Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was born on December 1, 1976 and died on October 12, 1998 at the young age of 21. Shepard died so young because he was murdered for the simple reason of his sexuality. The issue of hate crimes against homosexual individuals is a current and ongoing issue in the United States. Although, Shepard had die his murder helped to impact the government’s regulation on hate crimes against homosexuals. On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie Wyoming. McKinney and Henderson had agreed to give Shepard a ride but instead of taking him home they drove the car to a remote, rural area where they then robbed, pistol whipped and tortured Shepard and then left him to die. Eighteen hours later Shepard was found still tied to the fence however he was in a coma. The first police officer on the scene was Reggie Fluty who found Shepard alive but covered in blood. Shepard suffered fractures to the back of his head and in front of his ear, and he also experienced extreme brainstem damage which affects the body’s ability to function normally. The injuries that Shepard sustained were too severe for the doctors to operate and Shepard never regained consciousness and died on October 12, 1998 at 12:53 a.m. Police arrested McKinney and Henderson shortly after the attack and found the bloody gun and Shepard’s shoes in their truck. During the trial both of the defendants’ girlfriends testified against them saying that they had picked Shepard as their target on the whole basis of his sexuality. Both men were found guilty of all charges and given two consecutive life- terms without any chance of parole. Neither McKinney nor Henderson were charged with a hate crime because in the state of Wyoming there was no state or federal law. In October 2009, the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Boyd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
Matthew Wayne Shepard was born on December 1, 1976 and died on October 12, 1998 at the young age of 21. Shepard died so young because he was murdered for the simple reason of his sexuality. The issue of hate crimes against homosexual individuals is a current and ongoing issue in the United States. Although, Shepard had die his murder helped to impact the government’s regulation on hate crimes against homosexuals. On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie Wyoming. McKinney and Henderson had agreed to give Shepard a ride but instead of taking him home they drove the car to a remote, rural area where they then robbed, pistol whipped and tortured Shepard and then left him to die. Eighteen hours later Shepard was found still tied to the fence however he was in a coma. The first police officer on the scene was Reggie Fluty who found Shepard alive but covered in blood. Shepard suffered fractures to the back of his head and in front of his ear, and he also experienced extreme brainstem damage which affects the body’s ability to function normally. The injuries that Shepard sustained were too severe for the doctors to operate and Shepard never regained consciousness and died on October 12, 1998 at 12:53 a.m. Police arrested McKinney and Henderson shortly after the attack and found the bloody gun and Shepard’s shoes in their truck. During the trial both of the defendants’ girlfriends testified against them saying that they had picked Shepard as their target on the whole basis of his sexuality. Both men were found guilty of all charges and given two consecutive life- terms without any chance of parole. Neither McKinney nor Henderson were charged with a hate crime because in the state of Wyoming there was no state or federal law. In October 2009, the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Boyd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.