Scroll To Top
Crime

Florida trial started for man who killed gay neighbor in a dog park

John Walter Lay video diary confession dog park harrasement Gerald Declan Radford mugshot
FOOTAGE STILL VIA ABC NEWS WFTS TAMPA BAY; Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

TK CAPTION

Gerald Declan Radford admits he gunned down John 'Walt' Lay in a Florida dog park but claims the unarmed gay man orchestrated his death.

Support The Advocate
LGBTQ+ stories are more important than ever. Join us in fighting for our future. Support our journalism.

Jury selection is set to begin on Monday in the trial of Gerald Declan Radford, the Florida man who last year shot and killed John ‘Walt’ Lay, an unarmed gay man out walking his dog, NBC affiliate WFLA reports. Radford claims he acted in self-defense, but friends of both men say the killer had harassed Lay for years with homophobic abuse and threats.

Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.

Radford, 66, was arrested in March of last year and charged with second-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement for shooting Lay, 52, on February 2, 2024, at West Dog Park in Tampa. Investigators and friends of both men describe Radford as a virulent homophobe who harassed Lay with threats and anti-gay slurs for months before killing the 54-year-old man out walking his dog, Roxy.

Related: Alleged homophobe not charged after killing gay man in a Florida dog park

Hours before he was gunned down, Lay sent a video to friends detailing one of those alleged death threats received from Radford earlier that morning.

“So this morning while I’m walking, and we’re the only two here, he comes up to me and tells, screams at me, ‘You’re going to die, you’re going to die,’ and I asked him to just leave me alone, and so far he has,” Lay says in the video.

Related: Florida man charged with hate crime after killing a gay man in a dog park

Albert Darlington said he was Lay’s friend and landlord. He recalled several incidents where Radford abused and threatened Lay, and said he doesn’t believe Radford acted to defend himself.

“In my opinion, there’s no way in hell this is really self-defense,” Darlington told the Tampa Bay Times in February. “For over a year, Dec [Radford] has done nothing but harass Walt [Lay]. He screams and hollers and calls him a f*gg*t every time he gets to the dog park. He’ll sit there and he’ll say, ‘I’d like to punch him right in the f*ck*ng mouth.’”

Related: Homophobic Florida killer says victim orchestrated his own attack

In December, Radford had asked for the case to be dismissed on Florida’s “stand your ground” defense, but Judge Barbara Twine Thomas denied the motion. The judge also rejected a request to release Radford from jail while awaiting a trial.

Lay’s dog, Roxy, was rehomed with friends in the area.

The Advocates with Sonia BaghdadyOut / Advocate Magazine - Alan Cumming and Jake Shears

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Donald Padgett