SPECIAL REPORT
Last Updated at 7:36 PM, October 9, 1998
by Jay O'Brien and Eric Rohr
BI writers
Beaten and strung up to a buck fence, UW student Matthew Shepard was found unconscious by two bicyclists on Snowy Mountain View Road Wednesday afternoon.
Shepard, 22, was laying in a coma at press time after being found in what the Laramie Police Department and Albany County Sheriff's office have deemed an alleged murder attempt. Three suspects were named in connection with the crime.
Albany County Sheriff Gary Puls said Russell Arthur Henderson, 21, Chastity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18, have all been charged in connection with the attempted murder of Shepard at a press conference Oct. 8.
Puls said Shepard, who suffered severe head trauma, was unconscious upon discovery and was still unconscious at press time. Puls said Shepard was found tied to a fence approximately one mile northeast of Laramie, near Snowy Mountain View Road at about 6:22 p.m. Oct. 7.
Shepard was taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital and later transported to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., where he is listed in critical condition and on life-support.
"They're not expecting him to ever wake up," Walter Boulden, a friend of the victim, said.
Boulden said he believes the crime was motivated by hate. "There is no maybe," he said.
Henderson, charged with attempted first degree murder, is being held at the Albany County Detention Center pending formal arraignment today.
Pasley, a UW student and employee in the Wyoming Union Campus Activities Center, and Price are also being held at the detention center for charges of accessory after the fact-attempted first degree murder.
Puls said he anticipates additional arrests.
An alleged aggravated assault which occurred approximately at 1 a.m.
Oct. 7 in the vicinity of 7th and Harney led officers to the suspects,
Puls said.
Four suspects charged in attempted murder case
by Jay O'Brien
BI correspondent
The Albany County courthouse was packed when three of the four suspects were arraigned Oct. 9 in connection with the attempted murder of a UW student in an apparent hate crime attack.
Since the Oct. 8 press conference a fourth suspect has been arrested.
Charges were officially filed against Russell Arthur Henderson, 21,
Chastity Vera Pasley, 20, and Aaron James McKinney, 22. Henderson and McKinney,
the most recently apprehended, have been charged with three felony counts
of kidnapping, aggravated robbery and attempted first degree murder of
Matthew Shepard, and Pasley and Kristen Leann Price have been charged with
accessory after the fact to attempted first degree murder.
Shepard and Pasley are both UW students.
Albany County Judge Robert Castor read the list of charges which include attempted first degree murder.
Reading from court documents, Castor said Shepard was "struck in the head with a pistol," and the suspects allegedly "beat him, while he begged for his life."
Walt Boulden, a friend of Shepard, said after the Oct. 8 press conference, "My understanding was that the perpetrators led him to believe they were gay, and he said that he was."
Jim D. Osborn, the adviser of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gender Association (LGBTA), said, "It was a hate crime, he was beaten for no other reason than he was gay."
Albany County Sheriff Gary Puls said Shepard was found by two bicyclists on Snowy Mountain View Road Oct. 7 at 6:22 p.m., hanging from a buck fence, beaten and unconscious.
Shepard is unconscious and in critical condition at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo. A release from Poudre Valley Hospital said Shepard remains on a ventilator.
"If [Shepard] does pass away it will be first degree murder," Puls said Oct. 8.
A credit card and patten-leather shoes, which belonged to Shepard, were found in a pick-up along with the a .357 magnum covered with blood. The pick-up belonged to McKinney's father. Shepard's wallet was also found hidden in McKinney's house, according to court documents Castor read.
Henderson and McKinney both could face life in prison for the attempted murder, 20 years to life in prison for kidnapping and five to 25 years for aggravated robbery. If Shepard were to die, the suspects could be given life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of murder in the first degree.
Pasley's bond was set at $30,000, and Henderson and McKinney's bonds have been set at $100,000 each.
Henderson and McKinney will appear in court Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. for a preliminary hearing, and Pasley, who waived her arraignment, will appear in court Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. No comment was given in regard to the conditions of Price's legal position.
Osbourn said the "incident comes as a great shock," LGBTA is continuing the next week's Gay Awareness Week activities.
"I do not want to turn Matt into a martyr," he said. "I respect him
too much for that."
Opinion...
Call to action
By Shannon Rexroat
BI editor-in-chief
A single heinous act has taken away our safety and sense of security.
Walking across UW's campus yesterday in the dark was an easy task. One I had done numerous times without thinking about it. By Thursday night all that was shattered. Although the senseless brutal beating of Matt Shepard did not take place on campus, it nonetheless hit at its heart. Students and Laramie residents are shocked and angered at what happened to Matt.
We live in the Equality State. That means nothing to me anymore. We live in a state where a young man was brutally beaten because he is gay.
