GUILTY Canada - Liana White, 29, Edmonton AB, 12 July 2005 - #4

[Jess]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn....html?id=bf493ea1-7d2f-4d68-a431-a9a9934bc1cf

This is a long article but well worth the read. It is a conversation with Liana's mom. Brought tears to my eyes.

'I'm so lonely for Liana'
Liana White was the light of her life. Now, to banish the darkness of Liana's murder, Maureen Kelly nurtures memories of her free-spirited daughter and strives to make a loving home for her granddaughter
Jamie Hall, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

EDMONTON - Maureen Kelly smiles wistfully at the photographs, a lifetime of memories of her daughter, Liana, spread before her on the dining room table.

There's Maureen, a young mom of 20, giving Liana her first bath in a plastic oval tub, gently cradling her precious newborn in the water.

There's Liana in a bulky red snowsuit, a puppy clasped to her chest.
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And a Polaroid of Liana, the Girl Guide, her careful child-like printing telling all in a caption: "Me and my 1st Hamster Ginger."

In this one she's older, 10 maybe, arms raised, a pair of oversize headphones covering her ears.

"She always loved to dance," says Maureen.

No photograph album of Liana would be complete without a snapshot of her on the beach in Kelowna, toes dug into the sand, eyes squinting against the glare of the hot Okanagan sun.

She and her mom lived there for many years, and looked forward to summer when the Perillis, longtime family friends, would pull their tent trailer from Edmonton and stay at a nearby campground.

The "three musketeers," Liana and the Perillis' kids Chris and Marina, would spend endless hours paddling and splashing in the lake.

These photographs, and with them their bittersweet memories, are all Maureen has left of her daughter since she was murdered nearly 17 months ago, just shy of Liana's 30th birthday.

"I'm so lonely for her," says Maureen of the loss of her only child, her voice barely more than a whisper. "She was the centre of my world."


snipped

Maureen's family after her divorce from Liana's father, Mario Roseto.

Maureen worked hard to create a loving, stable environment for her daughter who, even as a teen, didn't really rebel, save for those few months in Grade 8 when she "wore black all the time and wore too much makeup."

Oh, and there was that tattoo incident when she was 15.

It was a time that pre-dated parental consent for such things, says Maureen, and Liana and a group of friends went out for the evening.

"A few days later," says Maureen, "we were sitting on the couch and her sock wasn't quite pulled all the way up, and I noticed a blue tail sticking out.

"When I asked her what it was, she pulled the sock all the way down to show me the dolphin tattoo; she just giggled about it."

Heartbreakingly, it was that tattoo that helped authorities identify Liana's badly decomposed body.

Maureen modelled a devotion to motherhood that her daughter mimicked later in life, when she had a daughter of her own.

 

[Jess]

His family talks about him.. Very interesting

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn....html?id=71baa299-180b-4924-b797-9c71ac38333f

Why did he do it?
Michael White's murderous attack on his pregnant wife wasn't the first time he had committed a crime, then tearfully claimed his innocence. He had used this tactic to get out of trouble several times in his past


But not all of White's relatives are sure of his innocence.

White's father, Steve, was with Michael during much of the five-day search for Liana, from July 12-17, 2005. In fact, Steve was in the car with Michael when Liana's body was found. Their search party was driving down an isolated rural road, car windows open on the hot summer day, when they smelled the odour of death. Searchers went to investigate. Michael's mother, Carol, found Liana's badly decomposed corpse.


Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

"It was bad news," Steve says of Michael being part of the discovery team. "It looked bad for us to find her. We're not stupid. We thought, 'Oh, this is not good.' "

Still, Steve thought there was no way his son could have killed Liana. Over time, though, doubt has crept in. "I mean, anything can happen behind closed doors," he says. "So I can't be 100 per cent. He's my son and I love him, but anything can happen."

Hepburn was unimpressed with White's claims. "He's a little con artist. He's a sick boy. Every time I saw him on the street after that, his head went down -- so guilty.... He was a compulsive thief and a *advertiser censored* good liar.... It was almost like he believed he didn't do it. I don't know -- split personality or whatever."

