Font Size

New York Local News

E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Race Hangs Over Cicciaro Shooting Trial On L.I.

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

Recipient E-mail:*
- Your Name:*
- Your E-mail:*
Add a Message:
Send me a copy of this e-mail.

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

Print Share + Comments

Dec 11, 2007 7:07 pm US/Eastern

Race Hangs Over Cicciaro Shooting Trial On L.I.

Son Of Defendant Dons Bulletproof Vest On Witness Stand

Reporting
Jennifer McLogan

RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBS) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: Daniel Cicciaro Jr. was shot and killed back in August 2006 following an altercation with the father of a teen boy he had a dispute with in school.
CBS

Close

numSlides of totalImages

A key witness to a deadly confrontation was back on the stand Tuesday. The young man was defending his father who is accused of killing Daniel Cicciaro Jr. during what was described as a racially charged incident.

Emotions ran high even before both parties made it into the courtroom.

The young man at the center of this racially charged case involving his father shooting a white teen acquaintance was escorted into court by Nation of Islam and 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement.

Under Aaron White's sport jacket was a blue bulletproof vest which he wore on the witness stand.

"Race is the elephant in the room," defense attorney Paul Gianelli said. "It is there but nobody wants to talk about it."

There is no disputing Cicciaro, who'd just graduated from Miller Place High School, was shot dead by Aaron's father, construction foreman John White, the 54-year-old defendant in this case.

However, what instigated the manslaughter charges is at the heart of this case.

Back in August of 2006, young unarmed men came to White's Miller Place home to defend the honor of a teen girl defamed by the suspect's son -- escalating into a fight that night at a party? Or a Jim Crow lynch mob?

"In that 911 tape you heard in one of the participant's own words, what they thought of Mr. White and his family," defense attorney Marie Michel said. "They clearly used the 'n' word."

Daniel Cicciaro's mother and father listened emotionally as prosecutors questioned how the defendant's gun unintentionally fired, when he confronted the youths on his driveway.

The defense states he was shaken at the screaming profanities and anti-black epithets.

" … in fear for their lives -- a modern day type lynching," defense attorney Frederick Brewington said, describing the Whites' state of mind.

More fireworks are expected when the defendant himself next takes the stand to explain how he accidentally shot an unarmed teenager.

Members of the Cicciaro family say they will speak publicly at the conclusion of the trial.

Add Comment

here. here. Need a log in? Register here

Your Name
Your E-Mail * Will not be displayed with comment
Suggest Link * e.g. (http://www.mywebsite.com)
Your Comment

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

Show Comments (0)

Close Window Login

Password:

Forgot Password | Register Here

Close Window Flag Comment

You are flagging the following comment:

Username:
E-mail:
Reason:

Type the characters in this picture:*

Click here to refresh with new letters

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.