Ordinary Boy
This page contains Part One of the information about Matthew Shepard that we would like to share with our community. These pages were prepared by Nicholas Sienkiewicz, Abby Henkel, and Patty Ingham with guidance and resources from the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Bloomington Chamber Singers will perform Considering Matthew Shepard on October 9 & 10, 2021 in Bloomington, IN. Click here for more information.
Laramie, Wy.
Laramie sits on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming, surrounded by forests to the south and mountains to the West and East. Originally a “hell-on-wheels” style tent city, Laramie was organized as a town in 1870 and has a long and rich history. Wyoming was the first state to grant voting rights to women and Laramie was home to the first woman in America to cast a vote, Louisa Swain. By 1998 it boasted a population of 27,425 residents. Today, Laramie is home to the University of Wyoming and a large number of locally owned businesses.
Outside Laramie
A railyard in Laramie
The Life of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard was born on December 1, 1976 in Casper, Wyoming to Judy and Dennis Shepard. Eventually a younger brother named Logan joined the family. During his youth, the Shepards traveled as a family, once moving to Saudi Arabia where Dennis worked for a time. After high school, Matt attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie, where he studied political science, foreign relations, and languages. He was a passionate advocate for equality.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyoming
Matt as a toddler
The Death of Matthew Shepard
Just after midnight on October 7, 1998, Matt went to the Fireside bar where he met Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson. After allegedly offering to give Shepard a ride home, the two men brought Matthew to a remote location. There, they tied him to a buck fence and beat him with the back of a .357 Magnum pistol nearly 21 times. Matt remained on the fence in the frigid cold for 18 hours, when his body was discovered. Matthew Shepard died in hospital on October 12, 1998.
The Fireside Bar
The view from the fence
The Trial
The trials took place in the Albany County Courthouse (pictured) beginning on December 2, 1998. The prosecution argued that the murder was premeditated; driven by greed and homophobia. In court, the defense used the gay panic defense, arguing that McKinney killed Matthew under the law after Shepard had made sexual advances towards him. The claims made by the defense lacked evidence in court. McKinney was convicted of felony murder; Henderson was convicted of accessory to murder. Each is serving two consecutive life sentences. In an interview with Greg Pierotti, McKinney said “Matt Shepard needed killing,” “The night I did it, I did have hatred for homosexuals.”
Sources
“Laramie Facts & Figures.” Visit Laramie. Accessed September 24, 2021. https://www.visitlaramie.org/plan-your-visit/facts-and-figures/
Population for Wyoming, Counties, Cities, and Towns: 1990 to 2000 § (n.d.).
“Our Story.” Matthew Shepard Foundation, May 20, 2020. https://www.matthewshepard.org/about-us/our-story/
Udell, Erin. “Matthew Shepard's Murder: A Timeline of 1998 Events That Led to and Followed His Death.” The Coloradoan. The Coloradoan, October 12, 2018. https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2018/10/03/matthew-shepards-murder-timeline-1998/1516482002/
Sheerin, Jude. “Matthew Shepard: The Murder That Changed America.” BBC News. BBC, October 26, 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45968606