Hepburn heard of White stealing money from others as well, including White's own grandfather. "He wouldn't admit to nothing," Hepburn says.

~~

Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

"I think that theft stuff maybe didn't stop and that she knew about it. It was still going on, and she was going home to give him an ultimatum that night."

In his testimony, White portrayed Hansen as the closest of friends. "I looked at him as my side of the family out here. He was a brother, a mentor."

But Hansen was appalled at White's words on the stand.

"He's a filthy liar and he's very good at it, from what I see now," he says. "All I can say is, I hope the gentleman gets what he deserves."

 

[Jess]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...white_injuries_061210/20061210?hub=TopStories




Convicted killer White found injured in cell

Updated Sun. Dec. 10 2006 8:29 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Michael White, just convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, was rushed to hospital after being found injured in his cell, CTV Edmonton has learned.

Doctors treated White for non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities then returned him to the Edmonton Remand Centre on Sunday.

Sources told CTV Edmonton the wounds are believed to be self-inflicted. White, 29, is believed to have been alone in his cell at the time.

However, police say the convicted killer is not under a suicide watch.

On Thursday, a jury found White guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Liana White.

The jury further recommended that he not be eligible for parole from his life sentence until he had served at least 15 years.

 

[justbetweenus]

His family talks about him.. Very interesting

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sundayreader/story.html?id=71baa299-180b-4924-b797-9c71ac38333f

Why did he do it?
Michael White's murderous attack on his pregnant wife wasn't the first time he had committed a crime, then tearfully claimed his innocence. He had used this tactic to get out of trouble several times in his past


But not all of White's relatives are sure of his innocence.

White's father, Steve, was with Michael during much of the five-day search for Liana, from July 12-17, 2005. In fact, Steve was in the car with Michael when Liana's body was found. Their search party was driving down an isolated rural road, car windows open on the hot summer day, when they smelled the odour of death. Searchers went to investigate. Michael's mother, Carol, found Liana's badly decomposed corpse.


Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

"It was bad news," Steve says of Michael being part of the discovery team. "It looked bad for us to find her. We're not stupid. We thought, 'Oh, this is not good.' "

Still, Steve thought there was no way his son could have killed Liana. Over time, though, doubt has crept in. "I mean, anything can happen behind closed doors," he says. "So I can't be 100 per cent. He's my son and I love him, but anything can happen."

Hepburn was unimpressed with White's claims. "He's a little con artist. He's a sick boy. Every time I saw him on the street after that, his head went down -- so guilty.... He was a compulsive thief and a *advertiser censored* good liar.... It was almost like he believed he didn't do it. I don't know -- split personality or whatever."

Hepburn heard of White stealing money from others as well, including White's own grandfather. "He wouldn't admit to nothing," Hepburn says.

~~

Published: Sunday, December 10, 2006

"I think that theft stuff maybe didn't stop and that she knew about it. It was still going on, and she was going home to give him an ultimatum that night."

In his testimony, White portrayed Hansen as the closest of friends. "I looked at him as my side of the family out here. He was a brother, a mentor."

But Hansen was appalled at White's words on the stand.

"He's a filthy liar and he's very good at it, from what I see now," he says. "All I can say is, I hope the gentleman gets what he deserves."

Jess..I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your top notch coverage on this case. Life has been so busy for me lately but I've been trying to follow it as much as I could; and so many times I felt so grateful to you, that I could come here to catch up on the daily news through your posts.

Did you see the program crtv. Canada aired last Friday night on the case? I caught maybe the last 10 mins, but hope to see the program in it's entirety.

The last few links you posted after the trial were so interesting. So well written I didn't want them to end. I cried reading Lianas mom's story. So sad.

Thanks again Jess.

 

[Bobbisangel]

Liana's mother is so right...15 yrs is nothing for taking the life of a young woman and her unborn child. The mother should be able to go to the parole hearings though and speak. White will probably still be denying the murder in 15 yrs so that is something that Lianna's mother will be able to use against him at the parole hearing. I don't know about Canada but in the US parole boards don't like it when the criminal won't admit that they did anything wrong. They usually don't get paroled if they won't admit the to the crime.

