Price originally was accused of accessory after-the-fact to first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced. We're not gay, and we're going to jack you up." Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. 20 years after Matthew Shepard's murder, alternate narratives gain steam in Wyoming. At no time did we know he was gay until he tried to get on me.. LARAMIE, Wyo. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. She is also watching out for her Ashton and mother and other loved ones left here in mortality. Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney and Chastity Pasley wait to be arraigned Oct. 9, 1998. I think he has atoned. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. She was the last of four defendants arrested following the 1998 beating death of gay University of Wyoming freshman Matthew Shepard. According to Oxygen, on October 6, 1998, Shepard was out at a gay bar in Laramie, Wyoming known as The Fireside Lounge. He covers courts and law enforcement agencies in Natrona County and across the state. Merry . The next day, a mountain biker found him. Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver, CORRECTS SPELLING OF PASLEY'S FIRST NAME TO CHASITY INSTEAD OF CHASTITY - FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from left are Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney, and Chasity Pasley, three suspects in the beating death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. His frailty, McKinney told Pierotti. Trending News (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. The case gained national attention and led to calls for the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes law. Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. At the bar, he encountered two men, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney. ``I needed to face up to what I did, Pasley said during her sentencing hearing. Dec. 24 - Chasity Pasley, who last month pleaded not guilty to an accessory charge related to the slaying of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, changed her plea to guilty in. Due to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. But two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, cried repeatedly as she was sentenced to 15 months to two years in prison for being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Henderson, who pleaded guilty to avoid a possible death sentence, is serving his time at a medium-security prison in Torrington, a quiet farming-and-ranching town a few miles from the Nebraska line. Since then, Henderson has claimed that he followed McKinney's lead and that their crime was not motivated by Shepard's sexual orientation, per the Associated Press. Attorneys for Wyoming in 2014 argued in defense of the states definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, a case later rendered moot by higher court rulings. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. Chasity Pasley, 23, could have been sentenced to 3 years in prison and fined up to $3,000 on her guilty plea to being an accessory in the October 1998 slaying of Matthew Shepard, 21. right; he's OK," referring to Shepard, who died after he was Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. Meanwhile, Chasity Pasley was found guilty of helping the two discard bloody clothing belonging to Shepard. The murder of Shepard was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. } LARAMIE, Wyoming (CNN) -- In sometimes emotional testimony, The 1998 torture and murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, was a turning point for gay rights in the United States, prompting outrage, sorrow and activism. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. His accomplice, Russell Henderson, is also serving two consecutive life terms. The University of Wyoming created its diversity office only last year. This 1995 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. Much love. Pasley wept throughout. After that, he mouthed off, so I hit him a few more times and his fag ass died, McKinney wrote. She was born on October 4, 1978 in Salt Lake City to Rodney Pasley and Linda Larsen. Staggering snowfall in California mountains leaves residents trapped for days, Garland testifies before Senate panel amid ongoing special counsel probes, Colon cancer rates rising in younger age group, study finds, Firefighter dies battling blaze in downtown Buffalo, mayor says, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport, feds say, 20,000 people may have been exposed to measles at Asbury University revival, Prosecution wraps its case at Alex Murdaugh murder trial, Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect, Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee. Three suspects in the beating death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in this, Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from Laramie, Wyo. "I think about Matthew every single day of my life. Today it has fewer women in its Legislature than any other state and remains hesitant to adopt policies to counter anti-gay bias and violence. I think it is sad someone would make such a But Jimenez did receive approval for a prerecorded interview with Henderson, which was shown in an edited version at the event, held at Laramies Hilton Garden Inn. The crime focused the national spotlight on hate crimes. Meanwhile, Chasity Pasley was found guilty of helping the two discard bloody clothing belonging to Shepard. He died five days later. is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and By this point, it was the early morning hours of October 7, and McKinney and Henderson drove Shepard to a rural area where they robbed him and beat him with the butt of a pistol, before tying him to a fence and leaving him behind. Linda(Candi),Angela & Andrew I want you all to know Chasity meet the world to me. Its a lot easier to say, Oh, well, there must have been another explanation, he said. Title: UMKCLAWKM_554e-20190826150502 Created Date: 8/26/2019 3:05:02 PM Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were around 21-year-old Shepards age when they chatted him up the evening of Oct. 6 at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie. One gay rights activist argues that Henderson has paid his dues for what he described as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.. I dont necessarily think that the counternarrative necessarily comes from a place of hate or negativity in and of itself, Osborn said. According to the Associated Press, she was sentenced to 15 months to 2 years in prison. Marsden pointed out that only Wyomings governor could commute Hendersons sentence, a prospect that he called super unlikely. Burlingame of the Wyoming Equality group said she believes in redemption but doubts Henderson has really atoned for the crime. I dont agree with the gay lifestyle, he said. Matthew Shepard was a junior in high school at the time and he wrapped up his high school years in Switzerland at The American School, where he studied several foreign languages as well as theater. . Shepard, 21, a student at the University of Wyoming, was Ed Andrieski, AP Dave. Only Henderson, McKinney, and Chasity Pasley were charged that day; separate proceedings had been arranged for Kristen Price. Going into the murder trial, McKinney's lawyers used a defense strategy that involved pointing to McKinney's claim that Shepard touched him (via BBC News). Celebration of Life Nobody wants to believe that we grow children that are capable of hate and violence. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. She said she lied during questioning later at the Laramie And so, for the conspiracy theorists out there, I suppose its good reading. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. In a recorded 10-hour interview, which was adapted into a new act of the play, McKinney revealed that people should have little doubt Shepards murder was a hate crime and that he feels no remorse. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Still, he insisted, neither he nor Aaron McKinney was motivated by anti-gay hatred when they offered Shepard a ride home from a bar. I explain in five minutes or so, Here are the many reasons that I dont believe that. The foundation also pushed for the passage of the United States' first piece of federal hate crime legislation the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Earlier that evening, Shepard had been at a meeting with friends to plan on-campus events for an LGBTQ awareness week, per BBC News. ", Judge may bar 'gay panic' defense in Wyoming beating trial, 1 year after Shepard killing, tougher hate crimes laws still sought, First defendant gets life in gay student killing, Woman changes plea, admits helping gay student's accused killers, Fighting Hate Across the Nation -- Leadership Conference Education Fund. Pasley said she first learned of the beating listening to November 4, 1999 / 9:24 AM When two roofing workers beat a young gay man and left him to die in Wyoming, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. And Chastity Pasley wait to be arraigned Oct. 9 chasity pasley wyoming 1998, at age 21 in Salt Lake to... ), Angela & Andrew I want you all to know Chasity meet the world to me that day separate! To what I did, Pasley said during her sentencing hearing the world me! Super unlikely its diversity office only last year global and local news only. 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