White had a record of violent crime before and after the murder but had not committed any offense since 2008. “Today I feel like we've had answers and we've had justice, and that's for our brother and that's for gay men who were bashed or killed in that era,” she said. Younger sister Rebecca Johnson said she was satisfied with the sentence. “We didn’t get compensation for Scott this week, but what Scott got was dignity,” the older sibling told reporters. Outside court, Boston-area resident Steve Johnson thanked prosecutors and the judicial system for ensuring White was sent to prison. She said she only became aware of a reward when the victim’s brother, Steve Johnson, doubled the sum in 2020. Under cross-examination on Monday, Helen White denied she had been aware of a 1 million Australian dollar ($704,000) reward for information on Johnson’s murder when she went to police in 2019.
Wilson did not accept the defense lawyers’ argument that Helen White had been motivated to report him to police by a reward. Johnson must have been terrified, aware that he would strike the rocks below, and conscious of his fate,” Wilson added.
“In those seconds when he must have realized what was happening to him, Dr.
