Sydney Man Sentenced to 12 Years Imprisonment For 1988 Murder Of Gay American
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 LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The case had remained unsolved for over three decades, until White’s ex-wife Helen alerted the police in 2019 about his role in the murder.Helen told the court that her ex-husband had boasted about “bashing gays” to her and the couple’s children.His lawyers had claimed that White himself was gay.
He was 18 at the time of the murder and was afraid of his dad finding out about his sexuality.Johnson’s murder was one of the unsolved cases during the spate of anti-gay and anti-trans hate crimes that took place in Sydney between 1970 and 2010.Johnson had moved to Australia with his partner of nine years Michael Noone.
He was based in Canberra and was living with Noone and his parents at the time of the murder.The police initially concluded that Johnson had died by suicide and a second inquest in June 2012 returned an open finding.
