Now, I first thought
the two kids who did this
came from some place else.
When I learned that
they had grown up in Laramie,
I was just floored!
In Laramie, Wyoming,
a young man is in a deep coma,
near death, from a savage beating.
When I first found out,
I just thought it was horrible.
Nobody deserves that.
I don't care who you are.
A college freshman was beaten,
tied to a fence,
and left for dead in Wyoming this week.
Certainly you'd like
to think this was somebody
from out of town.
Somebody who comes through
and beats somebody up.
But if we're talking about somebody
who's been beaten repeatedly
by somebody from our town...
Well, that certainly offends us.
If you asked me before, I would've told you
Laramie's a beautiful town.
It's secluded.
You know, secluded enough
so you can have your own identity.
You know, now...
After Matthew...
We're a town defined by an accident
or a crime, you know?
We've become Waco or Jasper.
We're a noun or a definition or a sign.
Do you mind if I tape this?
No, I don't mind.
Great, thank you.
And thank you again for taking
time out of your rehearsal
to talk to me.
I must tell you when I first heard
you were thinking of coming here,
when you first called me,
I wanted to say...
you just kicked me in the stomach,
why are you doing this to me?
And then I thought, well, that's stupid
you're not doing this to me.
And more importantly,
my students need to talk.
When this first happened,
they started to talk about it
and then the media descended
and all dialogue stopped.
We're not reporters.
I know, I read your last play.
You did?
Mm-hmm.
Gave me an idea of what you do.
Moises called saying he had an idea
for his next theater project,
but there was a somberness to his voice.
So, I asked him what it was I about.
And he said he may want to do a piece
about what's happening in Wyoming.
Lee called me and told me
that the company was thinking
of going down to Laramie
and conducting some interviews
and did I want to come?
I did, I said, yeah.
But I...
I was hesitant, because as a g*y man,
I mean...
a kid had just been k*lled
there because he was g*y.
What exactly do you want?
Well, I'd like you
to give me names of people
who might want to talk to us.
I'd like to talk to your
students and your friends.
I want to hear from the people of the town.
I have never done
anything like this before.
How do you get people to talk to you?
What do you ask?
It's still very raw for us here.
I understand,
but this is no longer
about Laramie or Wyoming.
This is about the whole country.
To me,
it's still about Laramie.
The company has agreed to come to Laramie
and interview the people of the town.
And I'm scared 'cause
I don't know what I'm gonna do
about trying to ensure their safety.
I made a preliminary
contact with Rebecca Hilliker
who's the head of the theater department
at the university of Wyoming.
And hopefully that will
lead to more interviews.
You're late.
I know, we talked for a lot
longer than I planned.
What did Rebecca say?
She gave me names of a bunch of
people who might talk to us.
Townspeople and ranchers, some students.
So, we should try and
contact these people first.
Let's see if anybody's gonna talk.
Great.
You okay?
What?
Please don't do that here.
Where're you folks from?
New York.
And what brings you to town?
We're just passing through.
Hi.
Is Linda home?
No, she's working.
Okay, well, can you tell her
that Amanda stopped by
and I'll be at the ranger motel?
And who are you?
I'm with the theater company,
Rebecca Hilliker told her about me.
I never heard of her, what do you want?
Well, I'm with the theater company
and we're writing a play about Laramie
and the Matthew Shepard incident.
Why are you doing that?
We think it's a story...
you're sticking your nose into something
we don't need to talk about anymore.
That's over and done.
I understand your feeling...
We don't want anymore of this.
You're not wanted here.
Where are you going with this story?
Well, when the play is finished,
we're going to bring it around to Laramie.
And you're gonna use our words?
That's the idea.
Well, I've been close enough to the case
to know many of the people.
I have a daughter, works in
the sheriff's department.
As for the g*y issue,
I don't give a damn one way or another
as long as they don't bother me.
And even if they did,
I'd just say, "no, thank you".
And that's the attitude of
most of the Laramie population.
They might poke one
in a bar situation, you know?
They've been drinking,
they might actually smack one in the mouth,
but then they just walk away.
Laramie is live and let live.
My dear brothers and sisters,
I'm here today to bring you
the word of the lord.
In my ministry, I found a simple truth
that I'd like to share with you today,
and it's this.
The word
is either sufficient
or it is not.
Now, scientists tell me that human history,
that the world is five billion
or six billion years old.
After all, what's a
billion years give or take?
But the Bible tells me
that human history is 6,000 years old.
The word
is either sufficient or it is not.
In Laramie,
population 26,687,
the first thing to greet us was Walmart.
This could be any main drag in America.
Fast food chains, gas stations.
But as we drove into the downtown area
by the railroad tracks,
the buildings still retain the shape
of a turn of a century western town.
Oh, and as we passed the university inn,
on the sign where amenities
such as heated pool or cable TV
are usually touted,
it said...
So, how did you wind up here?
Well, when it came time to go to college,
my parents couldn't really
afford to send me to college,
so, I knew that I wanted to study theatre,
but I knew that if
I wanted to go to college,
I had to get on a scholarship.
So, there's this competition
they have every year.
It's a Wyoming state high school
competition thing.
And...
So, I came to the university
to the theatre department
to look for some good scenes, right?
And I asked the professor, I said...
I need a k*ller scene and he's like here.
Here you go, this is it.
What was it?
That was "Angels in America".
I read that and I'm like, this is okay.
I can win best scene if I just
do a good enough job, you know?
So, I tell my parents, so they
can see me in the competition.
And they brought me in the room
and they sat me down.
And they said that
they wouldn't come to see me
if I did that scene.
They couldn't.
Why is that?
Because they believe it's wrong,
h*m* is wrong.
And all I remember from the competition
is just standing ovation.
Oh, really?
We won, we got first place.
One of the best moments of my life.
Did your parents come?
Parents weren't there.
Why'd you do it?
Actually, honestly,
I wanted to win.
I really...
And it was the greatest scene.
You know, I just wanted...
I just wanted to win.
Today, for the first time,
I met someone who actually
knew Matthew Shepard.
Trish steger, owner of a shop in town,
referred to him as "Matt".
Matt used to come into my shop,
that's how I knew him.
