Roca/NewsJohn White and his wife Sonia as they leave the courthouse after his guilty verdict was handed down.
Roca/NewsMembers of the Cicciaro family celebrate the verdict.
Posted on 12/22/2007 10:38:31 PM PST by Stoat
Saturday, December 22nd 2007, 10:25 PM
Roca/NewsJohn White and his wife Sonia as they leave the courthouse after his guilty verdict was handed down.
Roca/NewsMembers of the Cicciaro family celebrate the verdict.
The black Long Island father charged with shooting a white teen was convicted of manslaughter Saturday night by a jury that rejected his claim he was defending his family from a "lynch mob."
John White, 54, was found guilty of gunning down 17-year-old Daniel Cicciaro last year in the racially charged case.
"We're going to Disney. Wooo!" the victim's father, Daniel Cicciaro Sr., crowed, as he left the Arthur M. Cromarty Court complex in Riverhead, L.I., Saturday night.
"My son is finally vindicated," the teen's mother, Joanne Cicciaro, said. "The truth prevailed.
"It was never about race. It was about individuals and individuals' actions."
Cicciaro's relatives started honking their horns in the parking lot.
White, who also was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon, had maintained that the shooting was accidental. He was permitted to remain free on bail until sentencing, when he is to face a prison term of 5 to 15 years.
He had no comment last night.
The ruling came on the fourth day of tense jury deliberations that followed a trial in which defense attorneys referenced the Ku Klux Klan in arguing the shooting was justified. Jurors reported they were deadlocked on Friday.
Reaction in the courtroom was muted after Judge Barbara Kahn had warned the spectators against "public displays of approval or disapproval when the verdict is read."
White testified during the trial that he was trying to protect his family when he brandished a gun last year after a group of angry white teenagers showed up at his doorstep late at night to confront his then-19-year-old son, Aaron.
John White had been sleeping inside his home in Miller Place, a predominantly white community in eastern Long Island, on Aug. 9, 2006, when Aaron woke him to say that a group of angry teens was headed to their house bent on beating him up.
Minutes earlier, Aaron White had gotten into a fight with the boys after being asked to leave a house party.
The elder White first grabbed a shotgun, but then opted instead for a pistol he kept in his garage.
He and his son, who had picked up the shotgun, walked to the end of the driveway to confront the angry gang, who hurled racial epithets.
John White said his gun went off accidentally after Cicciaro lunged for it.
"He wanted to stop these people who said they were coming to kill his son," defense attorney Fred Brewington said in closing arguments.
Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney James Chalifoux said White should have simply locked the door and called police - and not gone outside to confront the teenagers with a gun.
He also sought to downplay the racial element, telling jurors the Brooklyn-raised White never said anything about a lynch mob until the case went to trial.
The defendant's wife, Sonia White, said only, "We are blessed by the Lord."
Thanks for the ping!
Mr White went outside and escalated what might have been just some hollering till the cops got there.
But....I’m ambivalent....I can’t say I might not have challenged them too but the risk in that is now obvious.
I’ve pulled guns on folks in the US and it’s helped me....if his kid were outside getting a serious ass whooping from a mob I’d be more supportive.
but like Yam said....the dead kid is the real loser
I say no more than a fiver for the dad...unless the jury believes he fired all on his own with no prior physical contact....then he deserves more.....that would be cold blooded killin.....borne of fear and anger no doubt
has anyone noticed this is one of those very very rare what could be construed possibly as white on black racist incidents gone awry?
if so why is the media not all over this?
that could be instructional as to where the truth lies....as in dad might have simply effed up
LOL! White was a well behaved decent citizen that defended his kid, his home and his family. ...with a gun. The media only goes into action when it's a poor deprived drug using criminal ganster that gets into trouble with a gun, so they can blame the NRA, Bush and the cops.
Nevertheless, the punks were out to do bodily harm to the kid. They just tossed in the racial slurs, because they were intent on doing as much harm as possible.
The narrative in this part of the country is that "guns are bad and we must restrict them to keep dangerous minorities from harming us." The only time you will see the media go after a person of color is if they use a gun. Chuck Schumer has been notorious in playing up this idea in order to get the support of the great (white) unwashed. The hypocrisy of Noo Yawk libs on racial issues would be hysterical if it didn't (censored) everything up.
