“Gov. Paterson Regrets Not Telling Daniel Cicciaro Jr.’s Family Before Pardoning John Harris White” – New York Daily News

The pardon was well within the purview of a sitting Governor, lame or otherwise, especially for an inmate – a law biding citizen who had never been in trouble with the law – who,  ambushed by fate, erred in a fatal decision and ended up serving a 2-to-4 year term for manslaughter and weapons possession. Nothing wrong here.

But one has to wonder how no one on Patterson’s staff thought of contacting the Cicciaros.

Complete Daily News story – December 24 – here.
Background: New York Times story, August 16, 2006, here.
New York Times story, December 24: Freed From Prison, Long Island Man Takes to Pulpit

CORAM, N.Y. — A Long Island man whose prison sentence in the fatal shooting a 17-year-old in front of his home was commuted by Gov. David A. Paterson said Friday that he was haunted by what he had done.

“I remember that family,” the man, John H. White, said in an interview after delivering an emotional speech at his church in which he described the horrors of prison. “I remember what they’ve lost. I remember their son. I will remember them the rest of their days. And I will ask God to forgive me all the rest of my days.”

Complete December 24 Times story here.

Tags: , ,

Comments are closed.