Her passion of helping others succeed touched many lives. Mckinney was sentenced to two consecutive life prison sentences last week for the October 1998 murder of 21-year-old Shepard. You have permission to edit this article. He died less than a week later, on October 12, 1998, at age 21. pickup truck that allegedly belonged to McKinney. 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. Its a lot easier to say, Oh, well, there must have been another explanation, he said. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Trending News Were nowhere near done, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this, Henderson said. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. "I think about Matthew every single day of my life. Memorial Mountain View Mortuary, Cemetery and Pet Garden, Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary and Cemetery, Cemetery Clean Up Schedule/Rules and Regulations, MEMORIAL MOUNTAIN VIEW MORTUARY, CEMETERY AND PET GARDEN, MEMORIAL LAKE HILLS MORTUARY AND CEMETERY, Copyright 2023 Memorial Mortuaries & Cemeteries. I dont like to spend a lot of time on them. By this point, it was the early morning hours of October 7, and McKinney and Henderson drove Shepard to a rural area where they robbed him and beat him with the butt of a pistol, before tying him to a fence and leaving him behind. Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading. If you have recently experienced a loss we offer our most heartfelt condolences. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. And, in 2018, Albany County Sheriff David OMalley, who investigated Shepards murder 20 yearsbefore, shared a letter written to Henderson by McKinney while the two were both awaiting trial. The murder of college student Matthew Shepard shocked the nation on multiple levels. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. Price was sentenced to 180 days, of which she served 60 days. Henderson pleaded guilty last month to kidnapping and felony murder and was sentenced to consecutive life prison terms. But Henderson did not participate in Tuesdays discussion, aside from a nine-minute prerecorded video. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this.. Pasley testified Henderson's clothes in a gas station Dumpster. Chasity Pasley, 23, could have been sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined up to $3,000 on her guilty plea to being an accessory in the October 1998 slaying of Matthew Shepard, 21. Matthew Shepard was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1976. where a year earlier, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied and pistol whipped into a coma. She said her organization will continue its unapologetic advocacy, reaching out to churches, businesses, legislators and regular citizens about their policies and attitudes. 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. fence post outside Laramie and left to die. As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthews family, and for my family, for all of us, to go through, it opened up all of us to be better people and really think about who we are, Henderson said of Shepards death in a prison interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. Authorities said Henderson and Aaron McKinney, both 21, posed as homosexuals and lured Shepard out of a bar before taking him to a remote area, pistol-whipping him and leaving him tied to a fence in the cold. 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.. 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. police station, sticking to a story she and Price had agreed She said she had misgivings about getting involved and was Really? Due to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. In the letter, McKinney tells Henderson that, at trial, he wants his friend to blame everything on him even alleging that Henderson asked him to stop beating Shepard, and that he was drunk and pointing a cannon at his friend,according to the Coloradoan. He described himself as a follower of others, including the more charismatic McKinney, and was afraid to lose face by doing more to prevent the crime or just going home. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. It never was about that, Henderson said. Shepard and Patterson moved to Denver, Colorado together but returned to Wyoming, at which point he started taking classes in political science and international relations at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Merry . Russell and Henderson. According to Oxygen, on October 6, 1998, Shepard was out at a gay bar in Laramie, Wyoming known as The Fireside Lounge. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your life. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP). (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Prosecutors accused both Price and Chasity Pasley, who was Henderson's girlfiend, of helping dispose of Henderson's bloody clothes. Were nowhere near done, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. He died in a hospital five days later. Pasley wept throughout. June 11, 2022 Posted by: illustrator graphic design tutorials . It breaks our hearts when death separates us from the ones we love so much, especially when they are as young as Chasity. Ashton was her knight and shining armour. I explain in five minutes or so, Here are the many reasons that I dont believe that. Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee I was one lucky sister-in-law to have gained such a beautiful friend, sister. Chastity Pasley. She is survived by her son Ashton, mother Linda (Candy), father Rodney (Donna), Sister Angela (Sylvester), brother Andrew and sister Vera Pasley, many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. She said she lied during questioning later at the Laramie Pasley said she first learned of the beating listening to 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). as a prosecution witness in the trial of Aaron McKinney, who Pac-12 media rights: Our (final) predictions for the revenue, media partners, expansion decisions and more, Denver gang member gave 14-year-old permission to open fire on woman with AR-15 after fender-bender, DA alleges, In 4 years, Lori Lightfoot went from breakout political star to divisive mayor of a Chicago beset by pandemic and crime, Florida lawmakers to consider expansion of