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Scott Wippert, attorney for murder defendant Brandon McInerney speaks to media outside court Nick Ut/AP/Press Association Images
Trial
Teen accused of shooting dead student "because he was gay"
His attorney is pictured speaking outside court yesterday, where potential jurors were questioned about their views on homosexuality and hate crimes.
A TEENAGER HAS gone on trial in Los Angeles, charged with murdering a 15-year-old boy who reportedly made sexual advances towards him.
The VC Star reports that Brandon McInerney (17) is accused of shooting dead his classmate Larry King in a computer lab at EO Green School in Oxnard, Ventura County.
He is also charged with a hate crime because he allegedly had white supremacist views and was influenced by Nazism.
King is reported to have identified as gay and worn make-up and women’s clothing.
McInerney’s defence lawyer indicated that his client pulled the trigger “in the heat of passion”.
He said King had “sexually harassed” the accused.
The 36 potential jurors on the trial were quizzed about views on homosexuality, white supremacy and the age of the defendant by the Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox and defence attorney Scott Wippert before the 12 final jurors were chosen.
There were between 25 and 30 people in the computer lab when King was killed.
McInerney is being tried as an adult and faces 53 years to life in prison if convicted of all the charges against him.
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