I think he has atoned. Chasity was a resident of Utah at the time of passing. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The foundation also pushed for the passage of the United States' first piece of federal hate crime legislation the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. It never was about that, Henderson said. (AP) When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. According to Oxygen, Aaron McKinney has never displayed even an ounce of remorse for his crimes, even doubling down. Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation, Man arrested after explosives found in bag at Pa. airport. The event was billed as an examination of what the media got wrong in its coverage of Shepards murder. I am so sorry for your loss. McKinney and Henderson are each serving two consecutive life sentences. 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. Pasley, Hendersons girlfriend, was sentenced to 18 months, of which she served 6 months. #inline-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { I'm so, so ashamed I was ever part of this.". The murder of Shepard was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Nov. 4, 1999: Judy Shepard stands with Detective Sgt. She married Randy Haines and her greatest accomplishment was the birth of her son Ashton Lemar Nephi Haines on August 13, 2008. According to the BBC, McKinney himself said that he became angry when Shepard placed his hand on his leg, even saying that he told Shepard, "Guess what? 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. The killers girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. He faces the death penalty if convicted of murder. I think about Matthew every single day of my life. McKinney is now in a Mississippi prison and not agreeing to interview requests, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. I know she is moving forward in her existence and making strides in her own eternal progress. But were also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells. LARAMIE, Wyo. I love you Chasity until we see each other again. 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. 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. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. Shane Sanderson joined the Star-Tribune in 2017. Still, he insisted, neither he nor McKinney was motivated by anti-gay hatred when they offered Shepard a ride home from a bar. From left . Henderson reiterated that he was deeply sorry for Shepards murder. I think about Matthew every single day of my life, Henderson said, according to the Associated Press. Im sorry.. McKinney is now in a Mississippi prison and not agreeing to interview requests, according to the Wyoming Department of Corrections. I think he has atoned. Prosecutors accused both Price and Chasity Pasley, who was Henderson's girlfiend, of helping dispose of Henderson's bloody clothes. Stephen Jimenez, the events host, is the author of The Book of Matt that alleges drugs and not hate led to Shepards death. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File). The University of Wyoming created its diversity office only last year. Related Articles display: none; So, it was amusing that he tried to tell me that he knew better than I did the facts of the case.. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days ", However, his codefendant, Russell Henderson, has a different perspective on the heinous murder the two committed. Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. 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. To find out more, please click this link. ", Judge may bar 'gay panic' defense in Wyoming beating trial, 1 year after Shepard killing, tougher hate crimes laws still sought, First defendant gets life in gay student killing, Woman changes plea, admits helping gay student's accused killers, Fighting Hate Across the Nation -- Leadership Conference Education Fund. (Dennis Shepard/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP), Matthew Shepard with his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard in an undated photo. We're not gay, and we're going to jack you up." ___ 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.. fence post outside Laramie and left to die. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! display: block; Because of overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. Pasley faced up to three years in prison. She said they hid expensive new During that video, which was spliced together from eight shorter clips, Henderson said he did not help kill Shepard because of prejudice. She said she lied during questioning later at the Laramie 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). She was born on October 4, 1978 in Salt Lake City to Rodney Pasley and Linda Larsen. Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. 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. When two roofing workers beat a young gay man and left him to die in Wyoming, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. 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. He died in a hospital five days later. Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, Burlingame said. Chastity Vera Pasley, the girlfriend of murder suspect Russell Henderson, is pictured in court in Laramie, Wyo., on Friday, Oct. 9, 1998. I explain in five minutes or so, Here are the many reasons that I dont believe that. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect arrived outside the apartment she shared with Henderson. Both Henderson and McKinney were found guilty of murdering Shepard and were both sentenced to life in prison. Two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred up by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. Merry . That is one of the last things she told me. 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. taken to a hospital. By providing an email address. There was a problem saving your notification. Henderson and McKinney are serving life sentences for Matthew Shepard's murder. Twenty years on, its a heck of a lot closer to being a place where people can enjoy their lives more or less equally, said Marsden, who was a newspaper reporter and friend of Shepards at the time of his killing. Because of overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. ``I cant bring him back. LARAMIE, Wyo. ___. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. Osborn attributes some of that mentality to peoples desire to be in the know. 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. The night I did it, I did have hatred for homosexuals. His parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard, declined to comment for this story. 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. LARAMIE, Wyo. The next day, a mountain biker found him, at first mistaking him for a scarecrow. June 11, 2022 Posted by: illustrator graphic design tutorials . Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. 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