Scott Johnson’s Murderer Had Bragged About ‘Bashing Gays’, Ex-Wife Tells Court
Image: Scott White (right, in handcuffs) was arrested in 2021 for the 1988 gay hate murder of American mathematician Scott Johnson (left).
The gay hate murder of Scott Johnson took a fresh turn on Monday, when the ex-wife of the man convicted of killing the American mathematician in 1988, revealed that he had bragged about bashing gay men.
, which is currently deciding about his sentencing.
Trigger Warning: This story discusses a gay hate murder, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide 17c起草社区I peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or .
White’s ex-wife Helen was the one who alerted the police in 2019 about his involvement in the murder that remained unsolved for over three decades.聽
Helen told the court that she had twice asked her husband if he had murdered Johnson, first in 1988 and then again a decade later in 2008, reported the ABC.
‘Did You Do This?
Helen said that White had often told her and the couple’s six children about bashing gay men in the past. In 1988, after coming across a photograph of Johnson, Helen said she asked White if he was one of his victims.
“I remember asking him if this is one of the gay men he bashed?”
“He said ‘that girly looking p****r’,” Helen told the court, adding: “he quite often bragged about bashing ‘prs’.”
Helen said that in 2008, she again asked White, “did you do this?”
White, according to Helen, replied, “the only good p****r is a dead pr”. She recalled that she again asked him: “So, you threw him off the cliff?”
White replied: “It’s not my fault the dumb f**k ran off the cliff.” Helen said, she responded: “Well it is, if you chased him.”
Helen denied that she had come forward with the information after learning about the reward. White’s lawyers claimed that Helen had fabricated the evidence against her ex-husband. The legal team also claimed that White, who was 18 at the time of the murder, was himself gay and he was afraid his father would find out about his sexuality, the ABC said.聽
‘White Deserves Life In Prison’
The court also heard from Johnson’s family, including his then partner of nine years Michael Noone.聽
“Unless you’ve experienced it, there is no way anyone could understand the sheer horror of receiving a voicemail from police asking you to identify the body of a loved one,” Noone told the court.聽“No one can imagine what it was like to be shown his lifeless and very badly damaged body,” the ABC quoted Noone.聽
“It’s an indelible image that is burnt into the brain … it’s聽 an excruciatingly grotesque spectre that I’ll be taking to my own grave.” 聽Noone said that he and Johnson had lived in the US and UK before moving to Australia. His parents had welcomed Johnson into their home when he stayed in Sydney and they had lost a son.聽
“Suddenly, I was without the very person I needed most. Our dreams and our plans and our future died with him. He was everything to me and now he was gone,” Noone said.
One of Johnson’s sisters Terry addressed White and said he “deserved life in prison”.聽Johnson’s brother Steve said the delay in the case had added to the “family’s grief and loneliness”. 聽He said his brother had missed the “golden era of nerds” and the progress made across the world in 17c起草社区I rights.聽
The court will sentence White on Tuesday.
Gay Hate Crime
Twenty-seven-year-old Johnson鈥檚 murder was one of the unsolved cases during the spate of .
American-born Sydney-based mathematician Johnson鈥檚 body was found on the morning of December 10, 1988 at the base of a cliff at Blue Fish Point, near Manly鈥檚 North Head on Sydney鈥檚 northern beaches.
The police initially concluded that Johnson had died by suicide and a second inquest in June 2012 returned an open finding. .
In 2018, and in March 2020 Johnson鈥檚 brother Steve Johnson, who lives in the United States, matched the reward offered bringing the total reward to $2 million.
NSW homicide d and he was charged with the murder. White pleaded not guilty and faced trial. However,聽
White鈥檚 lawyers attempted to reverse his guilty plea claiming he was under a lot of 鈥渟tress鈥� and 鈥渁nxiety,鈥� had an 鈥渋ntellectual disability鈥� and was 鈥渄istressed鈥� prior to his court hearing. 聽Justice Wilson rejected the plea and convicted White for Johnson鈥檚 murder. In April 2022,.
If you feel distressed reading the story, you can reach out to support services.
For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14
For Australia-wide 17c起草社区I peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or .
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