Andrew “Beep” White would have been 34 on Thursday, and his family and friends weren’t about to let the occasion go unnoticed.
White was shot and killed March 11, 2015, inside a room at the former Quality Inn, now a Days Inn, at South Third and Washington streets in Easton.
His killer, 27-year-old Jeffrey Knoble, was convicted by a Northampton County jury of first-degree murder on Tuesday and sentenced Wednesday to life in state prison.
Thursday night, dozens of people gathered in a parking lot alongside the hotel to launch a fusillade of balloons into the darkness.
Family and friends of homicide victim Andrew “Beep” White gather Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, on what would have been his 34th birthday to release balloons in his memory outside the Days Inn at South Third and Washington streets in Easton. The hotel was the Quality Inn when White was fatally shot in a room there March 11, 2015, by Jeffrey Knoble, whom White had been trying to help, according to testimony at Knoble’s homicide trial. He was convicted Jan. 31, 2017, and sentenced the following day to life in state prison without parole. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com)
They sang “Happy Birthday,” and there was more laughter than tears among those who loved White. His cousin Bradley Carter, of Easton, led the group in a moment of silence and a prayer, and asked Jesus for continued blessings.
White was known for helping others, and he had paid to get Knoble a hotel room when he had nowhere to go, according to testimony at the trial.
Bradley Carter, right, of Easton, offers a prayer for his cousin Andrew “Beep” White, during a gathering Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, on what would have been White’s 34th birthday. (Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com)
Mayor Sal Panto Jr. and Frank Pintabone, president of the Easton Area School Board, offered remarks Thursday night, and a surprise.
“It’s a wonderful turnout tonight for an unfortunate reason,” Pintabone said. “As I stand next to the mayor, we’re here to say goodbye to the unofficial mayor of Easton.”
Panto is personally donating a tree in White’s memory and Pintabone is paying for a bench and a plaque honoring White. The plan is to create a place to remember White along the Delaware River, though the exact location has yet to be set.
“I think the most important thing tonight is that you remember the good things,” Panto said. “All those memories that he gave us and things that we can enjoy. And to sit down by the river and meditate under a tree that’s going to grow, as your memories grow a little weaker you want to remember them, so that tree may help you do that.”
Even without death penalty, justice is served for family
Friends and family of White said this week they were pleased with Knoble’s conviction, even though the prosecution agreed to take the death penalty off the table in light of his acquittal of robbery, an aggravating factor in pursuing capital punishment.
At Wednesday’s sentencing, White’s family vowed to pray for Knoble.
“I don’t want you to die,” White’s niece, Natazia Edwards, told Knoble in court. “I want you to sit and think about what you did.”
Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
