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Flashback: Last Brownstone Standing
Though a guilty verdict was handed by jurors on Saturday, a second juror is speaking out about not wanting to find a Long Island man guilty of manslaughter. Donna Marshak told the Post, "I haven't felt right since the trial ended. I definitely have some regrets about not sticking to it."
John White was convicted of manslaughter, as well as criminal possession of a weapon, for fatally shooting 17-year-old Daniel Cicciaro Jr. in 2006. Cicciaro and a group of friends had gotten into a fight with White's son Aaron (over a misunderstanding) and went to White's Long Island home.
His defense lawyers had tried to claim that White, a black man, felt threatened by the "lynch mob" who was also yelling racial epithets and felt compelled to protect his family. The prosecution had argued that White did not need to take a pistol and confront the teens and that he could have locked himself in the house and called the police instead.
The jury had been deadlocked last Friday, December 21, but the judge urged them to push through, especially with the Christmas holiday coming up. The jurors' verdict was delivered the next day, but juror Francois Larche spoke out about being one of two hold outs in the jury who believed there was reasonable doubt for White's actions and did not want to find him guilty. However, Larche said he caved to pressure from other jurors, calling them hostile and rude.
Today, Marshak stepped forward with her insights:
Marshak said she succumbed because Larché had already caved, and she thought she had no chance to resist alone the onslaught of fellow jurors - and would never be able to single-handedly change any of their minds."I couldn't believe that some of the people right away knew he was guilty, after about an hour," she said. "Most of the people were respectful, but some just seemed like they just didn't want to listen. It was very difficult."
She also mentioned that she couldn't look at White when the verdict was read and afterwards, when driving home, she had to pull over because she was crying.
White's lawyers say they are appealing the verdict, using Larche's (and probably Marshak's) statements as evidence that Suffolk County Court Judge Barbara Kahn rushed the jurors' to a verdict. Experts tell Newsday that proving such a thing would be difficult, but was legitimate grounds for appeal: Defense lawyer Robert Gottlieb said, "What makes this unique is the timing of the judge's instructions and the threat to keep them deliberating on the eve of a holiday and perhaps even on the holiday itself. But the defense has a very difficult road ahead."
Larche, one of ten white jurors (the others were Hispanic and black; Marshak is white) had damning words for some of his other jurors. Telling the Times about jurors knitting, he said, "How can the people of New York think jurors can deliberate fairly while knitting?” and then said, "I wish that the people of the State of New York gave this man another trial in another county. I don’t think Suffolk County will ever be fair to Mr. White.”
The Reverend Al Sharpton will be leading a protest outside the Suffolk County courthouse on January 5. He said, "Suffolk County has not done anything about the white mob that went to [John White's home]...How do you tell someone not to defend their own home? I don't think he should have been charged with manslaughter."
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There are so many problems with this trial, esp with the Judge rushing the jurors to reach a decision "beause of the holidays". Judge says, "C'mon guys, let's get this guy in the slammer, I've got presents to wrap and the stripper over at the Hustler Club promised me a free rub down if I get there before the evening rush"
First, they announce that one of the teenage thugs who partook, but was not tried of anything, for the mob scene that night, was killed by a drunken driver this past weekend (gee, that's not gonna influence the jury's mind). And then after the guilty verdict is announced the father of the deceased declares "We're going to Disneyland"? Yes, let's all celebrate your son's lethal idiocy by frolicking with children at an amusement park.
Teenage angst, ignorance, and mayhem will lead to the exact sentence Daniel Cicciaro got. I have just one thing about the death of Daniel Cicciaro: Good Riddance!
To Al Sharpton, how about you not further stain White's problems with your crusades that go nowhere and instead go about your day as planned: pinching the behinds of chubby church goers and ordering 3 helpings of flapjacks and pig grease at the local waffle house.
Amen about Al "everything I touch turns to crap" Sharpton. John White got an outrageously raw deal. And there's no need for quotes around the term "lynch mob". They WERE an actual lynch mob of drunken whites who were trying to kill that man's son. John White should be exonerated. Period.
These jurors who had "regrets" and who were "pressured" about the verdict are supreme assholes on so many different levels. First and foremost: YOU ALLOWED YOURSELF TO BE BROWBEATEN INTO SENDING A MAN TO PRISON!!!!
If you had reasonable doubts, how could you be talked into sending a man to prison? Holy shit! What dweeby douchebags.
Manslaughter doesn't seem like the worst he could have gotten. But then again, if you feel like your life is being threatened you should shoot and ask questions later. Isn't that what happened to Bernie Goetz? And he only got like two months or something.
Raw deal for John White.
Where is the NRA? Where are the republicans who talk of the need to defend your home and family? If you truly believe those values why not issue statements, rush to this man's defense?
What about the kid who admitted the initial threat was a hoax? What will happen to him?
Its a horrible situation all around. No one should lose a child. But no one should go to another's house to take care of business. Who wants Vigilantes running around in a civilized society?
Somebody needs to sit those boys from the mob down to watch "birth of a nation" so they can get some perspective on just how close their actions were to a Klan group rushing to preserve the honor of a damsel whose honor is threatened by a black male.
that's what I wondered, where's the pro 2A groups.
I didn't get ONE e-mail alert or one story about mr. white from any RKBA group. NRA or the GOA.
The manslaughter verdict was fair. Mr. White behaved recklessly. That his defense played the race card at trial does not make the group of teenagers a "lynch mob" any more than it makes Al Sharpton a "civil rights activist."
God Bless You Mr. Larche and Ms. Marshak.
Hopefully now mr. white will get a fair trial.
Aww, what a shame - the kid got shot in the face. Maybe these guidos will now think twice before acting like tough guys...
"Polite New Yorker"
Is your last name Lindsey?
This man did not got a raw deal. He got off too easy. 2-4 years for murder is peanuts. Regardless of who or what was at his house he should have locked the door and called the police. He instead took an ILLEGAL gun and MURDERED a 17 yr old. I'm not saying the 17 yr old was smart or innocent but murder is murder. Mr. White still has a son another family does not. And I am so sick of Al Sharpton he is the most racist b*stard on the face of the earth. His hatred disgusts me.