McInerney could face as much as 53 years to life in prison

Oxnard junior high school student Brandon McInerney bragged that he had guns at home if he ever wanted to kill someone, the officers testified in a Ventura courthouse Monday.

McInerney, 15, is charged with murder and a hate crime in the death of Larry King, 15, on Feb. 12, 2008. King dressed in a feminine manner and told friends he was gay. McInerney, who was 14 when the shooting occurred, is being tried as an adult.

McInerney made the comment to another student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard sometime before walking into the classroom and allegedly gunning down gay classmate Larry King on the morning of Feb. 12, 2008, said Oxnard police Sgt. Kevin Baysinger.

“Brandon said if he ever wanted to kill anybody, his dad had a bunch of guns and he had the capability,” Baysinger told the court.

One student, a female friend of King's, reportedly told Oxnard Police Sgt. Kevin Baysinger that McInerney sought her out the day before the shooting. McInerney reportedly told the girl, "Tell Larry goodbye because you're not going to see him again," Baysinger testified.

One of McInerney's friends told investigators that the youth said he was "going to kill" King. He told another friend that they should jump King and "shank" him.

In the second day of a preliminary hearing in the case, District Attorney’s Office investigator Robert Coughlin testified Tuesday that law enforcement officials interviewed more than 175 people during the investigation into the homicide. He said he conducted 40 of the interviews himself.

He testified that one of his interviews was with a female student who said McInerney was reading a book just before the shooting. Students had been in the E.O Green School classroom for about 15 or 20 minutes.

The female student told Coughlin that she started a conversation with King, who was sitting near her, and asked him to confirm rumors that he was changing his first name to a girl’s name.

The student said boys in the room were giggling after her remark, and then King said: “What are you laughing about?”

The female student said she heard a noise that sounded like “a pop,” Coughlin testified.

“She saw Larry King sliding down from his seat,” said Coughlin, adding that the girl said she also saw McInerney fire a second shot to the back of King’s head.

According to the girl, McInerney said nothing as he looked around the computer lab classroom before firing the second time, Coughlin testified.

Mancha and Tinoco were among several witnesses who spoke on the first day of the preliminary hearing, shedding more light into the slaying, alleged threats made by McInerney against King, and McInerney’s purported interest in skinheads and Nazis.

The defendant’s girlfriend told Mancha that she knew that McInerney had an interest in skinhead culture.

“He knew that she did not approve of that,” Mancha said.

Coughlin, the district attorney’s investigator, testified that computer lab teacher Dawn Boldrin never knew there were problems between King and McInerney.

Coughlin said that in his interview with Boldrin, she told him that King’s behavior was not a problem; she described his behavior as that of a shy, feminine boy.

Boldrin said McInerney told her that he was going to be a skinhead and join the “white power” movement, according to Coughlin. However, McInerney later said, “Oh, I am kidding,” Coughlin testified.

The investigator also said the computer lab class was studying World War II and other students, not just McInerney, were interested in writing about Adolf Hitler.

If convicted, McInerney could face as much as 53 years to life in prison.