Current:Home > FinanceBrother of Scott Johnson, gay American attacked on Sydney cliff in 1988, says killer deserves no leniency -GlobalInvest
Brother of Scott Johnson, gay American attacked on Sydney cliff in 1988, says killer deserves no leniency
View
Date:2025-04-16 21:26:44
A man who admitted killing American mathematician Scott Johnson by punching him from a cliff top at a gay meeting place in Sydney in 1988 deserves no leniency and should face the longest time in jail, the victim's brother said Tuesday.
Scott Phillip White, 52, appeared in the New South Wales state Supreme Court for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to manslaughter. White had pleaded guilty to murder last year, but changed his mind and had that conviction overturned on appeal.
Johnson's Boston-based older brother Steve Johnson said White had lost the family's sympathy by withdrawing his confession to murder.
He and his wife Rosemary "felt some compassion because of his generous plea. Today I have no sympathy," Steve Johnson said in a victim impact statement read out to the court.
Any gratitude the family felt was undone after White's conviction and jail sentence were overturned on appeal, he told reporters after the hearing.
"So I am hoping the judge will give him the stiffest sentence he possibly can," Steve Johnson said.
Manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of 25 years.
White's decision to flee the scene without calling the police had prolonged the family's grief and loss for decades, Johnson said.
"He didn't check on Scott. He didn't call for help. He notified no one. He simply let Scott die," Johnson said.
In her own statement, Rosemary Johnson spoke of her sweet, kind and gentle brother-in-law.
"You are loved, you are missed, your life mattered, and you have not been forgotten," she said.
In the heat of an argument on Dec. 10, 1988, White said he threw a punch at Scott Johnson, 27, causing him to stagger backward and fall to his death over a cliff at North Head that was known at the time to be a meeting place for gay men.
Los Angeles-born Scott Johnson's death was initially called a suicide, but his family pressed for further investigation. Almost three decades passed before New South Wales state police began investigating his death as a suspected gay hate crime.
Prosecutor Brett Hatfield conceded the judge overseeing the new sentence may find there was not enough evidence to show White was motivated to attack Johnson because of Johnson's sexuality. However, Hatfield still sought a higher jail sentence, saying it was an unprovoked attack on a vulnerable individual who was naked in a remote location.
"It's a serious example of manslaughter entailing a significant degree of criminality," Hatfield said.
White's lawyer Tim Game urged for leniency because of his client's cognitive difficulties at the time of the crime as well as his dysfunctional background.
"He had just become an adult and his life was chaotic and a terrible mess," Game said.
White will be sentenced Thursday. He had been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for murder before that conviction was overturned.
Steve Johnson told CBS Boston last year that the family was filled with gratitude for investigators who worked so hard to bring justice for his brother.
"They're miracle workers. They had almost no evidence to work with and they figured out how to solve it," Johnson told the station.
Johnson told CBS Boston that he still talks to his brother while he runs the streets of Cambridge — just as the two did so many years ago.
"Scott was easily the kindest, gentlest person I've ever known. At the same time being the most brilliant and the most modest," he told the station.
- In:
- Australia
- Murder
- LGBTQ+
veryGood! (2244)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- AP Top 25: Colorado falls out of rankings after first loss and Ohio State moves up to No. 4
- A Black student was suspended for his hairstyle. Now, his family is suing Texas officials.
- A fire in a commercial building south of Benin’s capital killed at least 35 people
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- WEOWNCOIN︱Driving Financial Revolution
- Suspect arrested after shooting at the Oklahoma State Fair injures 1, police say
- Libya’s top prosecutor says 8 officials jailed as part of investigation into dams’ deadly collapse
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- WEOWNCOIN︱Exploring the Rise of Digital Gold in Cryptocurrency Assets
Ranking
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- 'Goodness wins out': The Miss Gay America pageant's 50-year journey to an Arkansas theater
- AI Intelligent One-Click Trading: Innovative Experience on WEOWNCOIN Exchange
- Louisiana man who fled attempted murder trial captured after 32 years on the run
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Spain's Carlota Ciganda delivers dream finish as Europe retains Solheim Cup
- Autumn is here! Books to help you transition from summer to fall
- Judge asked to decide if Trump property valuations were fraud or genius
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Hollywood’s writers strike is on the verge of ending. What happens next?
US border agency chief meets with authorities in Mexico over migrant surge
The Sweet Reason Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves Don't Want Their Kids to Tell Them Everything
NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
Week 4 college football winners and losers: Colorado humbled, Florida State breaks through
Deion Sanders' message after Colorado's blowout loss at Oregon: 'You better get me right now'
Kidnapped teen rescued from Southern California motel room after 4 days of being held hostage