The Tragic Case of Larry and Brandon

1005 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Differences and similarities between juvenile and adult criminal systems

The Tragic Case of Larry and Brandon
The tragic case of Larry and Brandon is a compelling story. It is a reality that stunned the city of Oxnard California when a 14-year-old boy named Brandon McInerney fatally shot a fellow classmate, Larry King, twice in the back of the head. The incident occurred in a computer lab where Brandon ran off after committing the crime. As a result of his actions Brandon McInerney was tried as an adult and was sentenced to 21 years in prison with no chance of parole. He will be released at the age of 39. Now the underlying question is was Brandon’s sentence a just resolution or should he have received more or less years in prison. The truth is that I believe Brandon’s verdict was a fair and just punishment, however I don’t believe that he should have been tried as an adult. There’s no question about it what Brandon did was horrible. He killed a kid in cold blood and ran off after doing it. He knows what he did and now he has to suffer the consequences. But Brandon was only 14 years old when this had taken place.
To start off Brandon was in many ways provoked by Larry. Attorneys for Brandon McInerney argue that their client, who was 14 when he gunned down Larry King in an Oxnard junior high school computer lab, was so humiliated by King's flirtation that it provoked him to kill his classmate. Larry approached Brandon numerous times upsetting him in different ways. There are even rumors about King blowing kisses at McInerney and asking him to be his valentine. On the day before the shooting King loudly said “Love you, baby!” to McInerney as they passed in a corridor. King’s sexual advances fueled his anger towards Larry. Brandon saw that Larry was allowed to come to school wearing girls clothing and m...

... middle of paper ...

...en tried as an adult simply because he wasn’t. They even went as far as to signing a petition asking to try Brandon in a Juvenile. Court. The Jury eventually United in saying that trying Brandon as an adult is a mistake. They wore bracelets that advocated to Brandon.
In ending there is no happing ending. There is no bright side or silver lining to this story. Larry was killed and the person who shot him now has to throw away his life by spending more than two decades in prison. And the thing is that Larry will never come back, no matter how many years Brandon is put in jail for. Like I said before what Brandon did was wrong and receiving a slap on the wrist isn’t a sufficient punishment. He has to suffer the consequences of his actions. The only that can come out of this is a lesson. What we can only do now is hope that something like this will never happen again.

Show More
Related

  • No Matter How Loud I Shout Summary

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within the last five years, violent offenses by children have increased 68 percent, crimes such as: murder, rape, assault, and robbery. Honestly, with these figures, it is not surprising at all that the Juveniles Courts focus less on the children in danger, and focus more on dangerous children. This in fact is most likely the underlying reasoning behind juveniles being tried as adults by imposing harsher and stiffer sentences. However, these policies fail to recognize the developmental differences between young people and

    Read More

  • The Murder Of Derrick Wallace

    281 Words  | 1 Pages

    Derrick is sent to one thousand days on Rikers Island for the time being of awaiting trail which eventually never happen. While incarcerated, he faces

    Read More

  • The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his article, “The Nightmare of the West Memphis Three”, Rich explores how the people of Memphis drew horrific conclusions about people based on the lifestyle they chose to practice. The article highlights the trials and tribulations faced by the accused three young teenagers. Rich does this by citing the popular documentary series “Paradise Lost” which is an in depth analysis into the lives of the accused, the victims’ families and members of the community. This paper outlines how the belief system of that time superseded the inconclusive evidence, which ultimately led to an unfair trial. By “othering” and “marginalizing” those three teens, the society and police created a scenario that aligned with their belief system at the time. Lastly, this paper highlights the influence of the media and celebrity in changing the course for these boys.

    Read More

  • On Punishment And Teen Killers By Jenkins

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article On Punishment and Teen Killers by Jenkins, sadly brings to our attention that kids are sometimes responsible for unimaginable crimes, in 1990 in a suburban Chicago neighborhood a teenager murdered a women, her husband, and her unborn child, as she begged for the life of her unborn child he shot her and later reported to a close friend that it was a “thrill kill”, that he just simply wanted to see what it felt like to shoot someone. A major recent issue being debated is whether or not we have the right to sentence Juveniles who commit heinous crimes to life in adult penitentiaries without parole. I strongly believe and agree with the law that states adolescents who commit these heinous crimes should be tried as adults and sentenced as adults, however I don’t believe they should be sentenced to life without parole. I chose this position because I believe that these young adults in no way should be excused for their actions and need to face the severe consequences of their actions. Although on the other hand I believe change is possible and that prison could be rehabilitating and that parole should be offered.

    Read More

  • The Empty House Of Lena Bruner

    927 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...who reflects on his or her own teenage years: Young teens lack the maturity, independence, and future orientation that adults have acquired” (Stevenson, 2014, p. 268). Bryan tries to explain this to the court as a way to prove that trying children as adults is unethical.

