Teacher Describes Slain Student Lawrence King as "Immature"

Fifteen-year-old Lawrence King was described as sweet but "very immature" and confused about his sexuality, according to court testimony on Monday.

Susan Crowley, King's seventh-grade special education teacher, testified for the defense at the murder trial of Brandon McInerney. Crowley claimed that King lacked "social skills", reports the Ventura County Star.

When [King] came to her class wearing a pink scarf, she told him to take it off, said Crowley, who testified that she probably knew King better than anyone at the school. Then there was the jewelry and makeup that followed. "I was concerned they were designed to draw negative attention to himself and would make him unhappy and victimized," she said. "He couldn't distinguish between positive and negative attention. He just wanted people to pay attention to him."

And:

King was extremely immature for his age and didn't have a firm grasp of his sexuality, she said. A year before he was wearing women's high-heeled boots and telling friends he was gay, he had complained that another boy was sexually harassing him at school. King told Crowley back then that he wasn't gay, she said. "I think Larry was probably gay, but I don't think he knew that," she said. "He had a lot of years before he could figure it out."

McInerney shot his classmate twice in the head at point-blank range in February 2008. Up to 30 students witnessed the shooting. McInerney is being tried as an adult for the murder. The state also alleges McInerney had close ties to white supremacists, which has led to a hate crime charge.

The defense has portrayed Lawrence King as sexually "aggressive" and suggests that McInerney was "provoked." Prosecutors are seeking to quash McInerney's "gay panic" defense. Prosecutors asked the judge last week to instruct jurors to disregard King's sexuality.

Previous witnesses have testified that King's "feminine attire" and gender identity was upsetting some of the students and faculty at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard.

Monday was the 18th day of McInerney's trial. McInerney faces up to 53 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges. The trial was moved to Los Angeles'San Fernando Valley because of pretrial publicity in Ventura County.

Rod 2.0's complete coverage on Lawrence King HERE.

Comments

[Zambos27]

Teachers like her give other teachers a bad name. She sounds cold and callous, and like an attention-seeker. So is he immature? Or a sexually aggressive young male? And why are they painting this young man that lost his life in such a negative light?

[Osiris]

I am so SOOOOO happy that she mentioned that he couldn't distinguish between good attention and bad attention. You see that so much in young people, these days. I'm young, myself, but I realize that my generation has serious problems.

Zambos27, regardless of how you may feel about what she said, she is speaking her truth. We need more teachers like her to be honest with students. She was right on the money about him seeking negative attention. After all, to most young people (especially gays) negative is better than *no* attention. Why else would someone need to dress flamboyantly, except to say "Try to ignore me NOW, world"...?

[Isis]

Maybe he was immature or confused or whatever else! None of these things make him deserving of death. This is ALL irrelevant and I cannot believe its even being discussed in this way. HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD AND THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS! HE WAS DEFENSELESS AND DID NOT DESERVE IT!! HOW CAN THESE PEOPLE SLEEP AT NIGHT!

[Isis]

Also, when I was 15 I was CONSTANTLY calling boys immature! Immaturity seems like a typical characteristic of a 15 year old boy.

@ Osiris,

It is the context of her statements that trouble me. The defense is using her statements to paint Lawrence as some unstable teen who is responsible for his own death, because of how he carried himself. IT IS DISGUSTING WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO DO!

[Osiris]

Isis: That is the defense's job, to attempt to exonerate their client through any means possible. Nothing Ms. Crowley said alluded to King getting himself killed, only that he was confused, immature, and wanted attention which is obvious by his attire and use of makeup. If the defense tries to paint it that way, that's on them, not her.

Click the link and read the entire article. It might fill in a few gaps that might be missed by just reading the short version on Rod.

[Greg G]

"If the defense tries to paint it that way, that's on them, not her. "

Osiris, actually you are wrong and Isis is correct. The teacher is a witness for THE DEFENSE. And that is EXACTLY the picture the defense is trying to portray--that Lawrence King was silly, immature, sexually harassed boys, wore makeup and "provoked" his own murder. Those are their own words. The teacher's testimony is not random. The defense knew what she was going to say.

Of course the defense's job is to try to exonerate their client. But the defense is shameful and possibly unethical. A judge has instructed the jury to ignore the gay panic claims.

Maybe you're new to this case, but Rod has hardly skipped over this case or written a Cliffnotes version. He has provided almost daily coverage of the trial, wrote about it at the Advocate, and written for months about the gay panic defense. I don't think most people reading this blog have "gaps" on this case but it seems like you do.

[Sage]

Thank you, thank you, thank you Greg G. for at least attempting to school Osiris here on some jurisprudence 101. Since it seems it is clearly Osiris who has "gaps" in knowing and understanding the intricacies and dueling objectives in this case.

As a result, Osiris, you are essentially wasting our time here with talking points that simply do not add up. And I for one do not wish to have my time wasted.

I am all for intelligent, passionate discourse where indeed all sides may not see eye to eye but where all party's are nonetheless able to use intelligence, reason and well developed critical thinking skills and abilities regardless of their position on an issue. That is what I have grown accustomed to here on Rod 2.0 Beta. If you are unwilling or unable Osiris, to rise to the occasion in those repsects here, please graciously and ever so gingerly, leave the room.

[Chitown Kev]

Great discussion here...just want to add one little thing...

All that the defense has to do to "exonerate" their client, really, is to plant a "reasonable doubt, at least in this particular case and of the specific charges of first degree murder.

My feeling about it this as of now (without knowing the composition of the jury...)

the fact that McInerney was trying to get other students to bash King prior to his decision to taking matters into his own hands is proof enough of premeditation for me.

Beyond a reasonable doubt.

[AJ]

I have an issue with the fact that this woman told King to stop dressing the way he wanted to. It seems to me that rather than telling him why he shouldn't dress the way he wanted to, she should have taught him the reason she didn't think it wise.

A good teacher does just that: teach. She wasn't teaching him that his behavior might be received negatively, she just told him to stop. If there was a problem with him wanting attention then she should have done something.

Either way, that's all irrelevant now, the child is dead. If she doesn't think a child can know he's gay in 7th grade, she hasn't met me. OUT and Proud since 7th grade, gay since birth.