It was the first time I ever
heard him referred to as "Matt"
instead of "Matthew".
Well, what was he like?
I don't know, you know?
How does any one person
ever tell about another?
Matt was a blunt little sh*t.
You know what I'm saying?
He was a little guy, 5'2".
Soaking wet, I bet you 97 pounds, tops.
They were saying he weighed
110 pounds, I don't believe it.
I said, "are you
Matthew Shepard?"
And he says, "yeah, I'm Matthew Shepard,
"but I don't want you to
call me Matthew or Mr. Shepard.
"Don't call me none of that.
"My name is Matt and I want you
to know that I am g*y.
"And we're gonna be going to a g*y bar.
Do you have a problem
with that?"
I said, "no,
how you paying?"
The fact of the matter is
Laramie doesn't have any g*y bars.
Well, for that matter,
neither does Wyoming.
He was hiring me to take him
down to Fort Collins, Colorado.
Which is about an hour away.
He was struggling when he first came here,
reaching out, trying to fit in.
I'm sorry I'm late.
Hi, my sister, romaine.
She was a close friend of Matthew's.
Matthew really wanted
to get into political affairs,
that was all his big interest was.
Watching CNN and MSNBC.
Those were the only TV stations
I ever saw his TV tuned into.
So, why did he move to Laramie?
He told me he was thinking
about going back to school.
So, I told him,
"go to the university
of Wyoming, go to Laramie.
You can really
find a home there."
I was Matthew's academic advisor,
so, I knew him in a very specific context.
But I can tell you that
Matthew was very shy
when he first came in
to the point of being somewhat
mousy, I'd almost say.
But soon, his shyness
began to give way to this person that
was excited about this track
that he was going to embark on.
Whenever I think of Matthew,
I think of his...
Incredible beaming smile.
He'd walk into a room and just be like...
And he'd smile at everyone.
He made you feel great.
He was just starting to say,
"there are opportunities here.
"There are things I can do in this world.
I can be important."
I heard from Matt about
48 hours before the attack.
And he told me he just joined
the g*y and l*sbian group on campus.
And he was really enjoying it,
getting ready for pride week and whatnot.
He was totally stoked about school.
He was really happy being there.
I can only say this
in retrospect, of course.
I think that's where he was headed,
towards human rights.
Let me tell you something here.
There's more g*y people
in Wyoming than meets the eye.
You think?
I know, I know for a fact.
Not particularly,
what do you call the queens,
the g*y people?
Queens?
You know, the runaround f*gg*t-type people.
I mean, they're more like the ones who...
Throw a bail of hay, jump on
a horse, brand him and kick a*s,
you know what I'm saying?
As I always say, you don't
f*ck with a Wyoming q*eer
'cause they'll f*cking
kick you in your a*s.
But that's not the point
of what I'm saying.
What is the point?
The people of Wyoming do not give a damn
one way or the other if you're g*y,
if you're straight, if you're bisexual,
trisexual, doesn't matter.
Really?
That's what I just said, it doesn't matter.
I was the first out
l*sbian or g*y facility member.
And that's in 1992,
so, that's not that long ago.
They asked me at the interview
what my husband did.
So, I came out then.
When I first moved out here,
I knew it was gonna be hard as a g*y man.
And there would be times
I would go down to Denver
and I would go to the g*y bars there.
And people would ask me where I was from
I would say Laramie, Wyoming.
And I met so many men down there
from Wyoming.
So many g*y men who grew up here
and they are like, "this is not
a place where I can live,
how can you live there,
I had to get out."
Rah, rah, rah...
But every once in a while,
there'd be a guy,
"oh gosh, I miss Laramie.
"I mean, I really love it there.
That's where
I want to live."
They get this starry-eyed look
and I think, if that is
where you want to live,
do it.
So, I get into my office one day
and I have a message
to call this woman back,
so, I call her back.
And she goes, "I hear you are a l*sbian.
I hear you are one."
And I'm like,
"uh-huh."
She goes,
"I'm one too."
She wanted to come over
and meet me immediately.
She alsoarned me about the fact
that there's other lesbians in this town
who would not be seen with me,
that just to be seen with me
would take them irreparably.
That just to be seen with me
would be a big problem.
I love this land.
I mean,
I really love this land.
Okay, I'm gonna make this brief, quick.
Just get it over with.
But it will be everything,
factual, just the facts.
10:00, I punch in,
my regular time for Tuesdays.
10:30, we're having
karaoke night that night,
so, there's maybe 20, 30 people
milling around in here.
That's when Matthew Shepard comes in alone.
He comes in and...
He actually sits right where
you're sitting right now.
Orders himself a Heineken.
So, what can I tell you about Matt?
Manners, politeness intelligence,
taking care of me, as in tips.
Everything, just offers conversation.
He comes in, he's always
dressed real nice, clean cut.
Didn't seem to have any worries.
It wasn't like he was waiting on anybody.
He just wanted to enjoy his
drink and the company around.
I guess it was maybe 11:30,
11:45, that's when...
Russell Henderson
and Aaron McKinney came in.
They come in, they approach
the bar, they sit right here.
They order a pitcher and as you know,
they pay for the thing
entirely in dimes and quarters,
which, let me tell you, is
something you just don't forget.
You don't forget something like that.
$5.50 in dimes
and quarters
is a freakin' nightmare for a bartender.
Money meant nothing to Matthew,
'cause he grew up with a lot of it.
And he'd have handed over
his wallet in a second
because money meant nothing to him.
His shoes might've meant something, but...
They can say it was robbery
all they want to,
but I don't buy it, not even
for an iota of a second.
Look, when they came in,
Henderson and McKinney to me,
they didn't seem to be...
They weren't intoxificated at all.
They came right in,
they ordered a pitcher of beer,
take it back there into the pool area
and they pretty much
just kept to themselves.
Probably going on for about a half an hour.
And then, I noticed that Russell and Aaron
had been talking with Matthew Shepard.
Some people are saying
he made a pass at them.
Well, hell, you don't
pick up regular people.
Aaron and I have been
together for two years.
And Aaron said that a guy walked
up to him and said he was g*y
and wanted to get with him and Russ.
And Aaron's really bad about that.
