“He said, ‘I’m going to hit that guy, I’m going to break his jaw,‘” Genovese recalled during the second day of testimony in Radford’s murder trial. He said Radford told him that when he saw Lay, he liked to walk up on him quickly “to try and scare him.”

The suspect accused of a hate crime in the fatal shooting of a gay man at a Tampa dog park was found not guilty of murder, reports said.

Throughout the trial, attorneys argued that Gerald Declan Radford acted in self-defense when he shot and killed John 'Walter' Lay.

After deliberating for about 2½ hours, a six-person jury found that Gerald Declan Radford did not commit second-degree murder when he shot John Walter Lay at the West Dog Park last year. Prosecutors had also sought a hate crime enhancement, arguing Radford was motivated to shoot Lay because he was gay.

A Tampa jury found Gerald Declan Radford not guilty in the deadly shooting at a dog park after just two hours of deliberations. The verdict comes nearly one year after the murder.

A Tampa jury found Gerald Declan Radford not guilty in the deadly shooting at a dog park after just two hours of deliberations. The verdict comes nearly one year after the murder. Aaron Mesmer reports

A Hillsborough County jury found Gerald Declan Radford not guilty for the shooting of a gay man at a Tampa dog park last year.

A Florida man was found not guilty of second-degree murder after a fatal shooting at a Tampa dog park. Gerald Radford testifies in his own defense during a stand-your-ground hearing in Tampa. (Court TV) A jury acquitted Gerald Declan Radford of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 52-year-old John Walter Lay.

The trial of a man accused of targeting and killing another man at a dog park because he was gay began in a Tampa courtroom on Tuesday.

He had no other choice but to defend himself,' defense wins case in dog park shooter trial. Posted: February 7, 2025 \. The jury has found Gerald R