Assassination
“On Sunday night, the night before the murders, Harvey went to the opera. He was talking about how great it been. Harvey was shot in Dan White’s little cubicle area and there was a streak of blood going down the wall with Harvey lying on the floor. And out the window all you could see was the opera house.” (Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk, 98).
Only a year after Milk’s election, he was assassinated by his colleague, Dan White. On November 27, 1978, White entered a City Hall basement window to avoid metal detectors, and killed not only Harvey Milk, but Mayor George Moscone with a .38 revolver.
Moscone and White went into a private room and began arguing about White’s re-appointment onto the Board of Supervisors. After refusing, Moscone was shot twice in the chest and twice in the head. White then went to Milk's office and shot him once in the chest, once in the arm, and twice in the head. White then turned himself into the police.
There was silence outside of City Hall, as one man said in an interview. That night, a candlelight march was held to honor Milk and Moscone. There were people “as far as you could see," according to one of Milk’s friends. Everyone marched in silence to keep peace. Candles were placed on a statue outside of City Hall.
White’s trial was marked as the “Twinkie Defense,” where White's lawyers claimed that a combination of depression and too many sugary snacks replacing his normally healthy diet caused him to murder Milk and Moscone. White was sentenced to seven years in prison for being convicted of manslaughter. Many were furious because White was not convicted of murder. White committed suicide a year after his release in 1985.
“On Sunday night, the night before the murders, Harvey went to the opera. He was talking about how great it been. Harvey was shot in Dan White’s little cubicle area and there was a streak of blood going down the wall with Harvey lying on the floor. And out the window all you could see was the opera house.” (Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk, 98).
Only a year after Milk’s election, he was assassinated by his colleague, Dan White. On November 27, 1978, White entered a City Hall basement window to avoid metal detectors, and killed not only Harvey Milk, but Mayor George Moscone with a .38 revolver.
Moscone and White went into a private room and began arguing about White’s re-appointment onto the Board of Supervisors. After refusing, Moscone was shot twice in the chest and twice in the head. White then went to Milk's office and shot him once in the chest, once in the arm, and twice in the head. White then turned himself into the police.
There was silence outside of City Hall, as one man said in an interview. That night, a candlelight march was held to honor Milk and Moscone. There were people “as far as you could see," according to one of Milk’s friends. Everyone marched in silence to keep peace. Candles were placed on a statue outside of City Hall.
White’s trial was marked as the “Twinkie Defense,” where White's lawyers claimed that a combination of depression and too many sugary snacks replacing his normally healthy diet caused him to murder Milk and Moscone. White was sentenced to seven years in prison for being convicted of manslaughter. Many were furious because White was not convicted of murder. White committed suicide a year after his release in 1985.