Profile of Shepard Slaying Suspect

.c The Associated Press

3/26/99

By SANDY SHORE

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- Like the gay college student he is accused of killing, Russell Henderson is a slightly built young man who was raised on the dusty high plains of Wyoming.

Just 10 months apart in age, Henderson and Matthew Shepard wound up in the same city, where they frequented some of the same nightspots and even had mutual acquaintances.

But when their paths crossed back in October, they were heading in different directions.

While the 5-foot-2, 105-pound Shepard was educated in Europe and had big plans for the future, Henderson, at 5-feet-7, 138 pounds, was a high school dropout who held unskilled jobs. He had had minor scuffles with the law, but no history of violence.

Henderson, his buddy Aaron McKinney and Shepard met in a college bar last fall. Eighteen hours later, Shepard was found near death, tied to a fence, bloodied by a pistol-whipping. Henderson was jailed after trying to outrun a police officer and was soon named a suspect in Shepard's death. McKinney was arrested soon afterward.

Jury selection continued Friday in Henderson's trial on charges of murdering Shepard. McKinney is scheduled to stand trial on identical charges in August. Both men could get the death penalty.

Police allege Henderson and McKinney, both 21, pretended to be homosexuals, lured Shepard out of the Fireside Lounge and took him to a remote area east of Laramie and attacked him. They believe Henderson and McKinney intended to rob Shepard, but also targeted him in part because he was gay.

Henderson's girlfriend is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty Dec. 23 to accessory after the fact to murder. McKinney's girlfriend goes on trial in May on an accessory charge.

In a preview of his defense strategy, attorney Wyatt Skaggs told prospective jurors this week that Henderson witnessed the beating but did not participate in it.

Born Sept. 24, 1977, Henderson was raised by his mother, Cindy Dixon, who often left him in the care of his grandparents and aunts.

Little is known about Henderson's father, and his mother died of exposure in January on a two-lane road north of Laramie, several hours after she left a bar. Police said it may have been an accidental death.

At school, Henderson blended in with the crowd, just another dark-haired, polite young man. One of his childhood loves was scouting. He earned 21 merit badges to become an Eagle Scout.

But Henderson dropped out of high school and moved out of his grandmother's home. He piled up a series of petty offenses, mostly traffic violations.

At 15, Henderson took a night job at Taco Bell, said Tammy Shields, his manager at the time. ``He was always on time and, if he wasn't he would always call and let us know,'' she said. ``He just didn't say much. He went and did everything you told him to.''

Eventually, Henderson and McKinney were hired by a roofing company, working long hours, said Doc O'Connor, who also owns Doc's Western Village apartments and gave McKinney a place to stay.

``Russ was a very mellow, mild man,'' O'Connor said. ``He didn't talk that much but was very polite and well-mannered.''

Henderson's life took a bad turn shortly after midnight on Oct. 7 when police responding to a vandalism call spotted Henderson and McKinney as they got out of a black pickup and crouched down.

Officer Clint Waters turned on the patrol car's lights and the two men bolted in different directions. Waters tackled Henderson a half-block away when the young man was by slowed by hedges in a back yard.

Police said Waters found a bloody .357 Magnum in the back of the pickup and asked Henderson if it had been fired. According to police, Henderson laughed and said, ``I guarantee you won't find anyone with a bullet in them.''

What the police eventually found was a badly beaten Shepard, who died five days later.

AP-NY-03-26-99 1435EST