Murdered 8th Grader Taken Off Life Support

Shooter, 14, Could Tried As An Adult For Anti-Gay Hate Crimes, Premeditated Murder

(CBS/AP)  Organs were harvested from the body of an eighth-grade boy who was declared brain dead after being shot at school, a coroner's official said Friday.

Lawrence King, 15, was taken off life support on Thursday and his body was taken for autopsy after the organ harvesting.

Ventura County Senior Deputy Medical Examiner Armando Chavez said multiple organs were donated but he could not disclose which ones they were.

The autopsy showed King died of wounds to his head.

"Obviously the manner was homicide," Chavez said.

Prosecutors have charged a 14-year-old classmate with premeditated murder with hate-crime and firearm-use enhancements.

Brandon David McInerney, who allegedly brought a handgun to E.O. Green Junior High School on Tuesday and shot King in the head, was charged in Superior Court as an adult.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox said the murder charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years to life, with an additional maximum of 25 years for the firearms enhancement and an added one to three years for the hate-crime enhancement.

McInerney, who was held with bail set at $770,000, made his initial court appearance Thursday, but the hearing was continued until March 21. Defense attorney Brian A. Vogel didn't return telephone messages seeking comment.

The felony complaint did not contain the reasons prosecutors filed the hate-crime enhancement, and Fox said she could not reveal them. Oxnard police spokesman David Keith said Friday the investigation was continuing and there was no information about a motive.

Several classmates have said King would wear feminine attire, making him a social outcast with other boys at the school. King sometimes came to school wearing makeup and high heels, eighth-grader Nicholas Cortez said.

King was in the county foster care system and lived at Casa Pacifica, a center for abused and neglected children, said Steve Elson, the facility's chief executive.

The Ventura County Rainbow Alliance announced plans for a vigil and march Friday night.

The crime rate typically is higher in Oxnard than in Ventura County's other nine cities.

"When you say you're from Oxnard, people always immediately think 'gangs,' " an Oxnard father told the Los Angeles Times. "But it's not all gangs and violence here. It's a friendly place and a good place for families."

[sparkyguy]

It''s good to know that Oxnard is a friendly place for families. Apparently it''s a less-friendly place for sexual minorities.

[griking]

The "hate crime" law is a joke. A murder is a murder, to charge the gunman with additional crimes just because of the color of his victim''s skin is racist in itself.

[staycalm]

There has never been any child in any of my kid''s middle school classes who wasn''t repulsed, revolted and disgusted at the thought of gay ***. I also taught school for eight years and noticed the same phenomenon. My conclusion is that it is a normal response to what kids perceive as abnormal behavior. You can teach tolerance all you want but humans tend to revert to their primitive ways when threatened. What I can''t understand is all the adults who preach tolerance but don''t say a word about the unending gun fueled violence in rap music and movies. If the images and ideas we are bombarded with every day by the media weren''t successful in affecting human behavior, whey would corporate America spend so much money on advertising?

[lynne_m1]

How sad is this, killer needs more than life in prison and I''m thinking it''s more than just the color of his skin, the way he chose to dress. Why did a 14 year old kid have access to a gun and where are all the gun lovers on this story? Stay tuned I''m sure they''ll be here at some point.

[rowdytexan2]

Rest in peace young fella! And bless you for the gifts to others!

[nlm2383]

If the gun belongs to the parents of the murderer they should be charged as well for allowing their child to have access to a gun so easily. 14 and he could be going to prision for life...I would bet money that this kid was taught that being gay is bad and that you should hate people like this child that was murdered.

[bobpcoll--2008]

O.K. I believe that I understand the Right To Bear Arms point of view but I have a question for those who advocate for the present proliferation of firearms in our society: " What solution(s) do you have to address the issue of guns and violence in our society''?

[oeangus]

LOVE guns! Don''t you? Everybody love guns if they is American! Yee-HAW!!

[nothappyatall]

There has never been any child in any of my kids middle school classes who wasnt repulsed, revolted and disgusted at the thought of gay s3x. I also taught school for eight years and noticed the same phenomenon. My conclusion is that it is a normal response to what kids perceive as abnormal behavior. You can teach tolerance all you want but humans tend to revert to their primitive ways when threatened.

Posted by staycalm"

And how is anyone ''threatened'' by g@ys in school?
The reaction you see in class is not an inborn one, it is socially taught by the parents, and this is LEARNED the same way a kid learns the alphabet or hot to tie their shoes.
You will also find the ones who are the most vocal against something like g@ys are more often than not closet g@ys themselves and the reaction is the guilt caused by society and peers makig them overreact to compensate and throw off any suspicion about themselves.

"King sometimes came to school wearing makeup and high heels,"

What kind of parents would let their 15 year old boy go to a school environment wearing MAKEUP and high heels knowing the hostility that would result??

[nothappyatall]

Just because it was a hate crime doesnt mean King was g@y either, his name sounds black while the killer''s name sounds white, it very well could be a black/white racially motivated hate crime.