He doesn't like to be
around g*y people at all
and neither does Russ.
They just don't like them.
At all.
And so, he got aggravated with it.
And said that he was straight
and he didn't want to have
anything to do with it
and he walked off.
And he said that's when him
and Russ went into the bathroom
and decided to pretend that they were g*y
and get him in the truck and rob him.
They wanted to teach him a lesson
not to come on to straight people.
I'm not excusing their actions,
but it seems to be partially his fault
and partially the guys who did it.
So, you know...
Maybe it's 50/50.
They stated that Matt came on to them.
That he approached them.
I absolutely positively disbelieve
and refute that statement 100%.
I'll give you two reasons why.
One...
Character reference.
Why would he approach them?
Why them?
I mean, he wasn't approaching
anyone else in the bar, okay?
So, I mean, they say he's g*y,
that he was a flaming g*y.
So, he was just gonna come on to people.
Bullshit, he never came on to me.
I mean, hello, c'mon!
He's gonna approach
these two guys? Please.
And, two...
Territorialism.
Matt was sitting there.
Aaron and Russell were back there.
Upon their first interaction,
they were in Matt's area.
The area that he had been seen
sitting in all night long.
So, who approached who by that?
He'd never not talk
to someone for any reason.
If someone started talking to him,
he'd just be like,
blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
He had no problem
just striking up
a conversation with anybody.
So, this is what I'm gonna be testifying to
'cause basically I'm like,
the key eyewitness in the case.
Basically, I'm gonna be testifying
that I saw Matthew leave.
I saw two individuals
leave with Matthew Shepard.
And I didn't see their faces,
but I did see the back of their heads.
And at the same time,
McKinney and Henderson
are no longer around.
So, you do the math.
I'm not super familiar with that area
which now makes me think that god wanted me
to find him.
I was going for a ride on my bike
and I noticed something...
Just laying there,
by the fence.
Now, I think it's a scarecrow.
I'm like, Halloween's coming up.
I think it's a...
Halloween gag.
I noticed his chest moving up and down,
still thought it was a dummy.
I thought it was some kind of mechanism.
But when I...
When I saw hair...
His hair...
...i knew it was
a human being.
So, what'd you do?
I ran to the nearest house,
I ran as fast as I could,
and called the police.
...county sheriff's department
held a news conference
late this afternoon.
They say they're investigating
the attempted m*rder
of 22-year-old Matthew Shepard.
The sheriff said deputies
found the man badly beaten
and unconscious,
tied to a fence last night...
...Brutal attack
left Matthew Shepard in a coma.
...Said he first
thought Mr. Shepard was a scarecrow.
...in jail now
charged with the crime,
21-year-old Russell Henderson
and Aaron McKinney, kidnapping.
And the victim, Matthew Shepard,
is in very critical condition
at this hour at poudre valley hospital.
The arraignment took place
on Friday around lunchtime.
And more details about
the case had come out
like the fact that
the perpetrators themselves
were kids.
Kids, local kids,
that everyone who's from around here
has some relationship to.
So, then a judge comes in
and does a reading of the facts.
The defendants,
Aaron James McKinney,
Russell Arthur Henderson,
met Matthew Shepard at the fireside bar.
And after Mr. Shepard
confided he was g*y,
the subjects deceived
Mr. Shepard
into leaving with them in
their vehicle to a remote area.
Enroute to said location,
Mr. Shepard was struck
in the head with a p*stol.
And upon arrival at said area,
both subjects tied their victim
to a buck fence,
robbed him, tortured him,
and continued to beat and terrorize him.
When I got to the fence,
I seen what appeared to be a young man.
13, 14, years of age
because he was so tiny laying there
and he was bound to the bottom of the pole.
What did you do?
I did the best I could.
He was covered in dry blood
all over his head
and the only place that
there wasn't any blood
was what appeared to be where
he had been crying down his face.
You know, he...
He did not look normal.
I could tell that he had
a very harsh head wound.
You expect these kinds of injuries
from somebody crashing down a hill
in a car at 80 miles an hour.
You expect to see gross injuries
from something like that.
This is a horrendous, terrible thing.
But you don't expect
to see someone doing this
to another person.
Both defendants were later
contacted by officers
from the Laramie police department
who observed inside
the cab of their pick-up
a credit card
and a pair of black patent-leather shoes
belonging to the victim, Matthew Shepard.
The thing that shocked me is...
It was a pristine crime scene.
How do you mean?
The tire tracks,
the impressions that the tire made.
They were just perfect
because of the sandy soil there.
And we found a carpet fragment
from inside the truck
and that will always shock me
until this day.
Southeast from Wyoming,
the wind here is so strong
that you usually never
find something like that
in an exterior crime scene.
His hands were...
Thumbs out, what we call
the cuffing position.
It's how we handcuff people.
He was tied with a real thin, white rope.
And it was wound around
the bottom of the pole
about four inches up off the ground.
His shoes were missing.
He was tied extremely tight,
so, I used my boot knife
and I tried to slip it in there
between the rope and his wrist.
I had to be extremely careful
so as not to harm Matthew any further.
I was yellg at him at the top of my lungs,
"hey, wake up!"
Something.
Just trying to get anything out of him.
He didn't move, he didn't flinch,
he didn't anything.
We rolled him over onto his left side
and when we did that, he stopped breathing.
So, I immediately got him back on his back.
And that was just enough of an adjustment.
It gave me just enough room
for me to slip my knife in there
and to cut him free.
And then rob drove the ambulance
to ivinson hospital's emergency room.
Once we saw Matthew,
it was very obvious that his care
was beyond our capabilities.
Phoned the neurosurgeon
over at poudre valley...
And Matthew was on his way
in an hour and 15 minutes I think.
A couple days later, they
showed me a picture of Matthew.
I would've never recognized him.
Said defendants left the victim
tied to the fence
begging for his life.
Certainly you'd like to think
that this is somebody
from out of town who's come
through and beaten up somebody.
But when you're seeing someone
who's been beaten...
Repeatedly by someone in our own town...
Now, that certainly offends us.
And that's a good word
it offends us.
The defendants will remain in the custody
of the Albany county sheriff's department
until dates can be set for their trials.
It was huge.
