Topic: Matthew Shepard Murder

Summary Matthew Shepard, 21, a freshman at the University of Wyoming died at Poudre Valley Hospital on October 12, 1998. He had been in the hospital for 5 days, after he was found brutally beaten and hanging from a fence where he had been for 18 hours in near-freezing weather. Two men were charged with the attempted murder: Russell Anderson, 21, and Aaron James McKinney, 21. Their girlfriends Chastity Pasley, 21, and Kristen Price, 18, were charged as accessories. Police in Laramie, Wyoming, where the beating took place believe that the crime was motivated by robbery. Investigators, however feel that Matthew was targeted was because he was homosexual.

Hate-Crime Legislation In the last two decades, 21 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that increase penalties for crimes that are committed because of a person's race, religion, color, national origin, and sexual orientation. Another 19 states, including Colorado, do not include sexual orientation in their hate-crime laws. Ten states, including Wyoming, have no hate-crime laws at all. Wyoming has been one of the nation's holdouts, rejecting three hate crimes bills since 1994, most recently in February. But Monday, after Shepard's death, Gov. Jim Geringer appealed to lawmakers to reconsider their opposition. In Washington, Clinton responded to news of Shepard's death by urging Congress to pass the federal Hate Crimes Protection Act, which would make federal offenses of crimes based on sex, disability and sexual orientation.

Time Line 10/07/98 Shepard is found beaten and tied to a fence. 10/12/98 Shepard dies in the hospital. 10/16/98 Shepard's funeral is held in his home town of Casper, Wyoming. Anti-gay protestors rally nearby. 11/10/98 Henderson waives his rights to a preliminary trial. 12/09/98 Price and Pasley plead not guilty to accessory charges. 12/22/99 Pasley changes plea to guilty of accessory charges. 04/05/99 Henderson pleads guilty to felony murder with robbery and kidnapping. He is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without parole. 05/22/99 Pasley sentenced to 15 to 24 months in jail. 11/03/99 McKinney convicted of felony murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery. He was acquitted of first degree murder. 11/05/99 At the request of Judy Shepard (Matthew's Mother) McKinney is spared the death penalty and is sentenced to two life sentences with no possibility of parole and waiver of all rights to appeal. ??11/09/99 Price pleads guilty to a lesser charge and is sentenced to 180 days in jail. She receives 120 days of credit for time already served following her initial arrest, and the remaining 60 days are suspended. 06/20/00 Senate passes a hate-crime bill that includes gays.

Links Henderson Trial on courttv.com McKinney Trial on courttv.com