[blackpearlsx]

Posted by newster1 "Just because it was a hate crime doesnt mean King was g@y either, his name sounds black while the killer''''s name sounds white, it very well could be a black/white racially motivated hate crime."
______________________________________________________
His name sounds Black? The killer''s name sounds white?
I''m sure Larry King from "Larry King live" would love to argue with you on that one. I know people both black and white with the name "McInerney". How ignorant!

[clarkssuppor]

It is obviously a Muslim/Buddist thing.

[facts6]

Seems more like a "nature" crime. Animals also kill those who are anomalies (sp?) of their kind. Its just that we are/should be accountable.

[chance8881]

um, yeah if you research this story it was because he was gay!! he wore high heels to school along with female clothing and make up!! wake up!! people, hate is wrong!!! peace.

[rudy654-2009]

Yep, when everybody, I mean everybody can have a gun, well, you are bound to have some sicko get a hold of one and use it to express hatred and to solve conflicts.

[ringading3]

"King was in the county foster care system and lived at Casa Pacifica, a center for abused and neglected children, said Steve Elson, the facility''s chief executive"

This explains why the kid was allowed to attend school in female attire and was wacked by a normal child. The preverted state social workers and their abnormal value system is the reason this kid was killed. But they will not be penalized because the homose_xuals rule!

[noirceur]

mudmarine03 YOUR AS SICK AS THE ONES WHO DO THE KILLING.GROW-UP & learn alittle respect.

[standlee5]

Life was not kind to Lawrence King. In special foster care for abused children and ridiculed at school by peers. Rest in peace Lawrence, You will remind us how cruel life can be for some.

[puzzler125]

Cross-dressing does NOT mean gay! There''s a difference and it''s time people understand that.

[grammawhamma]

nutsie: If your guns are in a big safe how are they going to protect you?

[displeased]

Posted by schoollord

Holy *** schoollord, don''t you have a life? Shouldn''t you be out protesting or something?

[slim1h2o]

My gun is not a tool to solve problems.Its for protection & hunting.My guns are in a BIG safe,I dont want someone besides me getting ahold of them!I will not stay on here and fight with leprecans & big mouths!

Posted by nutsie11 at 04:00 PM : Feb 16, 2008

Nutsie11,,when are you going to learn,,, You can''t argue with dimminutive people on here! Some people may nt be able to tell the difference. But keep up the good fight!

No telling what these goose stepping people will want to take away next!

[slim1h2o]

Posted by nutsie11 at 05:08 PM : Feb 16, 2008

I think it''s sad too,, that someone can''t be themselves,, and live without fear that someone might shoot them for being themselves..

What happened to the thinking,,,,,,,Live,,and let live! ..... I''m glad I don''t have to grow up in these times..

[peacedreamer-2009]

I think it''s time for schools, parents, communities and places of worship to start teaching kids that it''s wrong to kill any person. Schools, etc., got away from teaching the value of humanness. They teach everything under the sun except the most important thing, that every person is precious and vital to the well-being of every person on the planet. That it''s not okay to kill anyone, no matter who they are or how they act. It simply dismays me how parents can run kids to sports, music, dance and every other kind of lesson, but forget to teach them the lesson not to kill.

[peacedreamer-2009]

Why can''t people just accept each other? Why does everyone have to judge who''s fit to live and who isn''t?

[abigail70]

An 8th grader is dead. All the bickering and backbiting, snide comments and smartass replies aren''t going to change that. Show some sympathy, for once.

[peacedreamer-2009]

Whoever lives by the sword, dies by the sword...

[blazercoach1]

You know...50 years wouldn''t have been enough for him to learn not to hate. But that extra 3 years...yeah that ought to do it. After only fifty, he might have done this again, but not with those extra three. Instead, now he''ll just kill a white heterosexual that he loves. Too bad he didn''t think about that before pulling the trigger...it might have deterred him.

And what''s with this "fire-arm enhancement"? Is this like Murder 3.0 as opposed to the 2.0 version?

And thank goodness he was penalized for not using something more sporting like a crossbow or a sword. If he had used that, he would have earned some court-cred and only received a 25 year sentence.

Remember these things folks, when you decide to kill. Bonus points for killing a white heterosexual who you love and using something more chancy than a gun.

[jegibbons]

This story is so so sad. How far do we think we have come? No, no friends , not that far.

This hate crime reflects a prehistoric CAVEMAN, NEADERTHAL upbringing. I say hang this kid''s father. The perpetrator, too, is lost, for life, facing an adult punishment which he RICHY deserves.

Sad to see how early INSANITY can take root.

Any kid that would shoot another kid over this kind of thing is not likely a candidate for rehabilitation. Ouy vey!

Do we need a DEATH PENALTY for 14 year olds? How long do you suppose would this kid perpetrator would survive if this happened in Iran? Ans: Not long!

[zootallures2]

"It''s a friendly place and a good place for families."

Yea, sure sounds like it.