    Read More

  • Harsher Crime Research Paper

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    If a family member was murdered, a family member was murdered, age should not dictate if the punishment for homicide will be more lenient or not. If anyone not just juveniles has the capabilities to take someone's life and does so knowing the repercussions, they should be convicted as an adult. In the case of Jennifer Bishop Jenkins who lost her sister, the husband and their unborn child, is a strong advocate of juveniles being sentenced to life without parole. In her article “Jennifer Bishop Jenkins On Punishment and Teen Killers” she shows the world the other side of the spectrum, how it is to be the victim of a juvenile in a changing society where people are fighting against life sentences for juveniles. As she states in the article “There are no words adequate to describe what this kind of traumatic loss does to a victims family. So few who work on the juvenile offender side can truly understand what the victims of their crimes sometimes go through. Some never

    Read More

  • Transgender Issues in Patriarchy, a Look at "Boys Don't Cry"

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    This just manifests how horribly we allow women to be treated in this male-dominated world. These women would kill to be treated as a man, just for a day. John puts down Lana and her girlfriends just as her did, her mother. It is a sickening commentary on the maltreatment of females. Brandon just does something about it. All of the girls in the story want respect, it is only Brandon who has figured out a way to get it: by becoming one of the respected, a man. He was on his way to the surgical sex change procedure, which would make his transformation complete, until he was interrupted by another injustice in our patriarchy, the fear and hatred of what is different. Brandon is brutally raped and ultimately shot by his assailants for reporting it.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Growing Up In Prison By Elizabeth Calvin

    1425 Words  | 3 Pages

    The article titled “Growing up in Prison” by Elizabeth Calvin was published in the Los Angeles Times on January 13 2014. It discusses the case of Eden Gonzalez who was sentenced to life imprisonment at the age of sixteen. Gonzales sentence was punitive owing to the lack of parole for the entire sentence. This is because the inmate tried to steal a car in the company of two adults, but a murder occurred in the course of the crime. It is notable that Gonzales was sentenced to a life imprisonment despite the fact that he did not kill. In an online article by Ashley Hayes, the author discusses the case of Ethan Couch who was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.24. The judge ruled for Couch to serve ten-year probation despite the fact that Couch killed. This paper argues that even though the law promotes a fair society, a person’s economic status can influence their jail sentence. Is also opposes life imprisonment without parole for children.

    Read More

  • Making A Murderer Essay

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    The sentencing of underage criminals has remained a logistical and moral issue in the world for a very long time. The issue is brought to our perspective in the documentary Making a Murderer and the audio podcast Serial. When trying to overcome this issue, we ask ourselves, “When should juveniles receive life sentences?” or “Should young inmates be housed with adults?” or “Was the Supreme Court right to make it illegal to sentence a minor to death?”. There are multiple answers to these questions, and it’s necessary to either take a moral or logical approach to the problem.

    Read More

  • Should the Death Penalty Apply to Juvenile Criminals?

    2773 Words  | 6 Pages

    Day after day in this country there is a debate going on about the death penalty and whether we as people have the right to decide the fate of another persons life. When we examine this issue we usually consider those we are arguing about to be older men and women who are more than likely hardened criminals with rap sheets longer than the height we stand (Farley & Willwerth, 1998). They have made a career of crime, committing it rather than studying it, and somewhere along the line a jury of their peers decided enough was enough. They were handed down the most severe and most final punishment of them all, death. Behind all of the controversy that this issue raises lies a different group of people that are not so often brought into the lime light, juveniles.

    Read More

  • A Time to Kill

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    Although the death penalty alone cannot bring back the life of those who have been murdered, it can serve as ultimate justice for the victims and their families. The deterrence of the death penalty can save lives. While opinions abound on both sides of the fence, in the use of the death penalty on juveniles, no one can argue with the fact that the voices of those murdered cannot be heard. Juveniles may not have fully developed brains, as Raeburn argues, but this is not an adequate excuse to dismiss the death penalty. American society cannot afford to babysit murderers, nor can they rehabilitate them. The end of the innocence begins when an innocent life is taken, and the sanctity of life is held defenseless.

    Read More

  • Life Without Parole for Juveniles

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Supreme Court ruling Graham v. Florida (2010) banned the use of life without parole for juveniles who committed non-homicide crimes, and Roper v. Simmons (2005) abolished the use of the death penalty for juvenile offenders. They both argued that these sentences violated the 8th Amendment, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. While these landmark cases made great strides for the rights of minors passing through the criminal justice system, they are just the first steps in creating a juvenile justice system that takes into consideration the vast differences between adolescents and adults. Using sociological (Butler, 2010) and legal (Harvard Law Review, 2010) documents, this essay will explicate why the next such step to be taken is entirely eliminating the use of the life without parole sentence for juveniles, regardless of the nature of the crime being charged.

    Read More

  • Should Juvenile Offenders Be Sentenced to Life Without the Possibility of Parole

    1134 Words  | 3 Pages

    Steinberg, L., & Scott, E., (2010). Should Juvenile Offenders Ever be sentenced to Life without the Possibility of Parole? Human Development, 53, p. 53-54. DOI: 10.1159/000288207

    Read More

  • Juveniles Tried as Adults

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has always been controversies as to whether juvenile criminals should be tried as adults or not. Over the years more and more teenagers have been involved in committing crimes. In some cases the juries have been too rough on the teens. Trying teens as adults can have a both positive and negative views. For example, teens that are detained can provide information about other crimes, can have an impact in social conditions, and serve as experience; however, it can be negative because teens are still not mature enough for that experience, they are exposed to adult criminals; and they will lose out on getting an education.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Juvenile Justice System

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this particular case, though, no harsh disciplinary action was accounted for these young offenders. Thus,creating questions whether The Juvenile Justice System Is Too Lenient on Violent Offenders as Linda J. Collier, lawyer and teacher who teaches courses on juvenile delinquency at Cabrini College in Radnor, Pennsylvania, states on the Washington Post, March 19,1998. States that due to errant juveniles age they don’t receive the appropriate consequences towards them. One of her solutions for instance is, “ Lowering the age at which juveniles can be prosecuted as adults is a step in the right direction, but the practice should be automatic and nationwide.” Collier also states how our juvenile justice system is too antiquated and should be changed due to the major increase of sixty percent of crimes committed by juveniles since

    Read More

More about The Tragic Case of Larry and Brandon

Open Document