John Walter Lay. (Photo via Justice4Walt/Facebook)
TAMPA | LGBTQ+ advocates will gather Feb. 7 from 8 a.m.-noon at the Hillsborough County Courthouse to stand in solidarity with the late John Walter Lay, a 52 year-old gay man who was murdered last year in the Egypt Lake-Leto area’s West Dog Park.
The trial of Gerald Declan Radford, who has been charged with second degree murder, is expected to conclude this week. He has spent the past year in jail for his self-admitted involvement.
The Tampa Bay Times reported in 2024 that Lay and Radford were initially friendly toward one another during dog park visits but that changed during COVID-19. That’s when “Radford found out about Lay’s politics and that he was openly gay,” the outlet shared, and “Radford began to target Lay, calling him slurs when he was walking in the park.”
Just one day prior to the murder, Radford had screamed “you’re going to die, you’re going to die,” described by Lay in a video.
Radford has advised the killing was in self-defense, but the State Attorney’s Office shared that “following a thorough investigation, the evidence shows Radford was the aggressor and was motivated by the fact that the victim was a gay man.”
Close friends and family argued that not only had Radford been harassing the victim for over two years, but that Lay was very passive and would never initiate a physical confrontation. They also noted they heard “Radford use bigoted slurs toward the victim, even talking about wanting to harm him while at the dog park.”
After Radford was charged last year, the defendant maintained a self-defense plea. When the defense asked for the case to be dismissed, the judge denied it. Along with the second-degree murder charge, prosecution is pursuing a hate crime enhancement.
The trial has had several recent developments in the past week, including more testimonies disputing Radford’s self-defense claim. According to the Tampa Bay Times, associate William Genovese recalled that when he spotted Lay, Radford would quickly “try and scare him,” in addition to calling Lay homophobic slurs and making highly aggressive statements such as “I’m going to hit that guy, I’m going to break his jaw.”
Prosecutors have also pointed to inconsistencies in Radford’s story over time. The outlet also reported that when cross-examining the county’s chief medical examiner, it was confirmed that Lay suffered several injuries to the head and face, but “no bruises, scrapes, swelling or other injuries to either of Lay’s hands, other than some slight redness on his right pinky knuckle to indicate that he had been punching someone.”
Radford is set to stand trial on Feb. 7. It is believed that the case will conclude later in the day. The defendant is facing a sentence of 25 years to life in prison after previously rejecting a plea deal that would have included a 15-year prison sentence and 10 years probation for the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Even if the jury finds Radford guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter with a weapon, there is still potential for up to 30 years or a life sentence.
LGBTQ+ advocates are awaiting the verdict. Equality Florida and PFLAG Tampa are among those who will gather at the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The groups are calling on supporters to join them “as we stand in solidarity with his found family and continue to call for #JusticeForWalt.”
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