A Florida man accused of a hate crime for killing a gay man is asking a judge to dismiss the charges, saying he acted in self-defense

Summary

Gerald Radford, accused of killing John “Walt” Lay in a hate crime, claims self-defense under Florida’s stand-your-ground law.

Prosecutors dispute Radford’s story, citing witness testimony of months of harassment, homophobic slurs, and a threatening video Lay shared.

The judge will rule on the stand-your-ground motion next week.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    111·
    5 months ago

    Lay shared a video claiming Radford had threatened him at the dog park the day before the shooting. In the video, Lay claimed he had an encounter with Radford at the park and that Radford told him, “You’re going to die.”

    So, because this is Florida, I assume the judge will rule that this is a definite stand-your-ground case. Gotta defend yourself against catching a case of the gays.