Brandon McInerney’s Psychologist Testifies He Told Her He Was Angry At Lawrence King; Also Admitted He Was Homophobic

When Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox cross-examined Brandon McInerney's psychologist Monday morning, she used McInerney's own words against him, according to the Ventura County Star. McInerney told psychologist Douglas Hoagland he was homophobic and so angry after Larry King said something like, "What's up baby," to him that he was filled with such anger and rage that all he could think about was harming King. McInerney said he thought it about it all night long on February 11, 2008, then wrapped the Saturday night special gun in a towel and shot King in the back of the head. Fox basically read from Hoagland's report as he agreed it was what McInerney had told him during 17 hours of interviews and testing. McInerney, now 17, was 14 when he fatally shot King, 15, in an Oxnard classroom. McInerney is charged with murder and a hate crime. King had been telling friends he was gay and wearing girl's attire to school. But Fox questioned how the "Hey baby,' statement pushed McInerney over the edge when another witness had said she saw McInerney say he was going to shoot King shortly before that. McInerney said he had called King a derogatory name for gays a few times before the shooting. Hoagland also agreed that McInerney and King did not have any interactions until the day before the shooting. McInerney also said that he did not think King was sexually harassing him, but then said he may have been when Hoagland pressed him on it. Fox also questioned Hoagland's diagnosis that McInerney was in a dissociative state when he shot King. He had previously testified that the many instances where King provoked McInerney sent McInerney into such a fit of rage that he went into a state where he was not completely aware of his actions. He had said it started with the "Hey baby," comment and lasted until shortly after the shooting. But Fox questioned the legitimacy of that argument when Hoagland testified today that he thought McInerney entered the deepest parts of his dissociative state in the moments before the shooting. Fox argued that McInerney was completely lucid the day and morning before the shooting when he decided to bring the gun to school. But Hoagland said it was still possible to be a dissociative state and perform normal activities.