 

[Jess]

http://edmsun.canoe.ca/News/Edmonton/2006/12/11/2736022-sun.html





Convicted wife-killer Michael White was treated for minor injuries yesterday after he claimed he was assaulted at the Edmonton Remand Centre.

White, who is awaiting sentencing for killing his pregnant wife, suffered cuts to both arms and was taken to hospital shortly after 7:30 a.m., said a remand centre source.

Edmonton news reporter Byron Christopher said White needed more than "70 stitches" to close his wounds - which included a cut on his neck.

SELF-INFLICTED?

The 29-year-old inmate was returned to the remand centre later in the morning.

White is now on a suicide watch, said Christopher.

While White's claims of a jailhouse attack were being investigated, it was believed his injuries were self-inflicted, the source told the Sun.

"If he was assaulted, he'd still be in hospital," the source added, explaining that inmate-on-inmate violence typically results in more severe injuries.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=af9d8d7e-d82c-4dfd-80ee-66cc0c3cb62b


ates attacked him, White claims
Cuts from wrists up to his elbows not deep enough to cause serious damage, source says
Jodie Sinnema, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Monday, December 11, 2006

EDMONTON - Just days after being found guilty of the murder of his pregnant wife, Michael White is under suicide watch at the remand centre with a cut from ear to ear along his throat, according to a Journal source.

White was rushed to hospital Sunday morning and treated for apparently self-inflicted, non-life-threatening wounds.

He had cuts on his wrists and up to his elbows, said one source, who asked not to be identified. The slashes weren't deep enough to cause serious damage.
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The same source said White had left a note and was later found by his cellmate, who alerted guards.

"There was an allegation made by Michael White that he was assaulted by some inmates," said Andy Weiler, spokesman for the Solicitor General's office. "Because there are allegations of a criminal incident, we'll automatically call (police)."

The guards were notified of White's injuries at 8 a.m. Sunday. White was taken to hospital for treatment and returned to the remand centre by mid-afternoon, Weiler said.

Another source said White is now in the centre's mental-health area, where inmates are kept in separate cells and are constantly monitored by video cameras and guards.

 

[Mabel]

I think we need to start a group to fight for prisoner's rights. If Mr. White wants to cut himself into tiny pieces he should be allowed to do so, IMO.

 

[Jess]

http://edmsun.canoe.ca/News/Edmonton/2006/12/12/2753080-sun.html

Tue, December 12, 2006
White's injuries called ploy
Criminologist says wife-killer may have slashed himself in hopes of lenient sentence

By ELIZA BARLOW, EDMONTON SUN




Michael White might have slashed his own throat and arms in jail in hopes the judge would go easier on him at his sentencing this week, says a U.S. expert on socio-paths.

"I could have written the script," said Jack Levin, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston.

A suicide attempt could be meant to portray "a vulnerable, fragile man who misses his wife desperately and wants to be with her again in the hereafter," he said.

White, 29, was convicted by a jury last Thursday of second-degree murder in the July 2005 slaying of his pregnant wife Liana White, and interfering with her remains.

He's slated to have a sentencing hearing tomorrow.

On Sunday, White was treated for minor slash wounds to his arms and throat after being injured in the Edmonton Remand Centre.

Solicitor General spokesman Andy Weiler said White claimed he was assaulted by "a number of inmates."

But remand centre sources told the Sun that White's injuries were self-inflicted.

White is on suicide watch while city police investigate his allegations.

"They'll conduct the investigation and they'll lay any charges that are appropriate," said Weiler.

City police offered no update on the probe yesterday.

Levin said virtually all of White's actions since he murdered his wife are the classic behaviour of a sociopath who feels sorry for himself, not for the people he's wronged.

During the five days Liana was missing, before her decomposing body was found dumped in a ditch, White organized volunteer search parties to look for her.

He cried on camera during televised appeals asking for Liana to "hold tight."

At his trial, he took the stand in his own defence and steadfastly denied killing Liana or even laying a hand on her.

"The same personality trait that permits him to feign innocence also permits him to be self-destructive in order to get a lighter sentence," said Levin.

