77-year-old “soulless monster” convicted of a 1987 anti-gay murder

Nearly 37 years ago, a person taking an early morning stroll through Alison Park in Randwick, Australia found the body of 43-year-old martial arts expert Raymond Keam near a men’s restroom. Keam had been stomped to death by a gang who targeted men at the park, a well-known gay cruising spot.

Keam, who was recovering from an injury on the night of the attack, wasn’t known to be gay: He had two kids with his ex-wife and was in a relationship with a woman at the time of the attack. But his murder left his loved ones in pain and with many unanswered questions, especially since no one was ever convicted of his murder… until now.

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Late last month, New South Wales Justice Dina Yehia sentenced 77-year-old Stanley Bruce Early to 22 years in prison for Keam’s murder. Early will be 91 years old when he becomes eligible for parole in 2037. Yehia said there’s a “real chance” that Early will die in prison.

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At the time of the attack, Early was 40 years old, living at a boarding house near the park, and went by the nickname “Spider.” He had been sexually assaulted as a child and struggled with his sexuality. He now identifies as bisexual, and at the time of the murder, he was out of jail on bail for allegedly committing an indecent act against a 12-year-old boy, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

During his sentencing hearing, Justice Yehia said Early had “engaged in serious, violent conduct causing the death of another human being, motivated by a hatred for and prejudice against homosexual men.”

Though there’s no evidence proving that Early dealt the killing blow to Keam, a medical examiner found he was killed by one or more fatal blows to the head. Yehia considered the act premeditated and said that Early’s involvement undoubtedly led to Keam’s death.

“There is no place for such hatred and prejudice in a civilized society,” the judge added, noting that, “The offender continues to deny his involvement in the murder. He has shown no remorse whatsoever.”

During the trial, a detective read a victim impact statement from an anonymous person close to Keam, QNews reported.

The statement called Early “a troubled person who not only murdered [Raymond] and got away with it for many years but he also destroyed the lives of many other gay men for no reason.”

“The soulless monster that murdered him was still out there living his life while [Keam] was buried in the ground,” the statement continued. “Because of you and your desire to ‘clean up’ Alison Park, you stripped the world of a loving father, partner, friend, and mentor.”