Murder of Matthew Shepard

Also known as: Matthew Shepard

Active: 1998–1998
Region: Laramie, Wyoming, USA
States: CO, WY
Kind: Single
Status: Convicted
Victims: 1

Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay University of Wyoming student, was abducted from a Laramie bar on the night of October 6, 1998, by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, who drove him to a rural area east of town, beat him severely and left him tied to a fence. He was found about 18 hours later and died on October 12 at a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Henderson pleaded guilty in April 1999; McKinney was convicted of felony murder by a jury in November 1999. Each received two consecutive life terms, sparing McKinney a possible death sentence at the request of Shepard's parents. His death became a turning point for hate-crime laws, leading to the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.

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Victims

We remember the people whose lives were taken.

Matthew Wayne Shepard, 21 · October 12, 1998
A political science student at the University of Wyoming, born in Casper, whose parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation after his death.

Timeline of locations

October 6, 1998
Fireside Lounge, Laramie (Abduction, approximate area)
McKinney and Henderson met Shepard at the downtown bar late on October 6 and offered him a ride.
October 6, 1998
Fence in the Sherman Hills, east of Laramie (Crime scene, approximate area)
They drove him to ranch land in the Sherman Hills area east of town, beat him and left him tied to a buck-rail fence, where a passing cyclist found him about 18 hours later.
October 7, 1998
Laramie (arrest) (Arrest, approximate area)
Back in town the same night, the two men got into a street fight; police who responded found evidence tying them to Shepard, and both were arrested. Charges were raised to first-degree murder after he died.
October 7, 1998
Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie (Other, approximate area)
Shepard was first taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, then transferred to Colorado.
October 12, 1998
Poudre Valley Hospital, Fort Collins, Colorado (Other, approximate area)
He died at Poudre Valley Hospital early on October 12, 1998, without regaining consciousness.
1999
Wyoming State Penitentiary, Rawlins (Prison, approximate area)
Both men were first held at the state penitentiary in Rawlins, later spent years in out-of-state prisons, and are now back in Wyoming custody.
April 5, 1999
Albany County Courthouse, Laramie (Court / trial, approximate area)
Henderson pleaded guilty here in April 1999. McKinney's jury convicted him of felony murder in November 1999, and he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms under a deal reached before the death-penalty phase.

Watch, listen, read

Watch

The Laramie Project (film, 2002, Moisés Kaufman (HBO))
Matt Shepard Is a Friend of Mine (2014, Michele Josue)

Read

The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed (2009, Judy Shepard)

Sources

Each location also lists its own sources in the data file.