[ynot12007]

It seems that people have forgotten the tollerance and what it means to be different. If everyone took a gun or some other weapon to kill those who we disliked, there would be very few people left to deal with. HOW LONELY THAT WOULD BE.

[offtheback]

What kind of parents would let their 15 year old boy go to a school environment wearing MAKEUP and high heels knowing the hostility that would result??

Posted by newster1

From reading your various posts on stories here it has become aparrent that you have trouble reading the articles about which you post. Had you actually spent the minute amount of time to actually read the article before running your mouth you would have found this interesting bit,

"King was in the county foster care system and lived at Casa Pacifica, a center for abused and neglected children, said Steve Elson, the facility''s chief executive."

Which answers your question.

[offtheback]

Just because it was a hate crime doesnt mean King was g@y either, his name sounds black while the killer''''s name sounds white, it very well could be a black/white racially motivated hate crime.

Posted by newster1

Are you for real?

[offtheback]

CARRY/CONCEAL,THE ONLY WAY TO GET OUR COUNTRY BACK!

Posted by nutsie11

Agreed. Level the playing field and the chicken stuff predetors will vanish.
That said, the wackos will still persist untill such time as parents return to parenting and desist from patterning their children. IMHO

[offtheback]

I think its pretty sad that a 14yr old thought he was god,and decided that a boy that wears make-up to school should die that day!

"Daddy there is a f@ggot at school what should I do?"
"Godd@mn f@ggots. You should beat his @ss sonny"
Sonny thinks to self "humm, I think I''ll go one better, wont daddy be proud?"

[ib10ring]

bobpcoll- You asked " What solution(s) do you have to address the issue of guns and violence in our society''''?

The main solution, I would think, would be to enforce the laws currently written. When the laws are not enforced it makes little difference if another law is enacted. Without enforcement the laws are merely words on a piece of paper. Without enforcement they are just meaningless, useless words. When the laws are enforced as intended the end result will be a significant increase in our safety without diminishing our rights and freedoms. That would be the ultimate goal, rather than an outright ban as some are pushing for.

[incog-nito]

See? If that 14 year old kid had carried a weapon, he could have defended himself. Schools would be soooo much safer if kids are allowed to carry concealed weapons. Everybody carried guns in the Old West, and look how safe it was!!!

[incog-nito]

See? If that 14 year old kid had carried a weapon, he could have defended himself. Schools would be soooo much safer if kids are allowed to carry concealed weapons. Everybody carried guns in the Old West, and look how safe it was!!!

[stezzer]

This is a terribly sad case. The perpetrator should face the most draconian of sentences. And personally, I think his parents should be dragged before the courts as well.

The school and those responsible for the care of this poor child should also be called to answer many questions. Why did they allow him to go to school dressed in such odd outfits, and what advice were they giving him?

[marymcq]

To offtheback, if you read the whole story you would have read that he is is foster care. The poor mixed up boy, doing what he thought was right, he felt like a girl, he wanted to dress like one, so what, did he deserve to die? NO Too bad that POS won''t get life because he is a child.

[irliberal]

Hmmm how much do you want to bet that the shooters parents were republican bigots? Sounds like a safe bet to me. Fine values they taught their boy there.

[harrydoghiny]

Victims are ''slain" until a "murderer" is convicted. No victims who have been "slain" can still be on "life support" Who edits this site, a six-year-old?

[gce65]

They took a "murdered" kid off life support? They murdered him again! How about a little better journalism in the write-up, CBS?

[offtheback]

Posted by marymcq

Had you taken the time to actually read my post idiot, you would have seen that I was responding to another moron who failed to read the article enough to discover the fact the child killed was the product of the foster care system.
In the future as I said, take the time to understand that of which you speak. It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool then to speak and remove all question.

[offtheback]

you should learn to read...AND UNDERSTAND

Posted by libsrsissy

The point this person was trying to make was one of legal symantics and calling into question the professionalism of CBS journalism. Not wether the child, for all intents and purposes, was in fact deceased.

Does anyone read? or is the need to attack others so great.
What is this saying about you?

[it_oldtimer]

This is news?

[xraytwonine]

14? hate crime? murder? what''s next? if you want to be apathetic about this type of "news item" go ahead, shut your door, close you eyes, walk blind...

[flreason]

I''m bothered by CBS''s use of the term "harvested" for this young man''s internal organs. The organs were donated. Somehow harvesting suggests man collecting for his own purposes the fruits of nature. This young man''s family chose to memorialize his life by helping save the lives of others. To use a utilitarian term for such a great gift demeans it.

[displeased]

American Men need a weapon to take the place of that small useless worm in there pants. Loosers
Posted by jerryomara

If our worms are useless, then why are we consistently breeding a$$holes? BTW, comparing a few psychotics to the general population is pointless, insignificant, and a reflection of your ignorance.

[displeased]

Those wackos are mostly gun owners.
Posted by schoollord

The gun owners I know are respectable, intelligent, and contribute to society in ways you aren''t capable of comprehending. The wackos I know are delusional, insecure, intolerant, and lack analytical thinking...a category you fit well in.