Openly Gay Student Attacked in Wyo

c. The Associated Press

10/9/98

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- A gay student at the University of Wyoming was savagely beaten, burned and left to die tied to a wooden fence outside Laramie, 30 miles northwest of Cheyenne.

Passersby discovered the bloody and unconscious body of Matthew Shepard, a 22-year-old political science major, a mile northeast of Laramie on Wednesday evening. His skull had been smashed with a blunt object.

Shepard was in critical condition and on a respirator at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. He was last heard from Tuesday evening when he called friends from a bar.

Three University of Wyoming students were arrested Thursday in connection with the beating and were scheduled to be in court today. Authorities said they expect more arrests.

Shepard's body was found by two motorcyclists who at first thought he was a scarecrow because of the way he was positioned on the fence, said Albany County Sheriff Gary Puls.

Police were investigating whether the brutal beating was motivated by Shepard's sexual orientation. He had twice been beaten recently and attributed those attacks to his open homosexuality, friends said.

His small size, open personality and homosexuality combined to make him a target for viciousness, friends said.

Puls, who initially characterized the attack as a ``hate crime,'' was later asked if it was an anti-gay attack. ``At the present time we are not confirming that,'' Puls said.

AP-NY-10-09-98 0638EDT