Shepard had asked his friends if they wanted to go with him to The Fireside Lounge for a beer but didn't get any takers. His parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard, declined to comment for this story. I try to address those quickly and kind of move on, Osborn said. Price originally was accused of accessory after-the-fact to first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Oct. 9, 1999 : A cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. A contradictory statement from McKinney indicates that Shepard didn't touch him, but looked like he was going to. But I think that nobody wants to believe that hate and violence exist in their community. Shepard, 21, a student at the University of Wyoming, was Earlier in the day, Chasity Pasley, a girlfriend of Henderson's, testified that she saw no indication of drug use by McKinney. Earlier that evening, Shepard had been at a meeting with friends to plan on-campus events for an LGBTQ awareness week, per BBC News. Going into the murder trial, McKinney's lawyers used a defense strategy that involved pointing to McKinney's claim that Shepard touched him (via BBC News). According to Oxygen, Aaron McKinney has never displayed even an ounce of remorse for his crimes, even doubling down. June 11, 2022 Posted by: illustrator graphic design tutorials . ``I cant bring him back. Much love. CORRECTS SPELLING OF PASLEY'S FIRST NAME TO CHASITY INSTEAD OF CHASTITY - FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from left are Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney, and Chasity Pasley, three suspects in the beating death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. But two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. Chasity Pasley, 21, is serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to being an accessory after the fact in the slaying of Matthew Shepard, who was beaten, tied to a fence post. While Shepard became a symbol of the movement toward equality and laws, the state of Wyoming, where the murder took place, remains one of a handful to have not passed laws pertaining to crimes in which a victim's identity, including their sexual identity, served as a motivating factor. He also admitted that when he and Henderson zeroed in on that night at the Fireside Lounge, they did so because he was obviously gay.. Matthew Shepard was a junior in high school at the time and he wrapped up his high school years in Switzerland at The American School, where he studied several foreign languages as well as theater. The case gained national attention and led to calls for the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes law. She also was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, but her trial has been delayed. He helped investigate the Matthew Shepard case and is now the Albany County sheriff. Osborn attributes some of that mentality to peoples desire to be in the know. LARAMIE, Wyo. Twenty years after the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, one of the lead investigators in the case shared with the Coloradoan a letter sent between the suspects who were. (AP) _ The girlfriend of a man who pleaded guilty to killing gay college student Matthew Shepard was sentenced Friday to up to two years in prison for helping to cover up evidence in the killing. When police responded to the fight, Russell and Henderson fled, but police found Shepard's credit card and shoes in McKinney's truck along with the bloody .357 Smith & Wesson pistol used to bludgeon Shepard (via Biography). . Instead, he said, they were out to rob him of money and possibly drugs when they drove him to the edge of town on the night of Oct. 6, 1998. #inline-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { One gay rights activist argues that Henderson has paid his dues for what he described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.. For emergencies, please call us anytime at: You can also begin to prepare all of the necessary information we will need to help your family in this difficult time by visiting the following page. Chasity was a resident of Utah at the time of passing. There were no federal or state laws at the time equipped to deal with violence dealt solely because of a persons sexuality or gender identity. In this Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from left are Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney, and Chasity Pasley, three suspects in the beating to death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. According to the Associated Press, she was sentenced to 15 months to 2 years in prison. Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother Marie Maxfield. McKinney slouched forward at the defense table during The prosecution says it will seek the death penalty for Though investigators who worked on the case have called the book inaccurate, its premise has continued to gain traction 20 years after Shepards death made him a symbol of equal rights. That played a part. Merry . The killers girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. President Barack Obama signed a federal hate crime prevention act named after Shepard in 2009, a law that Shepards mother, Judy Shepard, said has been helpful. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. It never was about us hating Matthew because of who he was.. Because of overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. 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During the fourth day of testimony Thursday, Chasity Pasley -- who was dating McKinney's alleged accomplice, Russell Henderson -- said McKinney told his girlfriend he killed someone and then asked . comment, May her family find comfort and peace, She made a choice that she ultimately paid the price for and I find it sad anyone would come to this forum and post such things, these are the same people that want to preach love, The reality is the truth can be found in the Bible such as John 13:34, Your email address will not be published. The 1998 torture and murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, was a turning point for gay rights in the United States, prompting outrage, sorrow and activism. She received 120 days of credit for time already served following her initial arrest, and the remaining 60 days were suspended. I think about him and every single one of those days that I've had that he hasn't had, his family hasn't had, his friends haven't had. