Lawrence "Larry" King was a short and slight eighth grader who felt more comfortable hanging out with girls than with boys. Born to a crack-addicted mother, Larry was adopted. In the eighth grade, he was removed from his adoptive home and put into foster care.

Larry was described almost universally as "effeminate." While in eighth grade at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard, Calif., he began wearing make-up and women's clothing.

Larry was often teased about his appearance at school but that didn't stop him from flaunting his sexuality. English teacher Dawn Boldrin, who saw Larry was having a hard time, gave him a gift: a green prom dress. Larry loved it. "He was smiling non-stop," said his friend, Averi Laskey.

Brandon McInerney was in the same English class as Larry. Tall, athletic and popular, Brandon seemed to have nothing in common with Larry. But Brandon's background was a troubled one – he was born to a meth-addicted mother, who sent him to live with his father. His father, family members said, beat Brandon.

Lawyers for Brandon said school had been his refuge. That changed when they say he started facing sexual harassment from Larry. Averi said Larry humiliated Brandon by asking Brandon to be his Valentine. On Feb. 12, 2008, Brandon shot Larry in their classroom. Larry died two days later. Brandon was charged as an adult with first degree murder and a hate crime. He went on trial this past summer.

Dawn Boldrin, who has since left her job at E.O. Green Junior High School and now works for a coffee chain, was a witness for the prosecution. But Boldrin said she supports Brandon. She said Brandon should have been charged as a juvenile, not an adult. "This kid was literally in the middle of a storm," she said.

Days after his murder, nearly 1,000 people marched to honor Larry King's memory.