Milano’s killer appeals to Third Circuit
Attorneys for Frank R. Chester, who participated in the grisly slashing death of gay artist Anthony Milano in 1987, continued to seek his freedom by filing an appeal with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
The appeal was filed Oct. 23.
In 1988, a Bucks County jury found Chester and Richard R. Laird guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced them to death.
But in 2011, U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones 2d vacated Chester’s first-degree murder conviction, citing faulty jury instructions.
Chester also wanted Jones to vacate his lesser convictions — including second-degree murder and kidnapping — so that he can be released from prison.
On Oct. 8, Jones denied Chester’s request, which is the ruling Chester’s attorneys appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.
Chester, 45, is temporarily incarcerated at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia.
In 2006, prosecutors retried Laird for first-degree murder, and a Bucks County jury re-sentenced him to death.
Laird, 50, remains on death row at the state prison in Franklin Township.
Tobits still waiting for money
Jennifer Tobits, a lesbian widow who has been seeking the death benefits of her deceased wife for three years, continues to wait for the money she’s entitled to.
Last summer, her estranged in-laws, Joan and David Farley, who also wanted the money, dropped their appeal in the case.
In August, Cozen O’Connor, the employer of Tobits’ deceased wife Sarah Ellyn Farley, deposited the disputed funds totaling $43,833.35 in a court registry.
The following month, U.S. District Judge C. Darnell Jones 2d formally closed the case, after ruling in favor of Tobits.
But the funds haven’t been disbursed to Tobits.
This week, a court-registry spokesperson, who asked to be anonymous, said the funds would be disbursed to Tobits within the next few weeks.
Christopher F. Stoll, an attorney for Tobits, said getting the money to her is “the final administrative detail that needs to be completed.”
He said Tobits is holding up well, under the circumstances.
“She is just happy to have the lawsuit over with and to know the court ruled that the employer needs to respect her marriage,” Stoll said.
Tobits and Farley lived in Illinois and were married in Canada in 2006.
Farley worked at Cozen O’Connor as an attorney before her death in 2010.
Farley’s parents argued that they were entitled to their daughter’s death benefits, since the couple’s marriage wasn’t recognized in Illinois or Pennsylvania.
But Jones sided with Tobits, stating there could be “no doubt” that Tobits is Farley’s surviving spouse.
The case was adjudicated in Pennsylvania because Cozen is headquartered in Philadelphia.
— Tim Cwiek
William Way hosts adoption event
The LGBTQ Wellness Resource Awareness Center, an online resource bank, will partner with the William Way LGBT Community Center to celebrate National Adoption Month.
LWRAC and William Way will host an adoption and foster awareness event from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 16 at 1315 Spruce St.
The event will bring Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network-affiliated agencies to talk with potential parents about the adoption and foster process.
The event is free to the public.
For more information, visit www.lwrac.org.
Theater co. stages fundraiser
The gay-owned Center City Theatre Works will present “Thunder Showers & Summer Clearance,” a 1970s disco dance fundraiser, from 7:30-11:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Old Pine Community Center, 401 Lombard St. The event will raise funds for the company’s spring production, “They’re Playing Our Song,” which will play at the Skybox at the Adrienne from April 9-26. Tickets are $21 in advance and $25 at the door, and the event will include a costume contest, raffle and auction, 1970s-themed signature cocktails, food and dancing. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.centercitytheatreworks.org.
Focus on family
Family Service Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Rainbow Alliance will join for a conference in honor of National Family Week. “LGBTQA United Together: Individuals, Families, Communities” will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Genetti Hotel & Conference Center in Wilkes-Barre. The conference will feature workshops on topics such as the coming-out process, safe schools, workplace discrimination, LGBT hate crimes and local LGBT advocacy efforts. Resource tables will also be available at the conference. General registration is $15 and student registration is $10. For more information, visit www.gaynepa.com/educational_conference.
— Angela Thomas