White's defense attorney, Doug Schmidt, argued that his client was not responsible for his actions; Schmidt used the legal defense known as diminished capacity: "Good people, fine people, with fine backgrounds, simply don't kill people in cold blood."
O avogado defensor de White, Doug Schmidt, argumentou que este non fora responsable das súas accións, empregando a defensa coñecida como responsabilidade diminuída: «Boa xente, xente de ben, con antecedentes limpos, simplemente non matan a persoas a sangue frío».