John Walter Lay. (Photo via Facebook)
TAMPA | A jury found Gerald Declan Radford not guilty in the fatal shooting of John Walter Lay, a gay man murdered in the Egypt Lake-Leto area’s West Dog Park last year.
The State Attorney’s Office filed second-degree murder charges against Radford in March 2024 after a death investigation was conducted the month prior. They were also seeking a hate crime enhancement.
The state shared at the time that evidence showed Radford “was the aggressor and was motivated by the fact that the victim was a gay man.” If convicted, he faced up to life in prison.
Lay’s friends and family had shared with law enforcement that Radford “had been harassing him at the park for months, hurling homophobic slurs and threatening him.” When announcing the charges, State Attorney Suzy Lopez noted that “we should all be able to enjoy a day at the dog park without the fear of gunfire” and that Lay “deserved to live free from fear and discrimination based on his sexual orientation.
“The evidence shows the defendant’s actions were motivated by hate, and he will be held accountable,” she added.
Radford sought to dismiss the case last December, testifying that Lay repeatedly hit him in the face prior to the shooting. His attorneys cited Florida’s stand-your-ground law in his defense, arguing at this month’s trial that their client acted in self-defense.
Jury selection was held in the case Feb. 3 before jurors heard from the prosecutors and the defense Feb. 4-5. The case’s six-person jury deliberated for around 2.5 hours before acquitting Radford Feb. 6.
“Prosecutors argued that Radford shot Lay during a fight without the legal justification to use deadly force, and was motivated by the fact that Lay was gay,” the Tampa Bay Times reported. “They had to build a case without any eyewitnesses or video surveillance of what unfolded on the morning of Feb. 2, 2024.”
The outlet also noted that Radford’s defense attorney “told jurors in his closing argument that prosecutors presented no evidence that contradicts Radford’s account [in which] Lay was committing felony battery on Radford, which gave him the right to use deadly force.”
Lopez subsequently responded to Radford’s acquittal in a statement.
“While it is not the outcome we sought, we are proud to stand with Walt’s friends and family as we fought for justice together,” the State Attorney shared. “The fact that this victim was forced to endure hatred and prejudice from the defendant based on his sexual orientation shows that our society still has progress to make toward equality.”