Yeah, it was herds.
And we are talking hundreds of reporters
which makes a huge dent
in this town's population.
Laramie, Wyoming,
often called "the gem city of the plains",
is now at the eye of the storm.
People would like to think that
what happened to Matthew Shepard
is the exception...
There were reporters everywhere,
news trucks everywhere in town,
everywhere on campus.
And we are not used to
that type of attention.
Aaron McKinney and his friend,
Russell Henderson,
came from the poor side of town.
This small city that builds
itself as Wyoming's hometown
is wrestling with
its attitudes towards g*y men.
It's a tough business Matt Shepard knew,
and as all his friends know,
to be g*y in cowboy country.
And to get that kind of exposure
under such tragic circumstances,
under circumstances that we hadn't even
wrapped our own heads and hearts around.
The majority of people
here are good people.
You get bad apples once in a while.
Our citizens are not like that at all.
You people are making my son guilty
before he's even had a trial.
How can this happen?
I can't understand how someone
can even do something like that.
You have your own lifestyle,
you should have your lifestyle.
It's pretty much live and let live.
It's live and let live.
I am outraged and sickened
by the heinous crime
committed on Matthew Shepard.
The young g*y man is in a deep coma.
It's a crime that goes beyond despicable.
Just let it be known throughout the nation,
this is not the university of Wyoming.
This is not what we're about.
Had this been a heterosexual,
this never would've made the national news.
I don't think there's any problem
that g*y people deal with here.
We had these guys in jail
in less than a day.
I think that's pretty damn good.
Hundreds of people are urging congress
to pass a federal law...
I would like to urge the people of Wyoming
against overreacting in a way that
gives one group special rights over others.
We will wait and see if
the vicious beating and t*rture
of Matthew Shepard was motivated by hate.
Oh, my god.
Anybody else want to do this?
Matthew Shepard was admitted
in critical condition
at approximately 9:15
on October 7.
When he arrived he was unresponsive
and breathing support was being provided.
Matthew's major injuries
upon arrival consisted of
hypothermia and of a fracture
from behind his head,
to just in front of the right ear.
This has caused bleeding in the brain
as well as pressure on the brain.
Friday night, the parents arrived
and I went up and introduced
myself to Dennis and Judy
and it was awful, those poor people.
Matthew's temperature has fluctuated
over the last 24 hours
between 98 and 106 degrees.
We arranged a police escort
to bring them up.
Set them up in one of our conference rooms,
gave them food around the clock,
gave them a place to stay.
The following is a statement from them.
"First of all, we want to thank
the American public
"for their kind thoughts about Matthew
"and their fond wishes
for his speedy recovery.
"We appreciate your prayers and goodwill
"and we know that
they are something that
Matthew would appreciate too."
I went up and said...
You all tell me what you want me to do
or what you want me to say
or anything you need
and we'll provide it for you.
"We also have a special request
for members of the media.
"We ask that you respect our
privacy as well as Matthew's,
"so, we can concentrate all of our efforts,
"thoughts, and love on our son.
Thank you very much."
Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney
have plead not guilty to the charges
of kidnapping, aggravated robbery,
and attempted m*rder in the first degree.
Russell was just so sweet.
He's the one that was the eagle scout.
His whole presence was just
quiet and sweet.
He was raised a morman.
He was real active in that
when he was younger.
He was an elder in the church.
So, of course, it doesn't
make any sense to me.
I know people snap and whatever.
Like I said, it wasn't
a real intimate relationship.
I was just his landlord.
I remember like, at the Christmas party
he was just totally drunk out of his mind,
you know, like, we all were.
But he wasn't belligerent.
He didn't change,
his personality didn't change.
He was still the same little meek...
Russell.
Aaron was a good kid.
That's why I was shocked when I heard this.
See, he had been living with this girl.
They just started dating last summer.
She must've gotten pregnant
as soon as they started dating
'cause you know they had a kid?
21 years old, but
he's running around with a kid.
When I first heard about,
I thought it was really, really awful.
I don't know whether Aaron was f*cked up
or was coming down or what.
But Matthew had money.
sh*t, he had better clothes than I did.
Matthew was a little rich b*tch.
Shouldn't call him a rich b*tch,
though, that's not right.
I'm not saying he was a bad guy either,
I'm just saying he was at the wrong place
at the wrong time, said the wrong things.
Aaron was always dressing up big.
Big clothes.
Tommy hilfiger.
Polo, Gucci, I don't know.
I mean, it probably pissed
him off that Matthew was g*y
'cause he didn't like...
I mean, the g*y people that
I've seen him interact with
or that I've heard him talk about,
he was fine with
as long as, you know,
they didn't hit on him.
Or as long as, you know, it didn't come up.
When I knew him, when I knew Aaron,
he was just a young kid.
He's trying to fit in
acting tough, acting cool.
But you know what?
You can get in his face about it...
He'd back down like
he's some kind of scared kid.
If I saw Aaron right now,
I'd be like, why'd you f*ck up like that?
I want to shake him, you know?
What were you thinking?!
What in the hell were you thinking?
Hello?
This is her.
Oh, hi, doctor.
How is he?
Yes.
I see.
Can you hang on for a moment?
Mom, can you hang this up,
I'm gonna take it in there.
I'm here.
The part I wasn't telling you about before.
Is that Reggie Fluty is my daughter.
When she told me she wanted
to be a police officer,
I thought there was
not a better choice for her.
She could handle whatever came her way.
And then this happens.
That was the hospital.
Matthew Shepard is HIV positive
and they said I've been exposed.
What?
They said I've been
exposed to the A*DS virus.
You know, because I've been building
the lean-tos for the llamas
and I have a bunch of
open cuts on my hands and I...
I got his blood on my hands.
How did you get it on your hands?
We have sh*t gloves, you know?
And I kept putting them on
and you keep putting them on
and they keep breaking, so...
So, finally I ran out.
So, you touched him without gloves?
You cannot let a human being
just sit there.
Reggie!
Don't hesitate.
That's what goes through your mind.
Don't hesitate, all the time.
So, you just keep on moving
and you take care of Matthew
and you try to find an open airway.
And that's what you do.
You know, that's what you do!
