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Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Gay Bias Murder Conviction

10/11/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Richard Roland Laird's first-degree murder conviction and death sentence for the 1987 murder of Anthony Milano, marking the first death sentence for a murder motivated by anti-gay bias.
Laird and accomplice Frank Chester were convicted in 1989 after Milano was brutally attacked in Bristol Township.
Despite multiple appeals, the Court denied Laird's final petition, confirming the validity of his conviction.
Pennsylvania has had a moratorium on executions since 2015, so Laird will not face execution soon.

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Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Richard Roland Laird's first-degree murder conviction and death sentence for the 1987 murder of Anthony Milano, marking the first death sentence for a murder motivated by anti-gay bias.
Laird and accomplice Frank Chester were convicted in 1989 after Milano was brutally attacked in Bristol Township.
Despite multiple appeals, the Court denied Laird's final petition, confirming the validity of his conviction.
Pennsylvania has had a moratorium on executions since 2015, so Laird will not face execution soon.