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| Matthew Shepard By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? curid=27462510 |
Matthew Shepard was born December 1st, 1976. He was born to Dennis and Judy Shepard in Casper, Wyoming. He was the oldest of two boys. His family moved around because of his father's job. He was sent to a boarding school in Switzerland and graduated in May 1995. He came out to his parents as a teenager. He had an awareness of hate crimes and worried. He was attacked, robbed and raped on a class trip to Morocco in 1996. His young life had been shaken by that event. Sadly, the worst was still to come.
In 1998 he had settled in Denver, Colorado and was attending the University of Wyoming. On October 6th, 1998 he was in the Fireside Lounge in Laramie, Wyoming. He was approached by two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. They led him to believe they were also gay and convinced him to leave with them. When they got him away from the bar they drove away from the town and into the rural area of Laramie. Aaron McKinney told him he wasn't gay and hit him over the head with the gun he had. The plan had been to rob him originally. Something else came over them that night. Evil, terror and violence would ensue. These two awful human beings took Matthew to a deserted field, tied him to a fence and beat him to near death. They left him there to die. He was found the next day and was taken to Poudre Valley Hospital. He died six days later from his injuries. The cause of death was ruled murder by blunt force trauma. This young man of 21 had lost his life due to a hate crime. I feel that was what Aaron had in his mind the whole time.
The police tracked down Aaron and Russell due to another fight they got into in another part of town the same night. They found Matthew's debit card in their car. There was alot of physical evidence against them. Their girlfriends were both charged as accessories for lying to police and trying to cover up the murder.
This case was filled and surrounded by hate. It fueled emotions for me and anger. It was the first time I learned of anther hate group that I never knew about before this case, The Westboro Baptist Church and Fred Phelps.On October 16th 1998 they held a funeral for Matthew. The Westboro Baptist church protested his funeral with awful signs depicting the gay lifestyle as a sin and had picket signs reading slanderous sayings. They resurfaced during the trial of Aaron McKinney and a group organized a counter protest dressed as angels and spread their wings to block the demonstration of Westboro Baptist church. It was beautiful the way they silenced the hate of Fred Phelps.
On April 5th 1999, Russell Henderson agreed to plea guilty to first degree murder and kidnapping to escape the death penalty. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with no possibility of parole. Aaron McKinney went to trial on October 12th 1999. His attorney used the "gay panic" defense. He claimed that Matthew had came onto him and he killed him due to that fact. He was found guilty of first degree murder and kidnapping. He was facing the death penalty. The parents of Matthew Shepard decided they would show compassion. In my opinion that showed what wonderful people they were under the circumstances. They lost a part of themselves when Matt died. That was their son, their first born. Yet they decided to not invoke the death penalty, even though I know in my heart they wanted to.
They agreed to two consecutive life terms with no possibility of parole.
With both men behind bars for the rest of their life, the spotlight on hate crime was brighter than ever. Matthew became a poster boy for the movement. His death allowed hate crime legislation to be passed by Barack Obama in 2009. His parents started the Matthew Shepard Foundation. It is wonderful organization that promotes equality to all. I plan to link the foundation below if anyone would like to contribute.The Laramie Project is a play and retelling of the Matthew Shepard story. It promotes thoughtful discussions about the case and the people impacted by this crime.
Matthew's parents waited 20 years to lay their son's ashes to rest. They feared that in Wyoming it may be vandalized. They were approached by The Washington National Cathedral and accepted with pride that their son could finally be at peace. The church was filled and showed him great respect and honor in October 2018.
Hate crimes among the gay community and the injustice of equality is still going on today. People should be accepted for who they are and be comfortable living their truth without fear of retribution. I still see so much hate towards the LGBTQ community and it angers me so much, I will always be a supportive person for anyone who is being mistreated by living their truth. I am also supportive of all minorities and people of color who also face hate crimes against them. I hope Matthew's death continues to shine a light on what needs to be done for equality and acceptance. May he rest in peace and may his message ring true for decades to come.
The Matthew Shepard Foundation
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