Lawrence King's Killer Found Competent

Lawrence King's murderer, Brandon McInerney, has been found competent to stand trial.

Brandon McInerney, an Oxnard teenager accused of first-degree murder and a hate crime in connection with the shooting of a classmate, today was found competent to stand trial in Ventura County Superior Court.

Judge Kevin McGee made the ruling after hearing from a psychiatrist and a psychologist. The issue was whether the 14-year-old defendant, who is being tried as an adult, was developmentally capable to stand trial, according to defense attorney Scott Wippert.

The youth is charged in connection with the Feb. 12 shooting of Larry King, 15, in a classroom at E.O. Green School in Oxnard. King, an eighth-grader, dressed in a feminine manner and told friends that he was gay. The judge set a Dec. 29 date for a hearing for a discovery motion in the case and set Jan. 26 for a preliminary hearing.

Many LGBT groups had joined the unsuccessful petition to have McInerney tried as a juvenile.