We are all helpless victims of hate and Matt lies in a hospital fighting for his life. UW students and Laramie citizens are struggling for answers and ways to help.
This is the time for us to pull together. UW is a conservative campus that is rarely, if ever, outspoken on anything. Now is the time to show our outrage in a constructive fashion showing we won't put up with acts of hate. The country is watching and waiting to see how we react and what we do. We need to live up to our nickname.
We can choose to believe we live in a safe place or we can realize that up until now we have been ignorant to the fact that we are like everyone else. We are no longer immune. Matt could have been any one of us.
Students need to take an active role to show their intolerance of this crime. A group of students will be marching in the Homecoming parade Saturday morning. To show your outrage participate by meeting in Prexy's Pasture at 8 a.m. Wear an armband at the football game Saturday provided by the Multi-cultural Resource Center. The band is yellow like those worn for the Oklahmoa City Bombing with green circles on it as a sign of peace. Meet at Prexy's Pasture Saturday at 7 p.m. as show of support for Matt and his family.
We can do more than just sit and wait to see what happens. Whoever did
this to Matt, wherever they are, waiting is all they have left.
Media storms UW campus
By Julie A. Corzine
BI Correspondent
The recent assault of Matthew Shepard has startled attention in the national media.
Jim Kearns, manager for the University of Wyoming News Service, said they have been "dealing with the universities' response to this." He also said the news service has been contacted by all the major television networks, various news magazines and some of the television news magazines.
Kearns said that most news services were calling to confirm the identities of the suspects and the victim, as well as their affiliation to campus, if any.
Natalia Devan with K-2 in Cheyenne, an NBC affiliate covering the story, said of the incident, "It's probably one of the bigger stories not because someone got hurt but because it's a hate crime."
In the past 24 hours the story has made news throughout the country.
"People in Denver heard about it this morning and [there are] just shock waves through Denver," said Irene O'Connor, a reporter with WB-2 News in Denver. "We came up to cover it because it's something people in Denver are concerned about. They care about it."
"It's student involved and the interest is the gay connection," said
Ed Andrieski, a photographer with the Denver Office of the Associated Press,
about the interest in the story. "Everybody in the world is interested.
It seems slow in the news world it seems like and people want other things
in their newspaper beside Clinton."
Dubois speaks on Shepard attack
By Sarah Jordan
BI correspondent
Throughout the nation, people are shocked and outraged by the recent hate crimes against Matthew Shepard. On the University of Wyoming campus, students and faculty walked around slightly preoccupied on Friday. They were followed by television cameras from all over the country.
"As a father, I was most saddened," UW President Philip Dubois said in a press conference Friday. "We are always concerned about the safety of our children."
Dubois also said there are no similar attacks on record.
The response of the rest of the university community has been intense.
At the same press conference, Jim D. Osborn, President of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-Gendered Association (LGBTA), gave a speech expressing concerns about Shepard's well-being and the great loss felt by the group. A friend of Shepard's who requested anonymity said that Shepard embraced love and peace. Several people in the crowd cried, and a few women carried "no hate" signs throughout the conference.
University programs extolling sensitivity and diversity are in the works.
Shepard was a first-semester political science major, having previously attended Casper College. Pasley was a second-year freshman majoring in art. None of the other accused were students.
Dubois said, "There was nothing the school could have or should have done," to prevent this crime.
"(The crime was) not reflective of the values of our university population
or the Laramie community... Our first concern is with Matthew's family."
Friends dispute Shepard's openness on sexuality
by Eric Rohr
BI staff writer
The media's portrayal of UW student Matt Shepard as being openly gay is simply not accurate as far as his long-time friend Walter Boulden is concerned.
Shepard, a 22-year-old UW student, is on life support at Poudre Valley Hospital, after attackers left him beaten and tied spread eagle to a buck fence outside of Laramie City limits in an apparent hate crime.
"Matt wasn't openly gay," Boulden said. "He didn't tell people in his class he was gay. He was the kind of guy who would just walk into a room and people would think he was gay just because he was slightly built, rather feminine."
Although he wasn't open about his sexuality, Boulden said, "He certainly didn't try to hide it if somebody asked him directly."
Shepard had been to the Fireside Lounge in Laramie on the night of the incident. Suspects Russell Hendersen and Aaron McKinney apparently led Shepard to believe they were gay, and Shepard said he was as well. The two allegedly persuaded Shepard to leave with them in their car.
"I didn't notice any confrontation, and there wasn't enough people to not notice," said Matt Galloway, bartender at the Fireside the night of the incident.
But Boulden said Shepard was "not the kind of person who goes to bars and tries to pick people up. Matt absolutely did not do one night stands 'cause of this stuff.
"He likes meeting other gay people, so he could talk about the experience and the struggle," Boulden said.
