The State - News from Jan. 10, 1986

Long prison terms were handed down in San Francisco Superior Court for three young men convicted of second-degree murder in the death of gay activist John Dennis O’Connell, who hit his head on a curb after being struck by two of the men. The defendants also pleaded guilty to assault charges in three other attacks carried out the same night, July 29, 1984, during what the prosecutor called a “homophobic rage.” Timothy White, 23, David Rogers, 21, and Donnie Clanton, 21, each were sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on the murder charge. Judge Edward Stern also sentenced each to seven years on the assault convictions, but made those sentences concurrent with the longer terms. A fourth defendant, Doug Barr, 21, was acquitted in the murder case by the same jury that convicted his three friends. However, Barr pleaded guilty to assault charges in the other attacks and was sentenced to a seven-year term.