Quite frankly, I wanted
to lash out at somebody.
Not Matthew, please understand
that not one of us was mad at Matthew.
We maybe wanted to squeeze
McKinney's head off.
And I think about Henderson.
You know, two absolutely...
Human beings caused so much
grief for so many people.
They want to start me on
these atz drugs immediately
and if you...
If you start them within 36 hours,
maybe that can stop you
from getting the disease.
This has been just terrible
for my whole family,
but mostly for her and her kids.
Those drugs,
the azt drugs.
She throws up every day.
She cries so much,
she's afraid to touch her kids.
I just hope she doesn't go before me.
No matter how you dice it,
I did have the opportunity.
If I had had amazing 20/20 hindsight,
I had the opportunity to stop
what occurred that night.
I could've stopped it.
I should've known.
These guys should not have been
talking to that guy.
I should've not had my head down
while I was washing dishes
for those 20 seconds.
All those little things I could've done
and I could've stopped this.
So, what the hell was I thinking?
I keep seeing that picture in my head
of when I found him.
And it is not pleasant whatsoever.
I want to like, get it out.
I don't want it in there.
And that's a big part of it for me,
is having to see that picture...
In my head.
I just, I don't want it in there.
Matthew Shepard's the first
g*y person I ever saw.
It's kind of unbelievable to me
that I happened to be
the person that found him.
Because like, the big question
with my religion is...
...why did god
want me to find him?
♪ In the darkness ♪
♪ Before the dawn ♪
♪ No more sorrow ♪
♪ In the nighttime ♪
♪ Let it shine ♪
♪ Oh, lord,
let it shine ♪
Candlelight vigils
were held around the country last night...
There are expressions of sympathy...
...Denver, Detroit,
Chicago, Washington...
Atlanta, Nashville, Minneapolis,
and around the world.
...all expressing hopes
for Matthew's recovery.
I can't stop crying.
This is what I was trying to stop.
We must do more
to deal
with violent bigotry,
hate crimes...
I hope that in the grief of this moment
and in the shared outrage across America,
Americans will once again
search their hearts
and do what they can to reduce
their own fear and anxiety
and anger at people who are different.
And I hope that congress will pass
the hate-crimes legislation.
♪ Let it shine... ♪
I think the g*y community
is taking this as an advantage,
said, "this is a good time
for us to exploit this".
They made it sound like it was
10 murders instead of one.
They're accusing the ranchers
of being unreasonable and unsympathetic.
Because of how he was...
And what his persuasions were.
Well, he would certainly
be welcome in our home.
We'd visit, sit down, have a cup of coffee.
What did you think when you heard that
two boys from your town did this?
Well, I certainly don't
approve of h*m*,
but I don't think anybody has a right
to do what those two boys did.
Well, where do you think that comes from?
Their hatred towards h*m*?
I think...
What most people fear in the g*y community
is that sexuality is
their number one concern.
Not many people condone it...
When you wear it
on your sleeve like a banner.
Well, there's this whole idea,
"you leave me alone,
I leave you alone."
It's even in some of
the western literature.
"Live and let live."
That is such crap.
Basically what it boils down to,
if I don't tell you I'm a f*g,
you won't beat the crap out of me.
What's so great about that?
That's a great philosophy?
I'll sit in church,
and the reverend will tell you flat out
he does not agree
with h*m*, right?
And I just don't feel like I know
enough about certain things
just to be able to say that
h*m* is right.
When I've been raised my whole life
that h*m*
is not right, it's wrong.
My parents brought me up catholic.
I was brought up to
love the sinner, hate the sin.
Love the person for who they are,
but condemn them
for what they do, condemn the lifestyle.
So, I would have to say right
now that I don't agree with it,
I don't agree.
And maybe that's just
'cause I couldn't do it.
But I don't hate h*m*
and I'm not gonna persecute them.
I'm not gonna let this get in between
me and the other person at all.
You know, or in between you and I.
You know, not at all.
Well, it's preached in schools
that being g*y is okay.
If my kids asked me, I'd set them down
and I'd tell them,
this is what g*y people do.
This is what animals do, okay?
And I'd tell them, this is the life.
This is the lifestyle,
this is what they do.
And I say this is why I believe it's wrong.
Shame, shame, shame...!
In New York, the protest
for Matthew Shepard
turned into a near riot.
Police on horses were
pushing into the crowds.
The whole world is
watching, the whole world is watching!
The whole world is watching,
the whole world is watching...!
As of nine A.M. today,
Matthew Shepard remains
in critical condition
with severe head injuries
in the surgical neuro-intensive care unit.
Respiratory support...
As I told you before,
it's not a lifestyle with which I agree.
You still feel that way?
Yes.
The family continues to emphasize
that the media respect their privacy.
The family also wants
to thank the American public
for their concern
and kind thoughts for Matthew.
We went to the candle vigil.
And it was so good to be with
people who felt like sh*t.
I kept feeling like, I don't
deserve to feel this bad.
And somebody got up there and said,
"c'mon, guys, let's show the world
that Laramie is not
this kind of a town."
But it is this kind of town.
If it wasn't this kind of town,
then why did this happen here?
That's a lie because it happened here.
So, how could it not be a town
where this kind of thing happens?
I mean, how can you even say that?
We have to mourn this
and we have to be sad
that we live in a town,
a state, a country,
where sh*t like this happens.
I mean, these people are
trying to distance themselves
from this crime
and we need to own this crime, I feel.
Everyone needs to own it.
We are like this.
We are like this.
We are like this.
Not having to deal that much
with the g*y community here in Laramie,
once we started working into the case
actually talking to people that were g*y
and realizing what their
underlying fears were,
that's when it sort of hit home.
This is America.
You don't have the right to feel that fear.
Do you think a lot of people
in Laramie feel the same way?
You're always gonna have people
that hold with the old ideals.
I was probably one of them 14 months ago.
But I'm not gonna put up with it anymore,
I'm not gonna listen to it.
If they don't like my views on it, fine,
door goes both ways.
I've already lost a couple
buddies, but I don't care.
I'm...
I feel more comfortable.
I can sleep at night now.
Well, I really want to
thank you for having us here tonight.
It's our pleasure.
These gatherings, this is
a recent thing for us.
