A California judge has denied a request by defense attorneys to delay the trial of a teen accused of murdering a gay classmate.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Charles Campbell turned down the request from Brandon McInerney’s attorneys who were seeking more time to interview witnesses for the high-profile school shooting case.
McInerney, 16, who is being tried as an adult, is charged with first-degree murder and a hate crime in the Feb. 12, 2008, shooting death of 15 year-old Lawrence King.
“We can’t respond. We are not prepared,” McInerney’s lawyer, Robyn Bramson, said. “We have no case to put on.”
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“We have no defense,” added McInerney’s other lawyer, Scott Wippert.
King, who dressed in a feminine style and told friends he was gay, was allegedly shot the back of the head by McInerney in a computer lab at E.O. Green School in Oxnard, CA.
The two boys had been sparring in the days before the killing, allegedly because King had expressed a romantic interest in McInerney, who was 14 at the time.
McInerney faces a maximum prison sentence of 50 years to life if he’s convicted of first-degree murder.
Prosecutors have offered to agree to a sentence of 25 years to life if McInerney pleads guilty to first-degree murder and a hate-crime allegation.
Prosecutors said they will be ready with testimony and evidence. Jury selection is expected soon, with opening statements later this month.