Meanwhile, inmates doing hard time at the Edmonton Institution, the maximum-security prison White is expected to be transferred to, are anticipating the wife-killer's arrival.

"His life will be in danger here," a guard who's worked at the Max for 10 years told the Sun yesterday.

"There's an inmate code of conduct and you don't kill pregnant ladies and you don't kill kids," said the guard, who did not want to be identified.

White is expected to be dropped right into protective custody once all his assessments are complete.

 

[Jess]

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=533163c5-c9b0-4409-9960-36bef78ae238&k=0


White, 29, was convicted last week of second-degree murder of his wife as well as offering an indignity to her human remains by dumping her body in a ditch north of the city.

Liana was reported missing July 12, 2005, after she failed to show up for her morning shift as a hospital clerk and her Ford Explorer was found abandoned in a parking lot near the couple's Castle Downs home.

White tearfully pleaded through the media for help to find his wife. Five days later, his volunteer search party discovered her naked body in the ditch, covered with leaves and branches.

Liana was four months pregnant with the couple's second child.

The Crown proved that White stabbed Liana in their bedroom, dumped her body in the ditch, cleaned up the mess at home, hid garbage bags of bloody evidence in a field, then abandoned her car and staged an abduction.

Their three-year-old daughter, Ashley, was home at the time of the killing.

White asked Liana's mother, Maureen Kelly, to take good care of the girl.

"I charge you with her life," he said. "Raise her well, just like you raised Liana. Make sure she knows all about her, every little detail. And if it's not too much, tell her of the man I used to be, if you can ever find it in your heart."

Court of Queen's Bench Justice Mary Moreau is to decide Friday how many years, ranging from 10 to 25, that White must serve in prison before he is eligible for parole.

The jury recommended 15 years. Today, Crown prosecutor Troy Couillard asked for 20 years.

Defence lawyer Laura Stevens said 14 years was more appropriate.

 

[Jess]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe.../michael_white_061213/20061213?hub=TopStories


White 'sorry' for grief suffered by victim's family

Updated Wed. Dec. 13 2006 8:42 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Michael White has apologized to the family of his slain wife, but stopped short of admitting any guilt in her murder.

White was in an Edmonton courtroom Wednesday for a sentencing hearing. Last week a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his pregnant wife, Liana White.

She was found stabbed to death last year.

"I'm so sorry for everything that you've gone through from day one 'til now," White told Liana's mother, Maureen Kelly.

But he added that he disagreed with the jury's decision.

Second-degree murder carries a minimum sentence of life in prison, with no chance of parole for at least 10 years. The jury has recommended White serve at least 15 years before he's eligible for parole.

The Crown argued for 20 years before eligibility, citing his deception after Liana went missing, when he claimed innocence and tearfully vowed to find her.

But the defence said a 14-year-term before eligibility would better reflect White's crime.

Kelly told the court that when her daughter's body was discovered, "my heart broke into a thousand piece and part of me died that day as well."

She added that Ashley, White and Liana's young daughter, has since woken up at night screaming for her mother. Kelly has hinted that Ashley may have witnessed parts of the murder.

White requested that his parents be allowed to help raise Ashley, and that Kelly "tell her about the man I used to be, (although) I would understand if you didn't."

Doctors treated White for non-life-threatening injuries earlier this week, after officials found him hurt in his cell. But police didn't place him under a suicide-watch.

But CTV Edmonton's David Ewasuk reported that White appeared relatively healthy and in good condition on Wednesday.

"He appeared normal as we've seen him before. He was wearing a buttoned-up shirt that covered most of his neck and his sleeves were long," said Ewasuk.

"But at least one person noticed that as he reached for a glass of water and his sleeve hiked up, you could see what appeared on his wrist to be a slash mark and some stitches."

Michael White is scheduled to be sentenced Friday at 9 a.m. local time.

 

[Jess]

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/12/14/2787745-sun.html


Thu, December 14, 2006
'My blood boils'
Liana White's mom rips daughter's killer husband

By TONY BLAIS, COURT BUREAU



Kelli Montero, who worked with Liana White, talks to reporters yesterday outside court. (WALTER TYCHNOWICZ/ SUN)

Convicted wife killer Michael White and his heart-broken mother-in-law faced off in court yesterday at an emotional sentencing hearing for the disgraced former soldier.

