The Ventura teen who shot a gay classmate he believed was flirting with him has agreed to spend the next 21 years in prison, a plea deal that ends a case that drew national attention and ignited debate on how schools should deal with openly gay students.

Brandon McInerney, who was 14 when he pulled a gun out of his backpack and shot Larry King twice in the head in 2008, has already served nearly four years in jail and would be released by the time he is 38, under terms of the deal.

Two prominent gay rights groups expressed their disappointment and dismay after a California judge declared a mistrial late Thursday in the high-profile case involving the slaying of a gay classmate in Oxnard.

Three years ago Brandon McInerney, then 14, brought a gun to E.O. Green School in Oxnard and fatally shot openly gay or transgender classmate Lawrence "Larry" King in front of horrified students and a teacher.

McInerney’s attorneys employed the “gay panic” defense, an emotional argument that is been widely criticized for blaming the victim for his own murder.