BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Jonathon White was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2018 attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Cameron, outside of a Tonawanda Tim Horton's.
White, 29, was convicted of the crime last October in an emotional trial that saw Cameron, 25, testify against her ex-boyfriend and the father of her children. White lured her to a dumpster behind the now-closed restaurant in the City of Tonawanda, where he asked about their failed relationship and said he was going to hurt her. Her then dumped gasoline on her and flicked a lighter, setting the two of them on fire.
READ MORE: October 25, 2019: Jonathon White found guilty of the attempted murder of Jessica Cameron.
Inside the courtroom on Friday, Cameron recalled the horrific incident but said she's trying to focus on what she's gained rather than what's she lost over the last year.
"For six months, my children went without their parents," Cameron said. "Not just being around them but completely without seeing or hearing from us and not knowing why. Eighty days I spent in the hospital fighting and working to navigate my new life so I could get back to them."
She went through strenuous therapy where she re-learned how to speak, eat, and other basic functions. To this day, she still cannot close her eyes fully when she sleeps, has difficulty eating, and was terrified of taking showers for months.
"It felt like being on fire all over again," she said. "But it was required daily so I wouldn't get any infections or other medical problems."
Social situations give her anxiety because of looks and questions that she receives.
"I am now and always will be the girl who was set on fire and the woman who spoke out about it," she said.
Cameron still does not have custody of her children and is trying to find out why. She has visited her children on multiple occasions, though, but she said her oldest child worries about her safety. Cameron also explained to her five-year-old son that they would never return to their old home and that they will not seeing their father again. However, she couldn't bring herself to tell her son why they won't see White again.
"My sweet little boy doesn't need to know the true horrors that went on yet," she said. "Someday, I will have to tell all of my children the full truth of what their father did and try to help them deal with it. This is just one of the many consequences that my family and I are forced to deal with for the rest of our lives. The only consequence he has to face is this sentence."
In his statement before he was sentenced, White said that he has been portrayed wrongly and said that he feels guilty for the injuries he caused. He claimed responsibility but said he is not guilty of the crimes he was convicted of. The judge said he didn't believe him before issuing the sentence.
"There is no doubt that domestic violence was an underlying factor in this case," Judge Mark Montour said. "...You told your story to the jury what you thought happened on December 17, 2018 as you intended to kill yourself. The jury didn't believe your account. Today, neither do I."
White's lawyer, Joseph Terranova, said he will file an appeal.
Following sentencing, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn, with Cameron at his side, said justice was given to Cameron but she does not yet have closure.
"What happened to her is way more than a case," Flynn said. "What she has to go forward with now is way more than a sheet of paper."
Cameron said she may never be able to hold a job again due to her injuries, but she hopes to embrace advocacy on behalf of domestic violence victims. She said this is the path she was meant to be on and there's no sense in looking back to the past.
"I consider it like a phoenix who rises from the ashes again, new and better before," Cameron said. "Without these actions I would still be arguing with him every day. I would still be fighting with him. There would be countless problems that not only I would have to deal with, but my children would have to deal with. He removed himself from the situation by doing this. In doing so, I can start a new life. A better life with the people who are truest to me because they say you never know who your true friends are until you really need them."