Maureen Kelly, the mother of pregnant victim Liana White, blasted White for ripping her family apart and "coldheartedly" denying his involvement in her death while White, who continued to maintain his innocence, begged Kelly to take care of his daughter and tell her about him.

"On July 12, 2005, my world fell apart when I received the call that is every mother's worst nightmare," said Kelly, fighting off tears during her victim impact statement.

Kelly then criticized White for playing "the part of a grieving husband, looking for his missing wife, all the while knowing where she laid."

When the badly decomposed, naked body of Liana, four months' pregnant, was found in a ditch five days after going missing, Kelly said: "My heart broke into a thousand pieces and a part of me died that day as well." Then, she felt "extreme anger" when White was charged.

"I realized he had no remorse for what he had done. He had killed my daughter and was able to fool us all. He put my family through hell proclaiming his innocence."

Kelly said she is "tortured" by the way Liana died and the suffering, fear and sense of betrayal she likely endured. "My blood boils and my heart breaks over and over again. Dying this way is the worst thing that can happen to a person and losing your only child this way is unimaginable."

Kelly also spoke about her granddaughter Ashley, now five, and how she was in the home when Liana was killed.

"Ashley has been bereft since the soul-destroying murder of her mother. She has consistently woken up in the middle of the night screaming 'mommy, mommy,' and then vomiting," said Kelly, describing the girl as traumatized.

White, 29, spoke about the jury that convicted him of second-degree murder and interfering with human remains last week, saying he wouldn't want to be in their shoes. "I am not in agreeance (sic) with them, but I accept that."

White, who displayed no signs of an alleged suicide bid last weekend in jail, then turned to Kelly and put her in charge of Ashley.

"Raise her well like you raised Liana," said White. "Make sure she knows all about her, every little detail.

"And, if it's not too much, tell her of the man I used to be, if you can ever find it in your heart," he said, ending by telling Kelly how sorry he is for what she has endured.

A judge is set to rule tomorrow as to how long White must serve of his life sentence before being eligible for parole. The Crown wants White to serve at least 20 years, the jury recommended 15 years and White's lawyer suggested 14.

The Crown argued White killed Liana, 29, in their Castledowns home, dragged her body into the garage, put it into her SUV and then dumped her remains in a ditch. He then tossed bloody evidence from the killing into a garbage bag which he left in a grassy field and returned later to pick up, unwittingly under police surveillance.

As well, White left Liana's SUV in a parking lot, staged it to look like a robbery and was then captured on a pub security video running in the opposite direction.

White testified he never killed his wife and said the bloody evidence came from his wife having a nosebleed.

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=36deb6d4-1b65-42f2-8f1f-f36aff059fb6&k=46412



Over the weekend, while in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre, White was taken to hospital with slash wounds to his neck and wrists.

White told staff he was assaulted by fellow inmates, but he apparently left a note and was later placed under suicide watch. City police said they have no evidence to suggest there was an assault.

No marks were visible above the collar of White's dress shirt, tightly buttoned for his court appearance Wednesday. But when White reached for a glass of water from the prisoner's box, several red cuts with stitches could be seen on his right wrist.

Reading her victim impact statement in court, Kelly said Ashley has been traumatized and spends most of her days with play therapists and psychiatrists.

 

[Jess]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...ite_sentencing_061215/20061215?hub=TopStories

White to be sentenced in pregnant wife's murder

Updated Fri. Dec. 15 2006 8:07 AM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A man found guilty of killing his pregnant wife last year will be sentenced this morning in an Edmonton courtroom.

Last week a jury found Michael White, 29, guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Liana White.

The jury recommended 15 years before parole eligibility, but CTV's legal analyst predicted the sentencing could be even heavier.

"The jury recommended 15 and I think the judge will pay a lot of attention to it, but there is an aggravating factor and I predict it will be 17 years for this reason: the deception of Michael White -- pretending to be a grieving husband while his wife lay in a ditch to his knowledge," Skurka told Canada AM.

