Frank Chester will die in prison.
The former Tullytown resident was before Bucks County Judge Rea B. Boylan Monday morning at the Justice Center in Doylestown. The 48-year-old man accepted a plea deal that saw him pleading guilty to first degree criminal homicide with life in a state prison without parole. The agreement between Chester and the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office notes Chester would be violating the agreement if he decided to any court action appealing the punishment.
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Chester told the court he agreed to the plea and the stipulations. He added that he would be joining other “lifers” in state prison.
According to authorities, Chester and Richard Laird, formerly of Bristol, escorted 26-year-old artist Anthony Milano from a bar on Route 13 in Bristol Township on December 15, 1987. At some point, they traveled to Bristol Township’s Venice Ashby section in Milano’s mother’s 1976 Chevrolet Nova. It was there Milano’s body was found in a nearby wooded area and the car was found ablaze.
Milano, who prosecutors have said was gay, suffered injuries to his face, neck and shoulder. A medical examiner found Milano was slashed multiple times. The wounds to his neck were so deep that they severed his vertebrae.
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Over the years, prosecutors have said the crime may have been motivated by Milano’s sexual orientation.
Chester and Laird were found guilty of the crime in late 1988 and sentenced to death. However over the years, the men have disputed the findings have regularly argued their case before various judges. Both mens’ conviction and sentences were overturned by a federal judge. Laird was retried and found guilty and sentenced to death.
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As part of the agreement with Chester, the 48 year old will have to testify truthfully in future court actions about the 1987 murder. Following the hearing, Chester said in open court that he has been truthful previously.
Assistant District Attorney Michelle Henry said the district attorney’s office is satisfied with the deal. She said her office looked at the factors in the crime, talked with Milano’s family and the original investigators before making the deal.
No direct family related to Milano is left. A lone observer, detectives, three reporters and a Justice Center staff member attended the guilty plea the hearing before Boylan.
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Chester, who was handcuffed, chuckled while talking with sheriff deputies and others in the courtroom. His familiarity with the system became clear when he greeted the detectives who oversaw the case.
“No. Sorry, boys,” defense attorney Daniel Silverman told reporters seeking comment after the hearing.
