Online Gay Club News
Killer sentenced to death again
By Timothy Cwiek
Richard Roland Laird, the brutal killer of gay artist Anthony Milano, will remain on death row, a Bucks County jury decided Feb. 13.
The jury of seven men and five women took less than two hours to render their decision. Laird, 43, made no comment, but prosecutors praised the verdict, saying Laird deserved to die for his crimes.
In December 1987, Laird and Frank Chester lured Milano to a wooded area in Bristol Township, where they beat and slashed him so severely that the medical examiner couldn’t enumerate the wounds.
In May 1988, both men were found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. However, in September 2001, a federal appeals court vacated Laird’s death sentence, noting numerous errors in Laird’s first trial.
Last week, after five days of testimony, a new jury convicted Laird of first-degree murder. This week, a two-day penalty-phase trial took place, featuring six witnesses who spoke on Laird’s behalf.
Three prison officials said Laird holds a job at the Greene County State Prison, behaves in a trustworthy and responsible manner and receives weekly Communion.
Laird’s brother, Mark, said his brother had several childhood accidents that resulted in permanent brain damage and that he was sexually abused by his father.
Mental-health experts said Laird’s abusive childhood limited his ability to conform to societal norms. ''Laird had a very abusive childhood that affected his functioning as an adult,'' testified Dr. Henry Dee, a psychologist.
However, Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry said Laird’s childhood didn’t make his crimes less terrible.
''A lot of people in the world go through difficult things in their childhood,'' Henry told jurors. ''But those people don’t do the kind of things Richard Laird did to Anthony Milano.''
Defense attorney Keith J. Williams urged jurors to spare Laird’s life.
''Richard Laird was forced to perform oral sex on his father, then he was beaten for it,'' Williams told jurors. ''That produced a person who can’t function on the streets. But he does deserve some sympathy.''
Jacqueline Homan, 39, of Erie, attended almost every day of the trial. She condemned Laird’s crimes, but spoke out against the death sentence.
''Why make a martyr out of this clown?'' she asked. ''Why give him the opportunity for 19 more years of appeals? That just feeds his ego, his desire for attention and his hedonistic personality. Let him languish in a super-max prison without creature comforts — no TV, no job, no Twinkies for dessert. And definitely no chance for release.''
Tommi Avicolli Mecca, a former editor of PGN, attended Laird’s first trial. He also spoke out against the death sentence.
''The death penalty has never been a deterrent,'' Mecca said. ''It’s obvious that we have to figure out another way to deal with murderous instincts. Laird should be in the mental-health system. Maybe we could learn what makes people kill.''
Chester, 39, remains on death row at Graterford State Prison. As he was tried jointly with Laird in 1988, he’s also expected to receive a new trial.
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