http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2090287,00.html
Emotions have run high since the very first day of Brandon McInerney’s trial for murder. Perhaps that’s because the killing of his gay middle-school classmate Lawrence King was as emotionally jarring as it was appalling. When McInerney, then 14 years old, shot 15-year-old King twice in the back of the head in a school computer lab three years ago, the incident jolted the coastal city of Oxnard, California, thrust two unstable households into the spotlight, and made King a rallying point for the gay community across the nation. The shooting exposed a multitude of sensitive subjects all at once: issues regarding gays, transgender people, bullying, white supremacy, child abuse and school violence came to the surface.
And there were other kinds of baggage. Before proceedings had even begun, almost two months ago, the judge reportedly barred McInerney’s brother from watching the proceedings after he spoke to members of the jury. Since then, former classmates have broken down crying on the witness stand. McInerney’s mother and a teacher cried when the defense displayed a picture of King holding a homecoming dress and smiling, prompting the victim’s father to storm out of the courtroom in disgust. The defense has even tried to disqualify the judge, alleging he was biased in favor of the prosecution.
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