TAMPA, Fla. — A Hillsborough County jury found Gerald Declan Radford not guilty for the shooting of a gay man at a Tampa dog park last year.
Radford was charged with second-degree murder for the death of a gay man at a Tampa dog park in 2024.
According to prosecutors, Radford fatally shot Walt Lay last February after witnesses said Radford taunted Lay for months because he was gay.
Radford claimed he shot Lay in self-defense after Lay attacked him, but a judge denied Radford’s motion to have the case dismissed following a stand-your-ground hearing.
Previous Coverage:
- Trial for man charged with murder at Florida dog park begins
- Jurors watch body cam video in trial for man charged with murder at Florida dog park
- Stand-your-ground hearing set for defendant charged with murder of gay man at Florida dog park
- Second-degree murder charges filed against man who killed victim in dog park
- Man fatally shot in Tampa dog park sent video about death threats the day before
NEWS LITERACY WEEK
Excited, idealistic, and not jaded. Those are a few words ABC Action News reporter Michael Paluska would use to describe the USF journalism students he interviewed for News Literacy Week.