While police searched for his wife, White made a tearful television appearance, claiming innocence and tearfully vowing "I will find you."

"It was calculated and it caused pain, enduring pain to the family and friends of this poor woman," Skurka said.

While in prison awaiting sentencing, doctors treated White for non-life-threatening injuries after officials found him hurt in his cell. His injuries appeared to be self-inflicted, however he wasn't put under a suicide watch.

White recently offered an apology to Liana's mother, Maureen Kelly, but he stopped short of admitting guilt.

"I'm so sorry for everything that you've gone through from day one 'til now," White said.

Skurka said neither the apology, nor the fact White hurt himself while in prison will have an effect on his sentencing. However, the impact on Ashley, the couple's three-year-old daughter, could have an effect.

Kelly said she believed her granddaughter may have witnessed "clips" of the murder.

"There's no evidence this child witnessed the murders of her mother, but there is very compelling evidence in the victim impact statement that she suffers nightmares and calls out for her mother -- that fact will be an aggravating factor in the sentencing," Skurka said.

The jury also found White guilty of offering an indignity to human remains.

Liana White went missing on July 12, 2005. White testified in court that he organized his own search party, including his mother, and found Liana's decomposed body in a ditch on July 17, north of Edmonton's outskirts.

The sentencing is expected at 9 a.m. MT.

 

[Jess]

White gets life without parole for 17 years
Updated Fri. Dec. 15 2006 12:21 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A man found guilty of killing his pregnant wife last year has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.

Michael White, 29, looked at his hands as Justice Mary Moreau of Court of Queen's Bench read the sentence, CTV Edmonton's Rob Williams reported.

A jury last week found White guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of his wife, Liana, who was four months pregnant with the couple's second child.

A second-degree murder charge carries a mandatory life sentence with no charge of parole for a minimum of 10 years.

The jury had recommended a 15-year sentence while the Crown had urged a 20-year one.

"The severity of the case is the biggest issue we are dealing with ... and the evidence pointing to Michael White as the killer in the case," Williams reported to CTV Newsnet.

While police searched for his wife, White made a tearful television appearance, claiming innocence and tearfully vowing "I will find you."

White was put on suicide watch last weekend after sustaining cuts to his throat and wrists, which he said were caused by other inmates, but which investigators suggested were self-inflicted.

White recently offered an apology to Liana's mother, Maureen Kelly, but he stopped short of admitting guilt.

"I'm so sorry for everything that you've gone through from day one 'til now," White said.

Kelly said she believed the couple's three-year-old daughter may have witnessed at least part of the murder.

The jury also found White guilty of offering an indignity to human remains. Liana White went missing on July 12, 2005.

White testified in court that he organized his own search party, including his mother, and found Liana's decomposed body in a ditch on July 17, north of Edmonton's outskirts.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

[Jess]

http://edmsun.canoe.ca/Comment/Commentary/2006/12/16/2823658-sun.html




Sat, December 16, 2006
EDITORIAL: White and wrong

By SUN MEDIA




The Crown wanted Michael White to sit in jail for 20 years before he would be eligible for parole. The jury who convicted White of second-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Liana, suggested White rot for 15 years.

White's lawyer suggested 14 years behind bars was sufficient until White could apply for parole.

Yesterday, Justice Mary Moreau sawed off the differences and sentenced the unrepentant wife killer (who escaped charges of killing his unborn child only because children are not legally recognized as persons until they're out of the womb) to 17 years in the slammer.

It was certainly under the maximum 25-year parole eligibility limit - but given the recommendations in front of the judge, we never seriously considered that White would get the maximum. And the 17-year parole eligibility ruling was less than what the Crown wanted.

But it was also more than what the jury wanted - and they were the ones who actually found White guilty. And it was more than what White's lawyer recommended and considerably higher than the 10-year minimum parole eligibility allowed under the law.

On balance, then, we are not unhappy with the sentence meted out. White will have a good long time in prison to think about what he did - how he killed his young, pretty, pregnant wife for heaven knows what reason. Because White pleaded not guilty to the crime and is maintaining his innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence after being convicted, the circumstances that led to Liana's violent and bloody death are not yet fully known.

