Brain maturation may be defense in teen's murder trial

by Tom Kisken
Ventura County Star

The studies show brain maturation continues many years longer than scientists once thought. Researchers think an overabundance of gray matter and still-strengthening connections between different parts of the brain may influence how teens behave, though the exact link isn't understood.

A tug-of-war over whether the science belongs in the courtroom seems likely to emerge in the nationally publicized case of Brandon McInerney. The 14-year-old from Oxnard is set to be tried as an adult in the classroom killing of Larry King, a 15-year-old who sometimes wore lipstick and told friends he was gay.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Maeve Fox said the decision to try McInerney as an adult could be reviewed if compelling evidence is presented. She said she doesn't know much about brain maturation research, comparing it to the lawyers who years ago brought brain images from scans known as positron emission tomography or PET. All she saw were charts with pretty colors.

"A lot of trendy medical procedures have come and gone as far as potential defenses to crime without ever having validated themselves," she said.

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