New Rochelle Father Sentenced In Death Of His Child

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle father who was found guilty of smothering his 7-year-old daughter will be going to prison possibly for the rest of his life. Neil White, 50, was sentenced to 25 years to life for the murder of Gabrielle White in their New Rochelle home in 2017. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. announced the verdict after court adjourned Thursday.

In July, White was found guilty of second-degree murder, a felony, after a jury trial.

The jury returned its verdict after five hours of deliberations, finding White responsible for killing his child, the district attorney's office said.

Michelle Hord, Gabrielle White's mother, delivered an impact statement in court, according to a spokesperson, saying that her heart and soul have been ripped from her body by White.

While holding her daughter's rag doll, Hoard described the two years since her child was killed as "a razor-blade cut of trauma, memory, pain, confusion, betrayal and disbelief."

She said that both she and her daughter were asthmatics who "know the terror of not being able to easily inhale and exhale."

Hord said that White "willfully and evilly chose to take that away from a baby who he once seemed to love and a daughter who he ultimately used as a pawn."

On June 6, 2017, around 3 p.m., Gabrielle White's nanny arrived at the Arbor Glen home in New Rochelle, where both the child and her father lived. The nanny went to the third floor of the townhome and called out to them.

White was bleeding from both his wrists from self-inflicted knife cuts, and came out of the master bedroom, at which point the nanny became frightened and left the house.

When she got outside, she called both Gabrielle White's mother and the police.

Officers entered the home and found White in the master bedroom. The child was found in her bedroom, under her blanket, cold and lifeless, police said.

White was taken to the hospital for treatment and then charged in the death of his daughter.

Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.