so-called dont say gay law, Drone crashes at Disneyland after hovering over visitors heads See video, Rapper Travis Scott wanted for assaulting Manhattan club sound engineer, destroying $12K in equipment, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. "We have been assured that Mr. Clinton and Mr. Gore are firmly behind this legislation, and that they're going to do everything they can to see that it is passed," said Dennis Shepard. But I think that nobody wants to believe that hate and violence exist in their community. In April,. His parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard, declined to comment for this story. LARAMIE, Wyoming When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the United States and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. Twelve states plus the District of Columbia are the only places where this defense has been banned. McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. Twenty years ago, a gay University of Wyoming student was brutally attacked and left to die on a lonely plot of land near Laramie. Celebration of Life Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother 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. The night I did it, I did have hatred for homosexuals, McKinney told Pierotti,according to the Denver Post. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. According to Biography, McKinney would later state that he thought Shepard was dead when they left him, but that wasn't the case; Shepard was still alive, albeit in a coma. The convicted killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, are each serving two consecutive life sentences. Call 896 6000. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. ``I needed to face up to what I did, Pasley said during her sentencing hearing. Henderson, who pleaded guilty to avoid a possible death sentence, is serving his time at a medium-security prison in Torrington, a quiet farming-and-ranching town a few miles from the Nebraska line. (The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP), Oct. 9, 1998: 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. I dont agree with the gay lifestyle, he said. 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Hate Crimes Are Designed To Strike Fear In The Broader Community, Heather Heyer's Mother Recalls The Neo-Nazi Rally That Took Her Life, Harrowing Audio From Portland Train Attack Reveals Depth of Christian's Hate, Extremists Sometimes Hide Behind The First Amendment. She was the last of four defendants arrested following the 1998 beating death of gay University of Wyoming freshman Matthew Shepard. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. The University of Wyoming created its diversity office only last year. I think he has a contribution to make to society, said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Philadelphia-based LGBT group Equality Forum and a former federal prosecutor. McKinney has pleaded innocent and is scheduled to stand trial in August. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. Some of it, though, comes from not wanting to bear the blame for the crime, he said. She was someone Jim Osborn knew well and liked. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,according to a 2018 Associated Press interview. He later died. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were around 21-year-old Shepards age when they chatted him up the evening of Oct. 6 at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Chastity Vera Pasley, the girlfriend of murder suspect Russell Henderson, is pictured in court in Laramie, Wyo., on Friday, Oct. 9, 1998. display: none; After leaving Shepard tied to a fence post in rural Wyoming, Henderson and McKinney returned to Laramie, where they got in a street fight with two other men, according to The Coloradoan. As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthews family, and for my family, for all of us, to go through, it opened up all of us to be better people and really think about who we are, Henderson said of Shepards death in a prison interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. It is among just five states along with Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina that have not passed laws focused on crimes motivated by the victims identity, such as their sexual orientation. However, the judge in McKinney's murder trial would not permit it. And so, for the conspiracy theorists out there, I suppose its good reading. Henderson believes thattheUnited Statesshould revamp its federal hate crime laws to protect everyone, even nearly a decade after the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Both have served time in different states due to overcrowding in Wyoming prisons, with McKinney being held in Mississippi and Henderson currently being held at a prison in Torrington, Wyoming, a small town near the Wyoming-Nebraska border. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and Henderson has taken a victim empathy course, and even written a letter of apology to Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother,Belbersaid. Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this, Henderson said. The convicted killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, are each serving two consecutive life sentences. The acrimony over Shepards legacy runs high here, just as it did when anti-gay and gay-rights protesters squared off at his funeral in Casper. {{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. But there are also people who think Shepard deserved to die because of his sexual orientation and use Jimenezs theory as an excuse for their views, Osborn said. Pasley was one of two women accused of helping McKinney and Henderson dispose of Henderson bloody clothes. of a gay Wyoming college student told jurors Thursday of how October 28, 1999 Matthew had just come from a meeting of his college LGBT association, where the group was planning awareness activities, according to theBBC. She attended Laramie High School in Laramie, Wyoming and later obtained a degree from Stevens Henager College. Ed . Pasley's testimony. Chasity was born on October 4, 1978 and passed away on Tuesday, October 10, 2017. McKinney and Henderson are each serving two consecutive life sentences. 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