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.
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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.