Gay groups around the country are preparing for the second anniversary of slain gay teen Lawrence King.

King died two years ago in a hospital on Valentine's Day after he was shot in the head by a classmate during his 8th grade class in Oxnard, California on February 12.

The 15-year-old told friends and family he was gay and often wore makeup. The entire persona might have been a way for the troubled teen to get attention, but his killer, Brandon McInerney, 14, took it seriously.

A 2008 Newsweek cover story left the impression that King's murder was very much premeditated. Facts presented during McInerney's pretrial – and the subsequent suicide of his father – revealed a troubled home life for the teen.

McInerney, a latchkey kid, lived with his father who divorced his wife in 2000. The McInerney's marriage was marred with allegations of spousal abuse and drug addiction. Details of a connection to neo-Nazi propaganda emerged during McInerney's pretrial. Investigators found a training video among the boy's possessions titled Shooting in Realistic Environments and various neo-Nazi books, according to briefs submitted by the prosecution.

Newsweek's retelling shed new details surrounding the days leading up to the killing.

One of King's girlfriends is quoted saying that McInerney had told her to say goodbye to King, because she would never see him again. At 8:30AM, during Mrs. Boldrin's English class, McInerney quietly stood up and shot King in the head. “Brandon, what the hell are you doing!” Boldrin screamed. McInerney fired a second shot at King, tossed the gun and walked off the campus. Police arrested him a few blocks from school.

King often used his supposed homosexuality (he had never even been kissed) to taunt boys. He would say in the hallways, “You look hot!” or “I know you want me.”

A couple of days before Valentine's Day, a group of King's girlfriends agreed to a game. They were each to ask the boy they liked to be their Valentine. King choose McInerney – whom it seems he genuinely liked. He interrupted McInerney as he played basketball and asked him to be his Valentine in front of his teammates, who naturally teased him about it.

A day after being shot, King died after being pronounced brain-dead. Mourners erected a makeshift memorial out of candles and teddy bears outside King's school, E.O. Green Junior High School.

A coalition of gay groups – led by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GSLEN) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) – from across the country have joined together to remember King on Friday.

“King's tragic story highlights the need for strong laws, policies and programs to keep our young people safe,” GLAAD said in a statement. “His death is not an isolated incident and it underscores a broader problem of bullying and harassment in our schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression.”

Candlelight vigils in memory of the slain teen are being organized throughout the country, including California, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas and Virginia.