Brandon's Brother: He Was Molested

The half-brother of teenage murderer Brandon McInerney claimed in court yesterday that Brandon had been molested by a male relative. And that mitigates his murder of gay teen Lawrence King somehow.

James Bing testified that McInerney’s father cried hysterically as he revealed the molestation that occurred when Brandon was about 9 years old. The older McInerney was upset because the family had dealt with the problem internally, sending the relative away for years, instead of reporting it to police and getting Brandon help, Bing told the courtroom. McInerney’s father, who is now dead, believed the memory of the molestation was what caused his son to react so violently when Larry King began dressing like a girl and flirting with McInerney at their Oxnard junior high school, Bing said. "He felt that it scarred him," said Bing, 24. "He felt guilty that he hadn’t done anything about it before."

Last month prosecutors asked the judge to rule that jurors should disregard King's sexuality when making their decision in the case. This was seen as a tactic meant to derail any gay panic defense.