This really only happened since Matthew.
And there's a relief in that
we finally connected.
It's nice to see there are
a lot of us in Laramie.
Is everybody in the company g*y?
No, just the three of us.
Are you out?
Yes.
Yup.
I wasn't out before, actually.
Then I thought probably they all know,
but I'm not gonna like tell anyone.
And in the long run, your
self-esteem just becomes sh*t.
And I just, I couldn't
live like that anymore.
I think a lot of people decided
that they didn't want to hide anymore.
I still don't feel
that free to be out here.
No one's asking, I'm not telling.
I've always been out
and I know how to take care
of myself, but...
Since the episode, I've been
irrationally terrified
and what that means is we don't let our son
walk around at night alone.
Every time I see
a pickup truck do a u-turn,
I think it's coming after me.
And I'm shaking so badly, I have
to stop doing what I'm doing.
I think it's because somewhere inside
we all know it could happen to us any time.
Since our last medical update,
Matthew Shepard has remained
in critical condition
with severe head injuries.
As of today,
the hospital will no longer
offer medical updates
on a scheduled basis.
If Matthew's medical condition changes,
we will issue a new medical update
and we will immediately contact
as many members of the media
as is practically possible, thank you.
All eyes are on Laramie, Wyoming today
where many are turning their focus
to their homecoming parade.
And the fortune of
the university of Wyoming football team.
This apartment has windows
on two opposite streets.
One goes north and the other goes south.
And that is exactly
the homecoming parade route.
Now, on the day of the parade,
I had a cast on my leg because of a fall.
And I was very disappointed
because I had heard that
some students were gonna
be walking for Matthew Shepard.
And I wanted to join them, but I couldn't,
so, I watched from that window.
It was just...
I'm 52 years old and I'm...
I'm g*y.
I've lived here for many years
and I've seen a lot.
And I was very moved when I saw the...
Tag at the end of the homecoming parade.
It was just a group of people
walking behind a banner
for Matthew Shepard.
But the parade went down
to the end of the block
made a u-turn around the block
and I came to the other side of
my apartment to watch for it
to come south down this street.
Maybe...
10 minutes went by.
And then I saw the most...
Incredible thing.
As the parade came down the street,
the number of people
marching for Matthew Shepard
had grown like, five times.
Can you imagine?
The tag at the end
was bigger than the entire parade.
I thought to myself,
thank god I got to see this in my lifetime.
And my second thought was...
Thank you, Matthew.
I really haven't been
all that involved, per se.
My husband's a highway patrolman,
so, that's really the only way
I've known about it.
But when I first found out,
I just thought it was horrible.
I just...
I can't.
Nobody deserves that.
I don't care who you are.
But I have to tell you,
you know the media's
portraying him as a saint.
They're making him out as a martyr
and I don't think he was.
Did you know him?
No.
I didn't know him.
But...
They're just so many things
I found out about him,
that I just...
It's scary.
You know, about his character
and spreading A*DS
and a few other things.
Being...
about the kind of person he was.
Meaning?
Well,
he was...
he was just...
a barfly.
So, I think he pushed himself on around,
or I don't know.
But I think he flaunted it.
Another thing that wasn't brought out...
the same time that happened
that patrolman was k*lled
and there was nothing.
Nothing, they didn't say anything about
that old man that k*lled him.
He was driving down the road,
he shouldn't have been driving
and he k*lled him.
And there was just a little piece.
And we lost one of our guys.
You know, my husband worked with him.
This man was brand new on the force.
But I mean, here's one of ours.
And it was just a
little piece in the paper.
But this was such a deliberate crime.
Everybody's got problems.
Why they're exemplifying
Matthew Shepard, I don't know.
A hate crime's a hate crime.
You m*rder somebody, you hate 'em.
It has nothing to do
if you're a g*y or a prost*tute.
I don't know.
I don't understand.
I don't understand.
November 29th, 1998,
we're about to interview
father Roger schmit.
Here we go.
Two q*eers and a catholic priest.
Matthew Shepard
has served us well.
You realize that, he has served us well.
I cannot mention anyone who has
done more for this community
than Matthew Shepard.
And I'm not gonna sit here and say
I was just this bold guy, no fear.
I was scared.
I was very vocal in this community
when this happened,
so, I thought, you know,
should we call the bishop
and ask him permission
to do the vigil?
And I was like...
Hell, no!
I'm not going to do that.
His permission doesn't make it correct.
And I'm not knocking bishops,
but what is correct is correct.
You think violence is
what they did to Matthew?
They did do violence to Matthew.
But, you know,
can I make this personal?
Yeah, sure.
Every time you are called a f*g
or you are called a les or
or a d*ke.
d*ke, yeah, d*ke.
Do you realize that is violence?
That is, that is the seed of violence.
And I would resent it imnsely
if you use anything I said
to somehow cultivate that kind of violence.
Well, thank you, father, for saying that.
Just deal
with what is true.
You know what is true.
You need to do your best to say it correct.
These people trust us.
You know, they want...
They want everyone to know
that they are not this crime.
It's more than clearing Laramie's name,
it's clearing their own.
And I don't know that we can do that.
Reverend.
Reverend, hi.
My name's Amanda,
I'm with the theatre company
that's been speaking
with people here in Laramie.
Well, let me tell you...
I don't know that I really
want to talk with anybody at all
about this incident.
I'm somewhat involved
and I really don't feel
like it's appropriate.
I completely understand,
I just wanted to tell you
I went to your service.
You went to the service?
On sunday?
Yes, I did.
Yes.
Did I meet you?
Briefly.
You welcomed us in the beginning.
Well, I will tell you that I am involved.
Half the people in the case,
well, the girlfriend of the accused
is a member of our congregation.
And one of the accused has visited.
I think they deserve the death penalty,
but I will try to deal
with them spiritually.
Now, as far as the victim...
I know that that lifestyle is legal.
But I will tell you one thing,
I hope Matthew Shepard,
as he was tied to that fence,
that he had time
to reflect on a moment when...
Somebody had spoken
the word of the lord to him.
And that before he slipped into a coma,
he had a chance to reflect
on his lifestyle.
Thank you, reverend.
