Man Charged with Murder 1 Month After Shooting Gay Man at Florida Dog Park: 'Hatred in His Heart'

Mar. 15, 2025

John Walter Lay.Photo:Justice4Walt/ Facebook

Justice4Walt/ Facebook

The man whofatally shot a gay man at a Florida dog parkin early February and claimed he did so in self-defense has been arrested and charged with murder, PEOPLE confirms.

Gerald Declan Radford, 65, shot and killed John Walter Lay, 52, on Feb. 2 at the West Dog Park in Tampa, Fla., the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. More than one months after the shooting, he has now been charged withsecond-degree murder with a hate crime enhancement.

Although Radford initially claimed self-defense in the shooting and was not arrested or immediately charged, friends of Lay previously told PEOPLE they believed Radford — who they allege harassed Lay for more than two years — targeted him, in part because of his sexuality.

John Walter Lay with his dog Fala.Courtesy Photo

Courtesy Photo

Samantha Hitchcock claimed she heard Radford hurl homophobic slurs at both her and Lay on numerous occasions, but said that Lay never initiated fights with Radford, who was also a frequent park goer.

“Walt never instigated anything at all,” Hitchcock told PEOPLE. “He always walked away. He would say, ‘Leave me alone.’ He was just that type of person.”

Another friend, Kim Wolfley, said she received a video from Lay — who friends called Walt — one day before he was killed, where he relays an alleged disturbing encounter he had with Radford that morning.

“So this morning while I’m walking, we’re the only two here, and he comes up to me and 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, which Wolfley didn’t see until after Lay was killed the following day.

“This to me sounds like it was premeditated,” Wolfley told PEOPLE. “It just floored me when I saw the video.”

John Walter Lay and Luna, one of Kim Wolfley’s dogs.Courtesy Photo

“After analyzing the evidence, it was clear that this man acted from hatred within his heart,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement on Friday that announced Radford’s arrest. “A hatred that will not be tolerated within our strong and diverse community.”

More than two months after his death, friends of Lay’s are happy to see that an arrest was made.

“We’re thankful for the thorough investigation and are excited we will hopefully see justice for Walt,” friends and family of Lay told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday.

source: people.com