressed in crisp Oxford shirts and khaki pants.

Rick Warren Hanging Himself

UPDATED: This news from America Blog which is rather interesting:

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At the very last minute, with no warning, he canceled on Stephanopoulos, on Easter Sunday no less, due to "exhaustion." Hmm... Stephanopoulos didn't sound convinced. Nor am I. It's Easter Sunday. Warren was going to be on ABC's This Week, doing his schtick as "America's Pastor." This was a big opportunity for him, on the biggest Christian day of the year (at least in my church, Easter is bigger than Christmas). And suddenly he cancels.

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As readers of this blog know all too well, I am no fan of Homophobe, Rick Warren of Saddleback Church. I see him a largely a modern day Pharisee and someone Barack Obama ought to avoid. I am likewise no fan of the Washington Times either. But it is great fun watching the Moonie controlled Washington Times do stories basically ripping Warren a new one for his appearance on Larry King where he claimed that he never supported Proposition 8 and likewise claimed not to have anti-gay statements. Even though he did and there is video footage all over the Internet showing Warren saying precisely what he now claims to have never said. Why do people like Warren make such stupid claims? Do they really believe that the rest of us are so stupid that we will believe the lies and not quickly find the evidence to document his lies? I just do not understand the mindset. Meanwhile, Warren has the extreme Christo-fascist unloading on him as well for his "betrayal." It is truly an amusing spectacle. Here are some highlights from the Washington Times:

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Evangelical leaders say they are bewildered and stunned by the Rev. Rick Warren's apparent turnaround on gay marriage after the famous California pastor said earlier this week that he was not a proponent of California's Proposition 8. Mr. Warren told CNN's Larry King on Monday that he "never once even gave an endorsement" of the proposition, which said marriage in the state could only involve one man and one woman.

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"I was extremely troubled by the way he appeared to be so anxious to distance himself from the same-sex issue and to make clear he was not an 'activist' and that he'd only addressed the issue in a very minor way," said the Rev. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, said his denial is "absolutely baffling."

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"Whether he supports Proposition 8 now, after the fact, is overshadowed by the bizarre claim that he did not say what the evidence so clearly proves he said."

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What Mr. Warren said he did do was send out a video to his 22,000-member church explaining his position the week before Proposition 8 went before state voters on Nov. 4. "Now let me say this really clearly: We support Proposition 8," he said on the video, "and if you believe what the Bible says about marriage, you need to support Proposition 8. I never support a candidate, but on moral issues, I come out very clear."

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Christianity Today magazine on April 7 pressed Mr. Warren about whether his CNN remarks contradicted the video sent to his congregration. It was a pastor talking to his own people," he replied. "I've never said anything about it since. I don't know how you can take one video newsletter to your own church and turn that into — all of a sudden I'm the poster boy for anti-gay marriage."

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Still, evangelicals point to a bigger issue brought about by Mr. Warren. "This is a major distraction in this battle for the culture we are experiencing," said Bishop Harry Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville and founder of the High Impact Leadership Coalition of 5,000 black and Hispanic evangelical leaders. "I really respect Pastor Warren, but his stance will hurt the evangelical church. He is being politically correct instead of biblically courageous."

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Funny thing. I thought there was a Commandment against lying and bearing false witness. Oops. I forgot, professional Christians and homophobes have granted themselves an exemption from that one.