The gun was already slapped away. White brought it back quickly, to prevent being jumped, and probably used a firmer grip and preloaded the trigger too much. That's not recklessness as the 2nd degree manslaughter law requires. It would only be recklessness, if White had any skills, which he obviously didn't. Before white went outside he told his wife to call 911, so White figured the cops were on their way. The wife never called, probably because she was stuck watching the show and figured it would go away w/o trouble.
—”.... no one in the White family called the police before or after the shooting.”—
One article claimed the mother had called “police” during the 20 minute barrage of calls prior to the 5 teens arrival.
and why was that?
My point was that if a mob(6) of crackers were in his driveway wanting to beat up his kid and shouting the N-word then why hasn't the media played on that?
They love that sort of thing. I don't think their dislike for guns trumps their lust for that elusive white on black racism.
I knew nothing of this crime before this thread...like I said...I'm ambivalent.
Did Mr White call the police before he went outside with his shotgun(?)
Was his son insdie?
Folks are hollering in your front yard is not grounds to go out and shoot them in many states...maybe Texas.
But...I'm not sure I wouldn't....confrontation is my nature too
He also sought to downplay the racial element, telling jurors the Brooklyn-raised White never said anything about a lynch mob until the case went to trial
reasonable post wtc.........i’m ambivalent....feel sorry for them all
the kid who sent the e-mail has blood on his/her hands bigtime
These coogines talk tough, but are usually easily scared if you show some balls.
Knowing the dynamics of Long Island, and the makeup of the jury, the outcome does not surprise me.
As for me, once they are on your property and refuse to leave, you should have the right to use force following a warning (but should, nevertheless, be liable for the effects of any stray bullets). Then again, I am something of an extremist on such things. :-)
I caught that too. It was also DUMB for the lawyer to do that, as the jury was probably dominated by guys named Rizzo or Donelly, rather than Jackson. This is Suffolk County after all.
—”.... His defense team led him down a losing path, the Race Card path,...”—
Yes they did. White made no mention of lynch mobs or KKK until trial. Which he arrived to with a Nation of Islam troop. They may have provided counsel as well.
The prosecutor lied. A grand jury had already gave White a no bill for murder. White followed his atty's advice to keep quite and that's all that can be said. Recklessness was never proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The jury was simply confused and in a hurry to go home for christmas.
I don’t think it’s fitting to shoot unarmed folks in your front yard just because they are hollering racial slurs at you....except maybe in Texas.
I own a chain of car washes and a self storage joint....I get plenty from folks like that on my property including racial epithets for me being white and how much they were gonna kick my old man ass....if I shot them all I would need a little cemetary and some good lawyering.
I think this man’s pride got him and I understand that.....but the law doesn’t care.
The race crap should be irrelevant btw....but it’s the attention getter even though he prosecutor says he never said that till he went to trial which seems pretty unusual unless the prosecutor is lying.
lol....speaking of which...bet nobody wanted this one...
—”.... Going outside with a drawn gun......”—
His son said he did not see anything in his fathers hand. White may have wanted a hidden weapon. It would explain why he put the shotgun back in the closet and took the handgun.
How did the prosecutor get the charge if the grand jury passed?
yes....I know prosecutors lie (nifong)
and are sneaky (personal experience)
The 2nd degree manslaughter requires negligence. NY law didn't allow him to exit the house with the gun, because the punks were only threatening severe harm. The threat they posed to to his kid was rather clear, and so are the possibilities of what they would have donethen, or later. The threats in this case were real, and not idle BS. White didn't really think this was a lynch mob. The old stories just popped up to enforce the anger that night and probably triggered the, "I'm not going to put up with this shit" response. After all the threats were real, and he didn't know who he was dealing with, why, or if it would not end with his kid beaten to death somewhere, some other day, or if his house would be burnt down.
I don't think White thought much about being attacked otherwise for a long time. Being woke up in the middle of the night by a mob outside demanding to have access to your kid, so they can beat him, as they see fit too can generate some strong reactions.
What complete tripe. Why don’t you throw in there that we FReepers who don’t agree with Mr. White’s action plan are a lynch mob, Al jr.?
Real good. Pretty hard to defend your family if you are a casualty or sitting in the slammer. But you go right on ahead, hero.
I’ll make a pact with you. You don’t imply that FReepers, who think it’s stupid to leave their cover and concealment to engage a mob, are cowards and I’ll keep my “ignoramus” comments to myself.
In Texas, this case wouldn’t have seen a courtroom. IMHO, this was regrettable but justifiable homicide.
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