White now has 17 years to consider, too, that his young daughter Ashley is going to be all grown up by the time he can apply for parole. The little girl was just three when her mother was killed - a crime that Liana's mother, Maureen Kelly, says Ashley witnessed. In her victim impact statement, Kelly claimed that Ashley wakes up in the middle of the night screaming for her mother, and gets so emotional about it that she vomits.

If so, then may the Lord God Almighty have mercy on Michael White's soul, because we mortal humans will have a much more difficult time doing that.

Ashley had done - and has done - nothing in her little, precious life to deserve such a terrible fate. To lose her mother to a violent death, have an unborn baby brother or sister killed in the process, and her father spend her formative years in jail paying for the crime is an absolute tragedy.

In that light, we would have no problem arguing that 17 years behind bars is nowhere near enough time to properly pay for the real crime committed here - the crime of destroying his own family.

But neither would 25 years be enough. Nor 100.

That's a crime that will haunt Michael White's soul forever. And it's a debt that he can never repay.

 

[Bobbisangel]

I wish he had gotten the full 20 years even though he deserved many more years then that. I believe the sentence should match the number of years that the victim would have lived if they had lived and been a healthy person. I really feel that the system doesn't put much value on a life destroyed. I also believe that if that killer sits there and denys that they committed the crime when the evidence is speaking loud and clear that they did commit it...the sentence should be that much longer.

When Michael White goes to his first parole hearing and he still denies that he murdered Lianna will he get parole? I know it used to be...in the US anyway... that if a person still denies that they committed the crime and of course they aren't remorseful because they won't admit they did anything wrong...parole was denied. Now in Washington state anyway we don't even have a parole board anymore. I think that is wrong because the victims can't go and talk at a parole hearing now. Just another thing wrong with our screwed up judicial system here.

 

[cindy22]

I just feel bad for both families, Liana's and Mike's family are also suffering. I cannot imagine how Ashley is feeling without both parent;s, but to have her mom killed is just horrific and terrible. My heart goes out to both sides of the family. May we never forget Liana White.....

 

[Bobbisangel]

I just feel bad for both families, Liana's and Mike's family are also suffering. I cannot imagine how Ashley is feeling without both parent;s, but to have her mom killed is just horrific and terrible. My heart goes out to both sides of the family. May we never forget Liana White.....

I feel bad for the killers family when they admit that their son did murder his wife and they don't rip the murdered wife to shreads. Otherwise....forget them. I don't have a clue if Mike's family think he is guilty or not. My heart goes out to Leanna's mom. She not only lost her daughter in the most horrible way a mother could lose her daughter but now she is beginning all over again raising a family, Don't get me wrong..I'm sure that she wants to raise Ashley and would fight for her...I've been there...but it isn't easy starting all over again when you are a grandmother. Bless her heart.

 

[ohwell1971]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liana_White

 

[Jess]

Three years after her death, the house where Liana White met her fate sits uninhabited.

While the home is full of belongings, no one has lived there since Michael White went to jail in 2006 for his wife's murder a year earlier, neighbours say.

"It's the empty house on the street," said Jenn Locke, who lives across from the White home.

But despite its eerie status, the house located at 227 Warwick Cres. in northwest Edmonton nevertheless is in decent shape.

The grass, which appears freshly cut, is actually shorter than a neighbour's lawn.


"As far as I know, a trustee has someone come by to mow the lawn," said a next-door neighbour, who did not want his name printed.



http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2008/07/28/6284571-sun.html

 

[Jess]

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/10/29/edm-white-appeal.html


snip~~

On Wednesday, White's lawyer, Hersh Wolch, argued the original trial judge made an error in law when she instructed the jury on how to reach a verdict.

"We're asking the court to set aside the conviction and have another trial where a jury can decide whether it's murder, manslaughter or not guilty," Wolch said outside the courthouse.

White did not appear in court Wednesday to hear the arguments.

"It's stressful. And he'll get the results ... sitting and listening to the arguments is painful and frankly all you folks are here and it's a lot of attention," Wolch said, referring to the media.

Liana White's mother, Maureen Kelly, was in court to hear the arguments, but declined to comment to reporters.