At a Christmas meal for the needy at the Rev. Al Sharpton's Harlem headquarters, Gov. Paterson further discussed his controversial decision to commute the sentence of John White, the Long Island man who was convicted of killing a teenager in a racially-charged 2006 incident. Paterson was widely criticized for not talking with the parents of victim Daniel Cicciaro Jr. before announcing his decision. When he did finally speak to them after the fact, he said he "heard the pain" in mother Joanne Cicciaro's voice: "At times, I must say, in spite of her anger, in spite of her passion, in spite of her absolute gall at hearing what I had done, she and her husband, Mike, were very, very gracious," Paterson said. more ›

Governor Paterson's decision to commute the prison sentence for a man who killed a teenager in a racially-charged confrontation gets worked over once more as the Post reports that the governor's panel of legal advisers apparently told him not to commute John White. But Paterson responded to the Post's story today by saying, "There’s no official panel. There are people in the office who had different types of opinions, many of whom did not see the entire case, and we had varying opinions on what to do with this situation from giving a pardon to doing absolutely nothing about it." He added, "“First of all it’s not a pardon - do we have that straight? Do you think you can get that on paper that it was not a pardon?” more ›

Yesterday, Gov. Paterson commuted the sentence of John White, the Long Island man who was convicted of killing a teenager in a racially-charged 2006 incident, saying he wanted to "ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event." But maybe he should have spoken to the parents of victim Daniel Cicciaro Jr. before announcing his decision. "In retrospect, I would have sought the family's input," Paterson said today, after speaking with the Cicciaro family for nearly an hour about the situation. more ›

The Long Island man who was convicted of killing a teenager in a racially-charged 2006 incident had his sentence commuted by Gov. Paterson today. John White, 56, had served only seven months of his two-to-four year prison sentence for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Daniel Cicciaro Jr. when Paterson released him from prison. "While the incident and Mr. White's trial engendered much controversy and comment, and varying assessments of justice were perceived, its most common feature was heartbreak. My decision today may be an affront to some and a joy to others, but my objective is only to seek to ameliorate the profound suffering that occurred as a result of this tragic event," Paterson said today. more ›

A Long Island man raged at the sentence given to his son's killer, John White, saying, "Let's see what happens when Aaron White gets shot! Let's see what the laws are then!" Daniel Cicciaro Sr.'s implied threat prompted police to protect White's house in Miller Place. more ›