Murder of Anthony Milano
1987 anti-gay murder in Pennsylvania
The murder of Anthony Milano occurred on December 15, 1987, when Richard Laird and Frank Chester killed Milano, a 26-year-old gay man, in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania. According to prosecutors, Laird and Chester decided to murder Milano shortly after meeting him on the night of December 14 because they believed he was gay. Both men were convicted and sentenced to death in May 1988. This reportedly marked the first time in the United States that perpetrators of an anti-gay hate crime received the death penalty. Laird remains on death row, while Chester has since been resentenced to life without parole.
Murder
On the evening of December 14, 1987, Anthony "Tony" Milano, a 26-year-old gay commercial artist from Levittown, entered the Edgely Inn, a bar on Route 13 in Bristol Township, to get a sandwich. Earlier that evening, he had attended Bible study in Fallsington, where he discussed the Beatitudes. At the bar, Milano encountered 24-year-old Richard Laird and 20-year-old Frank Chester. He joined them, and they began chatting. A short time later, Laird started calling Milano names and pressured him into buying shots of vodka and whiskey.
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