At the time of the killing, McKinney and Price were parents of an infant son. Police said Pasley, Henderson's girlfriend, and Kristen Price, McKinney's girlfriend, provided fake alibis and tried to destroy bloody clothing from the crime. That is one of the last things she told me. taken to a hospital. "As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthew's 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 told the Associated Press in 2018, 20 years after Shepard's murder. loved. Twenty-oneyears after beating Shepard into a coma and leaving him hanging in near-freezing temperatures from a wooden fence for 18 hours, McKinney and Henderson both remain in prison. At a medium-security facility in Torrington, Wyoming, Henderson was working with hospice patients who were also serving jail time, and volunteering training shelter dogs, according to the report. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. By providing an email address. She will be missed dearly and heaven has gained an angel to watch over her loved ones. According to a 2018 Associated Press story posted byThe Mercury News, Sara Burlingame of the advocacy group Wyoming Equality says that the state continues to fight insinuations that Shepard was murdered because he was gay. The next day, a mountain biker found him. The groups work today is the same thing that was there 20 years ago., As recently as Tuesday, days before the anniversary of Shepards death, about 200 people attended a forum in Laramie questioning the prevailing view that he was murdered because of his sexual orientation. Kristen Price, the former girlfriend of Aaron McKinney, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with a police officer. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. (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. 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. 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. 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. Shepard's parents started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor their son and to help parents understand and accept their children who may be questioning their sexuality. The crime focused the national spotlight on hate crimes. I was one lucky sister-in-law to have gained such a beautiful friend, sister. 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. He later died. "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. ", However, his codefendant, Russell Henderson, has a different perspective on the heinous murder the two committed. {{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. Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. display: none; Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to an accessory charge. Perhaps the first thing to know about Laramie, Wyoming, is that it is beautiful. Stephen Jimenez, the events host, is the author of The Book of Matt that alleges drugs and not hate led to Shepards death. Due to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. The Bible reminds us that God sees our pain and sadness and has promised that soon, death will be swallowed up forever. (Isaiah 25:8) He will heal our broken hearts by resurrecting our precious loved ones to life again. Henderson's clothes in a gas station Dumpster. The 21-year-old was taken to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado where he died on October 12, 1998 (via Matthew Shepard Foundation). In this Oct. 9, 1999 file photo, a cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. she learned of the attack and then helped to cover it up. Chasity Vera Pasley is a resident of UT. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. I think he has atoned. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. 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. McKinney is now in a Mississippi prison and not agreeing to interview requests, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. 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. The federal government wouldnt move substantially to address the kind of hatred that took Shepards life for almost 20 years, as explained onOxygensnew special, Uncovered: KilledByHate.. "I think about Matthew every single day of my life. McKinney was last serving his time in a Mississippi prison,as oflate last year, and refusing interview requests,the Associated Pressreported. Chastity Pasley. Twelve states plus the District of Columbia are the only places where this defense has been banned. They have both taken starkly different paths since they were sentenced, however. 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. Henderson has taken a victim empathy course, and even written a letter of apology to Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother,Belbersaid. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Osborn attributes some of that mentality to peoples desire to be in the know. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. 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. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. . Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, Burlingame said. Laramie did not pass an ordinance barring discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity until 2015. Don't miss out on the latest news and information. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Oct. 9, 1999 : A cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. Police said the women helped dump bloody clothing and. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. The killers' girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. Rob DeBree as her husband Dennis reads a statement to the media regarding Aaron McKinney's plea bargain in the murder of Shepard's son Matthew, at the Albany County Courthouse, in Laramie, Wyo. Please know we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and always have a funeral director on call to help answer any questions or concerns. Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. McKinney won mercy from the victim's parents Thursday, who agreed not to press for the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your life. He joined the Star-Tribune in 2016 as the University of Wyoming sports reporter after graduating from the University of Missouri and covering Mizzou athletics for two years. fence post outside Laramie and left to die. Much love. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. 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). Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP). 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. Pasley said she saw blood and a "fleshy" substance on one Russell Henderson looks on during a prison interview at Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution. What Matthew Shepards killer has to say, 20, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, 20 years after killing Matthew Shepard, what Russell Henderson has to say, Matthew Shepards parents prepare to lay their son to rest at National Cathedral. 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. In April, Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. His frailty, McKinney told Pierotti. 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