Murder of Larry King

Lawrence Fobes King, a 15-year-old eighth grader who was also known as Latisha King, was shot twice in the back of the head on the morning of February 12, 2008, by 14-year-old classmate Brandon McInerney during a class at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, California. McInerney used a .22-caliber revolver belonging to relatives, drawn from his backpack while sitting near King in a computer laboratory. After the shooting he dropped the weapon and left the classroom; he was apprehended by police roughly seven minutes later, about five blocks from campus. King was taken to St. John's Regional Medical Center, declared brain dead on February 13, and kept on life support for two additional days so his organs could be donated, before dying on February 14, 2008.

King, who had come out as gay at age ten and had recently begun asking to be called Latisha, had been bullied at school over his effeminacy and his choice to wear makeup, jewelry, and women's accessories, including high heels, which school administrators said he was legally permitted to wear under California anti-discrimination law. In the weeks before the shooting, King had a number of contentious verbal exchanges with McInerney, including reportedly asking him to be his Valentine in front of teammates during a basketball game, which drew mockery from other students directed at McInerney.

King's death drew national attention, with Newsweek comparing it to the 1998 killing of Matthew Shepard. Vigils and marches were held across the United States, including a march by roughly a thousand students in the Hueneme School District four days after the shooting. Public figures including Judy Shepard, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Ellen DeGeneres expressed condolences. California Assemblyperson Mike Eng introduced a diversity education bill in King's name.

McInerney was ordered to stand trial as an adult in July 2008 and pleaded not guilty in August 2008 to premeditated murder and a hate crime charge. Pretrial proceedings were extended by multiple delays, changes of legal representation, and appeals over several years. His first trial began July 5, 2011, in Chatsworth, Los Angeles, following a change of venue. The defense argued King's conduct amounted to sexual harassment of McInerney, a strategy later characterized as a "gay panic" defense. On September 1, 2011, Judge Charles Campbell declared a mistrial after the jury deadlocked, split between voluntary manslaughter and murder charges.

Prosecutors elected to retry McInerney but dropped the hate crime charge. On November 21, 2011, McInerney avoided a second trial by pleading guilty to second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and use of a firearm. He was sentenced on December 19, 2011, to 21 years in prison, to be served initially in a juvenile facility and later in an adult prison, with no credit for time served or good behavior. King's family separately filed a civil claim against the school district, alleging that permitting King's manner of dress contributed to his death; the California Attorney General's Office stated the school could not have legally barred King's clothing choices.