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Crews contend with tons of snow as they work to reopen I-80, Long shifts, odd calls, brutal weather: inside the Wyoming Highway Patrol staffing shortage, Powell sisters die in crash with semi-truck, Rescue operations underway as Wyoming blizzard continues to wreak havoc, Ex-Casper doctor imprisoned for sexually assaulting patients released years early, Wyoming's Jeff Linder coaching his heart out for his dad, seniors Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson, Massive snowdrifts hamper reopening of Interstate 80, Unsolved Laramie murder stuck with NY Times reporter for decades. Once people find out Im from Laramie, Wyoming, they still zero in on this hate crime, said Trudy McCraken, who spoke at the forum and was Laramies mayor at the time of the slaying. Your subscription could not be saved. Livestreaming interviews with inmates is against prison policy, Horan said. He died five days later. Henderson tied Shepard to the fence after McKinney told him to do it, he said. Pasley testified Title: UMKCLAWKM_554e-20190826150502 Created Date: 8/26/2019 3:05:02 PM Perhaps the first thing to know about Laramie, Wyoming, is that it is beautiful. It breaks our hearts when death separates us from the ones we love so much, especially when they are as young as Chasity. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. We're not gay, and we're going to jack you up." For the last 20 years, the work of Wyoming Equality has really been this race, that we want to get to every LGBT person out there, Burlingame said. His friend, Aaron McKinney, is scheduled to go on trial this summer and if convicted could face the death penalty. He later died. According to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Shepard was chosen to be a peer counselor at the school and was known to fight for the acceptance of everyone. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Since then, Henderson has claimed that he followed McKinney's lead and that their crime was not motivated by Shepard's sexual orientation, per the Associated Press. pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murder and is serving November 4, 1999 / 9:24 AM is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and Dennis Shepard's career led the entire family to Dharan, Saudi Arabia for a job. Chasity Pasley, 21, is serving an 18-month prison sentence Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! After that, he mouthed off, so I hit him a few more times and his fag ass died, McKinney wrote. Heres what I can tell you as somebody who was here at the time and had direct knowledge of the case versus what somebody at a bar may have told you, what the person living on your res hall floor might have told you, that they know what really happened., I even had a really good friend of mine once tell me that he knew: Oh, I know what really happened there, and I was kind of amused by that, because at the time he was 5 and living in another town. OMalley said Jimenezs narrative has picked up in steam in Wyoming more than anywhere else. This 1995 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. Matthew Shepard was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1976. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer), 1998: Matthew Shepard. But Jimenez did receive approval for a prerecorded interview with Henderson, which was shown in an edited version at the event, held at Laramies Hilton Garden Inn. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? where a year earlier, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied and pistol whipped into a coma. At no time did we know he was gay until he tried to get on me.. At the bar, he encountered two men, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. 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However, McKinney did speak with actor Greg Pierotti in 2009, for a revival of The Laramie Project, a play centering around the fallout from Shepards murder,according toToday.com. aggravated robbery in the slaying of Shepard. Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to an accessory charge. Her personality and smile would light up a room. The murder of college student Matthew Shepard shocked the nation on multiple levels. Trending News ___ Chasity loved spending time with her son, family, and friends. Nobody wants to believe that we grow children that are capable of hate and violence. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days There, Shepard met Romaine Patterson through a teacher. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. Twelve states plus the District of Columbia are the only places where this defense has been banned. But were also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells. LARAMIE, Wyoming (CNN) -- In sometimes emotional testimony, I dont agree with the gay lifestyle, he said. Today it has fewer women in its Legislature than any other state and remains hesitant to adopt policies to counter anti-gay bias and violence. 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I think about Matthew every single day of my life, Henderson said, according to the Associated Press. Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, cried repeatedly as she was sentenced to 15 months to two years in prison for being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Price was sentenced to 180 days, of which she served 60 days. were arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, while their respective girlfriends, Kristen Price and Chasity Pasley, were also arrested and charged as accessories. Keep up the good work. During that video, which was spliced together from eight shorter clips, Henderson said he did not help kill Shepard because of prejudice. Dave OMalley, who worked on the Shepard investigation and is now the Albany County sheriff, told the Star-Tribune that Jimenezs book would more aptly be titled The Book of Lies., Nothing was in the investigation whatsoever that indicated that Matt was in any way involved in the use or distribution of methamphetamine or any other drugs, OMalley said. Were nowhere near done, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. One gay rights activist argues that Henderson has paid his dues for what he described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Nov. 4, 1999: Judy Shepard stands with Detective Sgt. His accomplice, Russell Henderson, is also serving two consecutive life terms. 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