FATEFUL CLASH: Daniel Cicciaro Jr. (above) was shot dead by John White in August 2006 outside a Miller Place home, where the teen and his friends had arrived to confront White’s son, Aaron. The father’s December 2007 conviction in the racially charged case made the front page of The Post. (Tim Wiencis)
Aaron White (Mary McLoughlin)
Miller Place Home (Mary McLoughlin)
A black Long Island homeowner who fatally shot a white teen he feared was part of a “lynch mob” looking to attack his family walked free yesterday after Gov. Paterson commuted his sentence in a stunning epilogue to the racially charged case.
“I’m definitely glad to be home with my family for Christmas,” John White said after he was sprung from Mount McGregory Housing Facility in upstate Wilton, where he was greeted by his wife, Sonia, and son, Aaron.
“I also want to thank the governor.”
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White, 57, had served five months of a 20-month to four-year term for manslaughter and weapons possession in the death of Daniel Cicciaro Jr. and had more than a year to go until he would be eligible for parole.
In his commutation statement, Paterson said the decision was difficult — but clear.
“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,” he said.
White walked out of the prison, north of Albany, shortly after 8 a.m. and went for a meal with his family and friends before driving home to Miller Place.
“The ride was beautiful,” said Michael Greys of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care.
“All he talked about was his family. He constantly praised God, he sung some spiritual hymns that you hear in church, and he talked about reuniting with his family.”
Greys said an online and paper petition drive seeking full clemency for White had collected “thousands” of names from around the country.
“An innocent man is now back home with his family,” said Noel Leader, a co-founder of the group.
Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota was furious — lashing out at the governor for giving Cicciaro’s family word of his decision only on the day of the release.
“I strongly believe the governor should have had the decency and the compassion to at least contact the victim’s family to allow them to be heard before commuting the defendant’s sentence,” Spota said.
The case had gouged deep rifts in the black and white communities throughout New York.
In August 2006, John White’s then-19-year-old son, Aaron, had been mistakenly accused at a house party of posting online threats against a girl.
The teen left the party, but a carload of white teens soon arrived at White’s home and allegedly began screaming and shouting racial epithets.
When Aaron told his dad he thought the boys were going to kill him, White grabbed a gun and confronted the group.
The father would later testify that the confrontation had been frighteningly similar to stories he had heard of Southern lynch mobs.
White said that his .32-caliber gun accidentally discharged, hitting 17-year-old Daniel at point-blank range. That account was disputed.
After a drawn-out and contentious jury deliberation, White was convicted in 2007 of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 months to four years in prison — a fraction of the maximum of 15 years.
He began his term on July 9 after his appeals were rejected — and would have had his first parole hearing next October.
“I’m not happy about it,” the teen’s father, Daniel Cicciaro, said at his Jefferson Station auto shop, his voice strained and tight.
“I just can’t talk about it right now.”
But another relative who asked not to be named said the family was incensed.
“Of course, he’s angry,” he said. “The guy already had a light sentence, and he can’t even serve that out? It’s just ridiculous.” Cicciaro’s ex-wife, Joanne, told The Post she was “upset” about White’s release but declined to say anything further.
The family settled a wrongful-death civil lawsuit with the Whites last year. The terms were unclear.
Frederick Brewington, one of White’s lawyers, said he had submitted a formal application to Paterson’s office to grant clemency two months ago.
“This is been a long, hard process for Mr. White, and he’s very reflective right now,” the lawyer said. “He still remembers the Cicciaro family in his prayers.”
White ventured out briefly to speak with a throng of reporters gathered at his home.
“If you believe in God, he’ll pull you through,” he said. “You must continue to hold onto God’s unchanging hand.
“It’s difficult for anyone to be in the system,” he said. “It’s a blessed day.”
Additional reporting by Cathy Burke