Shepard, Matthew (1976-1998)

Matthew Shepard (born December 1, 1976, in Casper, Wyoming) was attacked on October 7, 1998, in a widely publicized anti-gay hate crime in Laramie, Wyoming. He was severely beaten in a remote area, tied to a fence, and died from his injuries on October 12. At the time, he was a student at the University of Wyoming with hopes of entering the foreign service.

Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were arrested for the robbery and murder of Matthew. Matthew's shoes, wallet, and the gun used to beat him were found in their possession. McKinney and Henderson changed their story three times. Initially, the two men said they had been with their girlfriends, but their girlfriends did not support that alibi. During the trial, McKinney and Henderson used the “gay panic defense,” claiming that Matthew made advances toward them and this angered them. After [Page 794]their imprisonment, they changed their story and claimed in a 20/20 interview they were high on drugs and their plan had been robbery but not murder.

Henderson pled guilty and testified against McKinney to avoid the death penalty. He was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole in 1999. McKinney went to trial and was found guilty of two counts of felony murder. He also received two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole after Matthew's parents intervened and requested he not receive the death penalty so that he had “life in memory of one who no longer lives.”

Response by media and the public was remarkable. Candlelight vigils were held while Matthew lay unconscious in intensive care. The Reverend Fred Phelps picketed Matthew's funeral and the trial, holding anti-gay signs such as “God Hates Fags,” and “Matt Shepard rots in Hell.” In a creative counter-protest, a friend of Matthew's, Romaine Patterson, organized a group wearing white robes and angel's wings to block the protestors from view.

This murder galvanized lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) groups and supporters of hate crime legislation. There are three movies and countless songs about Matthew's death. His murder raised the profile for efforts to pass hate crimes legislation. In 1999, President Bill Clinton tried to have sexual orientation incorporated into federal hate crime legislation, but this effort failed. Hate crime legislation varies by state, and in May 2005 the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (LLEEA) was introduced into both houses of Congress to expand federal protection to sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and disability. In 2007, the act was renamed the Matthew Shepard Act, and on May 3, the bill passed the House of Representatives, 237 to 180, and the bill passed the Senate on September 3. As of this printing (2008), the act is still waiting to be signed into law by the executive branch of the U.S government.

Matthew's parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, founded the nonprofit Matthew Shepard Foundation at the end of 1998 to honor Matthew and to increase public visibility around issues of respect and dignity