Scott Johnson’s Killer Chooses To Stay In Jail
In a case DNA has followed for years, the man who killed American mathematician Scott Johnson at a Sydney cliff in 1988 has walked away from his own parole hearing. Scott White, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter, abandoned his bid for release just days before his minimum six-year sentence was due to expire on 11 May 2026.
White’s parole hearing was scheduled for 30 April. He was widely expected to be released. According to a statement from the New South Wales State Parole Authority quoted by 9News, “He has chosen to remain in custody to participate in a reintegration and support program.”
Scott White jailed for at least 6 years for the manslaughter of American mathematician Scott Johnson, who was punched off a cliff at Manly in 1988.
— Tiff Genders (@tiffgenders) June 8, 2023
The victim’s brother Steve describes it as peace and closure to a 35 year fight for justice. @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/ZoPhnL3Pkr
A case that took 32 years to crack
Dr Scott Johnson was 27 years old when his body was found at the bottom of a cliff at Blue Fish Point in Manly in December 1988. He was a brilliant American mathematician studying in Australia, and for almost three decades NSW Police treated his death as a suicide.
Johnson’s older brother Steve, a US tech entrepreneur, refused to accept that finding and bankrolled his own investigation. A 2017 inquest finally ruled the death a gay hate crime. A new police task force took over, and in 2020 White was arrested after confessing to undercover officers. We covered the not guilty plea at the time and the eventual sentencing that followed.
The legal road was messy. White first pleaded guilty to murder, then retracted the plea, then pleaded guilty to manslaughter, the conviction he is currently serving.
An unprecedented move
For the investigators who chased this case, White’s choice is hard to read. Retired Detective Chief Inspector Peter Yeomans, who worked on the matter, told 9News he had never seen anything like it in 45 years of policing, most of that on major crime.
The Johnson family’s reaction was measured, as it has been throughout. Scott’s brother Steve told 9News, “Apparently, he’s chosen to give himself more time, and I can’t say I am upset about that.”
He added a direct message to White: “If Mr White ever sees this, I would say, you took my brother’s life, and I am glad you’re paying for it and trying to become better in some way, I guess.”
White still has another year to apply for parole. Whether his decision points to genuine reflection or something else, only he can know. For the Johnson family, and for everyone who fought for decades to see this case treated as the hate crime it was, the man responsible staying behind bars a little longer is not the worst outcome.
Johnson’s story was covered in depth by DNA #151 available in DNAstore.