I appreciate your speaking with me.
Alright.
We better go.
I let him say that to me.
I let him say that to me.
And I didn't say anything back.
At 12 midnight
on Monday, October 12th,
Matthew Shepard's
blood pressure began to drop.
We immediately notified the family
who were already at the hospital.
At 12:53 A.M.
Matthew Shepard died.
His family was at his bedside.
The family did release
the following statement.
They again asked me to express
their sincerest gratitude to...
To the entire world
for the overwhelming
response to their son.
The family was grateful
that they did not have to
make a decision regarding whether or not
to continue life support for their son.
"Like a good son,
"he was caring to the end.
"And removed guilt
or stress from the family.
"He came into the world premature
and left the world
premature."
Matthew's mother said...
We'd been up for like, 72 hours straight
and gone home and gone to sleep
for half an hour
and get up and come,
maybe I was just way...
I don't know.
When I was reading that statement,
I thought about my own four daughters
and she doesn't have her kid anymore.
"Go home."
"Give your kids a hug."
"Don't let a day go by
without telling them
that you love them."
And then, we started
getting people sending us
all these e-mails and letters.
"Do you cry like a baby on TV
for all your patients
or just the f*ggots?"
Jesus.
After being thrown into this,
I guess I didn't understand the magnitude
with which some people hate.
And of all the letters we got,
there were two or three
that were like that.
Most were thanks
for your caring and compassion.
And Matthew...
Matthew got caring and compassion
from the moment he got here.
The charges against
Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney
were upgraded to first degree m*rder
after Matthew Shepard
died early Monday morning.
If convicted,
the two men could face the death penalty.
I'll tell you what,
if they put those two boys to death,
that would defeat everything
that Matt would be thinking about them.
Because he would not want those two to die.
He'd want to leave them with hope.
H-o-p-e.
Just like the whole world...
Hoped that Matt would survive.
This whole thing, you see what I'm saying?
This whole thing ropes around hope.
H-o-p-e.
On the day of the funeral,
it was snowing and raining so bad.
By the time I got there,
there were already
thousands of people there
dressed in black, umbrellas everywhere.
And they had two churches set up
and still, there were
hundreds of people outside
who couldn't fit into
either one of the churches
and they had this park set up.
And the park was full.
Those shall not lie down with mankind
as in womankind!
It is abomination.
Matthew Shepard lived his life
breaking that commandment.
Now, if he repented in his dying
hours, which we hope he did,
if not, he is in hell
along with those K*llers.
Do you believe in the Bible?
Do you believe you're supposed to
separate the precious from the vile?
No, you don't believe
that part of the Bible.
You just stand over there
ignorant of the fact
that for every two times...
After seeing Phelps
protesting at Matthew's funeral,
and then hearing that
he's coming back to Laramie
for the trial of Russell Henderson,
I decided that someone needs
to stand toe-to-toe with him
and show the difference.
Some people are gonna be sent to hell
and I think you know who you are!
We wouldn't be here if this
was just another m*rder
that the state was gonna handle.
The state handles hundreds of murders!
This m*rder
is different.
Because the g*y...
He's not even from Laramie.
He just travels around the country
doing his demonstrations.
So, we're planning an event.
We're calling it "angel action".
This 21-year-old little l*sbian
is gonna walk the line with them.
Spare not!
You lift up your voice like a trumpet!
And you show my people
their transgressions.
We are sending the message of god.
God's anger is pure.
God is gonna send someone to hell!
That's god's anger!
Now, we wouldn't be here...
...To be taught by
f*ggots in your schools?
We're not gonna let that happen.
As soon as they started jury selection,
everyone was coming into my shop with
"I don't want to be on this trial.
"I hope they don't call me.
Or "oh, my god, I got called,
how do I get off?"
Just wanting to get as far
away from it as they could.
Very fearful
that they were gonna
have to be part of that jury.
And then I heard Henderson
had to sit in the courtroom
while they questioned perspective jurors.
And one of the questions they asked was...
"Would you be willing
to put this person
to death?"
And I understand a lot
of the comments were...
"Yes, I would.
"Absolutely.
Yep, no problem."
Can you imagine hearing that?
Juror after juror
after juror?
These are people that he knows.
No wonder he changed his plea.
You entered a not-guilty plea
earlier, Mr. Henderson.
But I understand you wish
to change your plea today?
Yes, sir.
You understand that
the recommended sentence here
is two life sentences?
Yes, sir.
And do you understand that
those may run concurrently
or they may run consecutively?
Yes, sir.
Before the court makes that decision,
I understand that there are
statements to be made by
at least one individual.
Let's proceed with that.
As the grandmother
and the person who raised
Russell along with my family,
we have written the following statement.
"Our hearts ache for the pain and suffering
"that the Shepard's have went through.
"We have prayed for your family
since the very beginning.
"Many times throughout the day,
"I have thought about Matt
"and you will continue to be
in our thoughts and prayers.
"As we know that your pain
will never go away.
"You have showed such mercy
and we are so grateful
"that you are giving us
all the opportunity to live.
"Your honor,
"we as a family,
"hope that as you sentence Russell,
"that you will do it concurrently
"for two life terms.
"For the Russell we know and love,
"we humbly plead, your honor,
"to not take Russell
completely out of our lives...
Forever."
Mr. and Mrs. Shepard,
there is not a moment
that goes by that I don't
see what happened that night.
I know what I did was very wrong.
And I regret greatly what I did.
You have my greatest sympathies
for what happened.
I hope that...
One day you will be able
to find it in your hearts
to forgive me.
Mr. Henderson,
this court does not believe that
you really feel any true remorse
for your part in this matter.
And I wonder whether you fully realize
the gravity of what you have done.
You drove the vehicle that took
Matthew Shepard to his death.
You bound him to that fence,
in order that he might
be more savagely beaten.
And in order that he might
not escape to tell his tale.
You left him out there for 18 hours,
perhaps having an opportunity
to save his life
and you did nothing.
As to count three,
that being felony m*rder with robbery,
you are to serve a period of imprisonment
for the term of your natural life.
For count one,
kidnapping,
that you are to serve
a period of imprisonment
for the term of your natural life.
Sentencing for count one to run consecutive
to sentencing for count three.
