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Murder of Anthony Milano

SOLVED1987Bristol Township, Pennsylvania3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Anthony "Tony" Milano was a 26-year-old gay commercial artist from Levittown, Pennsylvania. On the evening of December 14, 1987, after attending a Bible study, he stopped at the Edgely Inn, a bar on Route 13 in Bristol Township, to get a sandwich. There he met Richard Laird, 24, and Frank Chester, 20. Laird began calling Milano names, pressured him into buying rounds of vodka and whiskey, and was overheard telling Chester how much he hated homosexuals. In the early hours of December 15, Milano agreed to drive the two men home in his 1977 Chevrolet Nova; his father later said he may have offered the ride hoping to show goodwill.

Once in the car, Laird and Chester forced Milano to drive them around for 45 minutes while Laird repeatedly struck him. Milano eventually stopped in a wooded lot on the 1300 block of Ashby Avenue. According to trial testimony, Chester attacked Milano first and knocked him down, after which Laird inflicted fatal wounds to his throat. Milano died at the scene. Laird later claimed Chester had delivered the fatal injuries.

Milano's mother reported him missing that afternoon. Around 11:00 p.m., police responding to a car fire found his badly beaten and stabbed body; his car, which Chester and Laird had set ablaze, was located about 85 feet away. In the days after the killing, the two men discussed hiding the body and confided in an acquaintance, Richard Griscavage, who later testified for the prosecution. Police arrested Laird on December 22, 1987. Chester had been interviewed on December 20 but fled and was captured on December 30 after a tip. Both were charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, possession of an instrument of crime, and conspiracy.

Tried together, with each man blaming the other for the fatal wounds, Laird and Chester were convicted, and on May 21, 1988, a Bucks County jury sentenced both to death — reported at the time as the first death sentences in the United States imposed for an anti-gay hate crime. Formal sentencing did not occur until July 19, 1989, when the trial court again imposed death sentences on both men following separate hearings marked by hostility between the co-defendants.

Subsequent legal proceedings spanned decades. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld both convictions and sentences in 1991. Laird's state post-conviction petition was denied, with the state supreme court affirming in 1999, but a federal district court partially granted habeas relief in 2001, vacating his first-degree murder conviction and death sentence. The Third Circuit affirmed in 2005, and Pennsylvania retried Laird, who was again convicted and sentenced to death in 2007. A 2011 execution warrant was stayed to allow further appeals, which were denied through 2016, with the Third Circuit affirming denial of a later habeas petition in 2025. In 2016, Chester accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to first-degree murder and being resentenced to life without parole. Laird remains on death row.

Key facts

Victims
Anthony Milano
Date
1987
Location
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1987-12-14

    Anthony Milano attends Bible study, then enters the Edgely Inn in Bristol Township and meets Richard Laird and Frank Chester.

  2. 1987-12-15

    Milano is forced to drive Laird and Chester around before being beaten and fatally attacked in a wooded lot on Ashby Avenue; his car is set on fire and his body is found by police around 11:00 p.m.

  3. 1987-12-22

    Richard Laird is arrested in connection with Milano's murder.

  4. 1987-12-30

    Frank Chester, who had fled after a December 20 police interview, is captured following a telephone tip.

  5. 1988-05-20

    A Bucks County jury returns guilty verdicts against both Laird and Chester after nearly 12 hours of deliberation.

  6. 1988-05-21

    The jury sentences both Chester and Laird to death, reportedly the first such sentences in the U.S. for an anti-gay hate crime.

  7. 1989-07-19

    The trial court formally sentences both men to death following separate hearings.

  8. 1991

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania upholds both convictions and death sentences.

  9. 1999

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirms denial of Laird's PCRA petition.

  10. 2001

    A federal district court partially grants Laird's habeas petition, vacating his first-degree murder conviction and death sentence.

  11. 2005

    The Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirms the district court's ruling, sending the case back to Pennsylvania state court.

  12. 2007

    Pennsylvania retries Laird, who is again convicted and sentenced to death.

  13. 2011-03

    Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett signs Laird's death warrant, scheduling execution for May 12, 2011.

  14. 2011-04

    A Bucks County court judge and, the following day, a federal district judge grant stays of Laird's execution.

  15. 2015

    The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania affirms denial of Laird's renewed PCRA relief.

  16. 2016

    A federal district court denies Laird's habeas petition; Chester is resentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

  17. 2025

    The Third Circuit affirms denial of Laird's habeas petition.

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People

  • Frank Chester

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of first-degree murder and other charges, initially sentenced to death in 1988; in 2016 pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was resentenced to life without parole.

  • Richard Laird

    CONVICTED

    Convicted of first-degree murder and other charges; sentenced to death in 1988, retried and resentenced to death in 2007; remains on death row.

  • Anthony Milano

    VICTIM

    26-year-old gay commercial artist killed on December 15, 1987, in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Bristol Township, Pennsylvania

40.1029, -74.8593

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Anthony Milano, a 26-year-old gay commercial artist, was beaten and fatally attacked by Richard Laird and Frank Chester in Bristol Township, Pennsylvania, on December 15, 1987, after the men targeted him because he was gay. Both were convicted and sentenced to death in 1988, reportedly the first death sentences imposed in the U.S. for an anti-gay hate crime; Chester was later resentenced to life without parole, while Laird remains on death row.
Where did the murder happen?
Bristol Township, Pennsylvania.
Who was convicted?
Frank Chester (Convicted of first-degree murder and other charges, initially sentenced to death in 1988; in 2016 pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was resentenced to life without parole.) and Richard Laird (Convicted of first-degree murder and other charges; sentenced to death in 1988, retried and resentenced to death in 2007; remains on death row.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Pennsylvania

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Anthony MilanoWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESS2 Sentenced to Death in Antigay KillingThe Washington Post · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSRichard Laird execution for anti-gay hate murder put on hold in Pa.CBS News · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026