Mother of David White speaks out – says her son was Antichrist’s victim

David White

Lavern “Anti-Christ” Longsworth remains in prison tonight; whether or not she will spend more time in prison or be freed will be decided by the Court of Appeal on Friday. Longsworth was sentenced to life in prison in November 2012 for the murder of her common-law husband. Her murder conviction for dousing David White with fuel and lighting him afire was successfully overturned and reduced to manslaughter by the Court of Appeal last week. Lead attorney, Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, who, with expert testimonies from Dr. Gillian Mezey and Aimee Jex, argued that Longsworth’s actions were the result of Battered Women Syndrome. The experts were of the view that Longworth’s physical and mental condition showed that she had suffered persistent emotional, physical or sexual abuse from another person, in this case, her deceased spouse.  While a reduced sentence gives Longsworth renewed hope of being released from prison early, her former mother-in-law is angry. According to Yvonne Thompson, her son was the real victim in the abusive relationship. Not only does she allege that White contracted HIV from “Antichrist,” Thompson also contends that there is no proof that Longsworth was ever beaten.

Yvonne Thompson, Mother of David White

Yvonne Thompson

“I feel very sad about it because my son, to me my son is the victim because I feel she killed my son two times, you know, because she is stating that my son gave her HIV but she is the one that gave my son HIV because I family that she was living with before my son that she give it to, you know.  So, I am concerned because it seems like we have no justice, you know.  The criminal always gets away, you know, and she is stating that she is badly abused by my son.  My son spent all, most of his life in prison so I don’t know what time he would have to abuse her.  When he’s in prison it’s like she lived back there because she goes back there every minute, sometime they even get tired of her, you know, at the prison and then she is in the public eye everyday because she worked, use to do things out by the court and thing.  So where is the evidence, you know?  If you are badly abused people will see it, you will go to the police station, you will make reports.  That case was about a whole month and nobody come up with no evidence of her being abused.  She is, she burned my son from back on, when they asked her if they were fighting in the court she said, “No we weren’t fighting.”  They make it look like that thing on her face was abuse from my son.  My son was in hospital dying when she get that thing on her face.  Even she [said] that, “no it’s not any of the family members did that to me, nor was it David.”  She said that it was a bump that come on my face and I scratched it spread out.  Then Channel Seven will show that while they are doing this appeal thing to make it look like it’s a part of that abuse from my son, you know.  I am his mother and I know he’s not any saint, you know, but you don’t take somebody’s life like that. It doesn’t matter what.”

Lavern "Antichrist" Longsworth

Isani Cayetano

“I believe you’re coming out now because the initial sentence and the conviction has now been reduced from where it was murder and life in prison to manslaughter with the chance that the actual sentence will be reduced to let’s say five years or so.  What are your thoughts on the justice system?  I know you said earlier that, you know, there’s little confidence in what’s taking place in the courts.”

Yvonne Thompson

“Well I have no confidence in the justice system right now.  I don’t know what kind of laws, you will make somebody come from another jurisdiction and talk about battered woman syndrome and all those things.  They don’t even know the facts, you know.  They don’t know what happened.”

Isani Cayetano

“Isn’t this sort of like reopening an old wound seeing as though you may have found some closure with the initial sentence but having it revisited is almost like you’re tearing away at a scab that has healed?”

Yvonne Thompson

“Of course, because she not only killed my son, she killed me and she killed his daughter.  His daughter doesn’t have a mother or a father now.”

Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith is arguing that Longsworth be set free since she has  served almost four years behind bars. The D.P.P., however, has put forward a sentence of ten years less the time already served. As we said, Longsworth’s fate will be determined on Friday.