SAN FRANCISCO — 1978 · Murder
The Moscone–Milk Assassinations
On the morning of 27 November 1978, Dan White, a former city supervisor who wanted his resigned seat back, entered San Francisco City Hall through a window and shot dead Mayor George Moscone and Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. White surrendered. On 21 May 1979 a jury convicted him not of murder but of voluntary manslaughter, and he was sentenced to about seven years. The verdict sparked what became known as the White Night riots. White was paroled in 1984 and took his own life in 1985. The case led California to abolish the diminished-capacity defence.
- Date
- 1978
- Place
- California, USA, San Francisco, US
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 37.7793, -122.4193 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 27 November 1978Moscone and Milk were shot dead at City Hall.
- 21 May 1979The defendant was convicted of voluntary manslaughter; the White Night riots broke out that night.
- 1982California abolished the diminished-capacity defence.
- January 1984The killer was paroled.
- October 1985The killer took his own life.
Sources
- The New York Times — Dan White, killer of San Francisco mayor, a suicide (1985) nytimes.com ↗
- SFGATE — Brown remembers close call on tragic day sfgate.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Moscone–Milk assassinations en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The New York Times
- San Francisco Chronicle
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
Related Cases
More cases from San Francisco
More cases from the 1970s
Categories
🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.