"Matt is an incredible human being," said Jim D. Osborn, president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Association. "He smiles every time you see him. I've never seen him without a smile on his face. He can lighten your day in two minutes."
Shepard, born and raised in Casper, Wyo., attended Natrona County High School, until his sophomore year, when his parents moved to Saudi Arabia because of his father's employment with an oil company. He finished his high school career in Switzerland and spent time on the East coast and in Denver before deciding to attend University of Wyoming.
"Just last week he was talking about how glad he was that he had made the decision he made, that he was incredibly comfortable here, felt safe for the first time," Boulden said.
Shepard's parents knew of his sexual orientation, but "I don't know how accepting they are of it, and I think that's been an issue between them, and I think it's something they're really going to struggle with," Boulden said.
Shepard's parents were in Saudi Arabia at the time of the attack and
are expected to arrive in Colorado tonight.
Student Reaction sparks petition
By Eric Jordan
BI Staff Writer
Less than two days after Matthew Shepard, a 22-year-old political science major was found brutally beaten and tied to a fence, response in the Laramie area has been resounding.
A petition was composed asking Governor Jim Geringer, State Senate Judiciary Chairman April Brimmer Kuntz, and State Representative Kathryn Sessions to form a commission to investigate the beating of Shepard and to take legislative steps to secure a passage of a new Wyoming state law to deter such hate crimes in the future.
Those wishing to sign the petition via the Internet can go to http://www.e-thepeople.com and find the petition in the "Civil Rights and Minority Issues" category. The service hosting the petition, E-the People, also allows the send the petition to 10 friends and acquaintances.
A gathering to show support for the beating and to gain community awareness will be held during the homecoming parade. Organized by Carlie Laucomer, helpers are calling people and hoping it will snowball in order to gain more than 100 supporters. The gathering will meet in Prexie's Pasture at 8 p.m., and will begin their parade route at 8:30 at 15th and Willet streets.
"We want to make the community realize that there are people out there
who do care and are mad about what happened because it was a hate crime
because he was gay," Laucomer said.
Organization’s president still plans Gay Awareness week
by Eric Rohr
BI Staff writer
Though the brutal attack on UW student Matthew Shepard has put a damper on next week's Gay Awareness Week, Jim D. Osborn, 23, president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans-gendered Association, said all events are still scheduled.
"At this point we are planning to continue our activities," Osborn said. "We are looking into the possibility of a vigil later in the week. Whether or not that will happen this week, nothing is set in stone.
"The timing could not have been any more awkward," Osborn said.
Osborn said he received support from the university and the community, as well as on a national level. Despite the first reaction of fear felt by LGBTA members, the group has now developed feelings of anger and disgust, as well as the urge for awareness. "There seems to be a definite impetus in the community and the university right now that this needs to be addressed. This is not something that can be ignored or pushed under the rug," Osborn said.
Even though the attack falls on the horizon of Gay Awareness week, Osborn said he would like to believe the incident is purely coincidental but could not be sure. "I certainly cannot get in the mind of the assailants," he said.
"I think it's probably an isolated incident," Osborn said. "It is not
the first assault that has occurred in Laramie, unfortunately. I do not
believe that it will be the last simply because this happens no matter
where you are."
Campus reaction to Shephard hate crime strong
By Lara Azar
Branding Iron correspondent
An attack that took place in Laramie this week leave many to wonder if hate crimes still exist. Matt Shephard, a 22-year-old University of Wyoming student was found beaten into a coma and left tied to a fence to die. He remains in the hospital in critical condition. The brutal crime leaves the campus and community shocked and appalled.
"You think growing up in Wyoming you're immune," said Jennifer Zakotnik, a UW junior. "You know you're not going to be affected by things like this, but you are."
Others are less surprised.
"I think in all places, regardless of where you are, hate crimes are going to exist--even in Wyoming," said Kris Williams, a junior. "It's unfortunate, and we're not even sheltered by that. Hopefully it'll force the students to take a strong look at each other, a strong look at where they stand on a lot of things, what they represent and really open up some issues on what the students of the University of Wyoming feel. Sometimes we are not the most politically active school."
Ryan McCoy, a senior, agrees. "It's not all that surprising because hate is everywhere. Attempted murder is pretty good to get them on, but that's disgusting."
Although not surprised, many students are saddened and frightened by the attack.
Tracee Wagner, a senior, said, "I was in theater with him (in high school) and he always had a very broad outlook on everything. The whole thing is ridiculous."
"It could happen to anyone," said Dan Woolcott, a senior. "I could be accused of being (gay) and beaten to death."
"We are deeply saddened when one of our students is involved in something like this," said Stephanie Olson, vice-president of the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming.
Additional reporting done by Shannon Rexroat, Branding Iron editor-in-chief.