After this sentencing,
the morman church decided
to excommunicate Russell.
Now, he's got a mormon home teacher
that visits him in prison every week.
Now nobody from the church
is gonna go visit him?
Not supposed to.
They're not supposed to pray for him,
he'll just sort of disappear.
What happened that night?
We need to know.
This town needs to know.
I need some more light on them.
I never get tired of this play.
Yeah, well, try directing it 50 times.
You can relax, just keep the umbrellas up.
So, I hear you're doing
"angels in America" next year.
We have an obligation
to reach our students.
And the question is, how do you move...
How do you reach a whole state
where's there's such deep-seeded
hostility toward gays?
How do you reach them?
"Angels in America" is just the beginning.
And guess who's auditioning for the lead?
My parents, right?
They're like, hey, so,
what plays are they doing
in school this year?
Oh, let's see,
"angels in America".
Wait, wait, wait.
"Angels in America", isn't that that play?
That scene?
So, you're gonna...
Audition for this?
And, I said, um...
Yeah, I am.
Huge argument.
There was like, this huge argument.
My mom was like,
h*m* is a sin, h*m*
is a sin, h*m* is a sin.
But the best thing,
the best thing they knew...
They had just seen me right before this,
they'd just seen me
on stage in "Macbeth", right?
I m*rder*d this little kid and lady mcduff
and these two other guys, right?
Mom, mom, mom.
I just played a m*rder*r tonight
and you didn't seem
to have any problem with that.
So, when's the audition?
Tuesday.
But I tell you, man,
I have never prepared myself
for an audition like this in my life.
Never,
not even close.
You know, everybody second
guesses what you're doing.
You know, you get a lot of heavy criticism.
You did everything wrong.
You are not supposed to touch anybody
unless you have your gloves on
and protective gear.
Then they make you out to be
some kind of big hero.
You know, some Joe blow down the block
could've done a better job than I did.
People do extraordinary things every day.
I think this has really
brought home to my girls...
What their mom does for a living.
Just a minute, just a minute.
It is the decision of
the county's attorney's office
that this will definitely be
tried as a death penalty case.
That's all I have.
Thank you.
How can I protest
if the Shepards want McKinney dead?
I just can't interfere in that.
But on a personal level,
I knew Aaron in grade school.
He wasn't called Aaron, we called him AJ.
How can we put AJ McKinney to death?
I think right now
our most important teachers
must be Russell Henderson
and Aaron McKinney.
They have to be our teachers.
How did you learn?
What did we do as a society
to teach you that?
See, I don't know if many people
will let them be their teacher.
I think it would be wonderful
if the judge said
in addition to the sentence,
you must tell your story.
You must tell your story.
This is a tape recording of the confession
given by Aaron James McKinney to me
as detective in charge
of the investigation.
This confession was recorded
two days after the attack.
So, you guys go to the fireside, right?
Yeah.
Where do you go after
you leave the fireside?
Some kid wanted a ride home.
Uh-huh.
What's he look like?
Like a q*eer.
He looks like a q*eer.
Yeah, like a f*g, you know?
Uh-huh.
Okay, so, how'd you meet him?
Uh-huh.
f*g?
q*eer guy?
We met him at the bar,
he asked what we were drinking
and what we were doing.
Okay, so, what happened after you met him?
He wanted a ride home and...
I just thought, well, the dude's drunk,
let's just take him home.
When did you and Russ
talk about jacking him up?
We kinda talked about it at the bar.
Tell me what happened next.
We drove him out past Walmart.
We got over there and he starts...
Grabbing my leg and grabbing my genitals
I was like, "look,
I'm not a f*cking f*gg*t.
If you touch me again,
you're gonna get it."
I don't know what the hell
he was trying to do.
But I beat him up pretty bad.
I think I k*lled him.
What did you hit him with?
I blacked out...
My fist.
My p*stol.
The butt of the g*n.
Wondering what happened to me.
I had a few beers and I don't know.
It's like I could see
what was going on, but...
I don't know, it was like
somebody else was doing it.
What was the first thing that he said
or that he did inside the truck
that made you want to hit him?
Well, he put his hand on my leg
and slid his hand like
he was gonna grab my ba*ls.
When that defense team argued
that McKinney did what he did
because Matthew made a pass at him.
I just wanted to vomit.
Because that's like saying it's okay.
It was disgusting.
And we were all just disgusted.
It was like, just rude,
rude and that was less than
integrous behavior
and we were all just disgusted
by that quality of defense.
It's like the twinkie defense
when the guy k*lled Harvey Milk in Moscone.
It's the same thing.
As much as a part of me didn't
want the defense of them saying
that it was a g*y bashing or g*y panic,
a part of me was really grateful.
Because I was really afraid
that in this trial
they were gonna try
and say that it was a robbery
or it was about drugs.
So, when they used g*y panic as the defense
I thought, this is good.
Because if nothing else,
the truth is gonna come out.
The truth is gonna be told!
So, about how many times
did you hit him in the truck
before you guys stopped where you left him?
I'd say I hit him two or three times.
Probably three times with my fist
and about six times with the p*stol.
Did he ask you to stop?
Well, yeah, he was getting
the sh*t kicked out of him.
What'd he say?
After he asked me to stop,
most all he was doing was screaming.
Was Matthew conscious
while Russell was tying him to the fence?
Yeah.
I told him, "turn around and don't
look at my license plate number,"
'cause I was scared
he would tell the police.
And then, I asked him
what my license plate said
and he read it and that's
why I hit him a few more times.
Just to be sure.
My secret hope was that
they were from somewhere else.
That then you can create this distance.
We don't grow children like that here.
Well, it's pretty clear we do
grow children like that here.
So, obviously, you don't like g*y people.
No, I don't.
Would you say you hate them?
No, I really don't hate them, but,
you know, when they start comi
on to me and stuff like that,
I get pretty aggravated.
So, you've been approached
by g*y people before?
No, not really.
Did he threaten you?
This g*y dude?
Yeah.
No.
Can you answer me one thing?
Why did you guys take his shoes?
I don't know.
I'm never gonna get to see my son again?
I don't know.
He's gonna die for sure?
There's no doubt that
Mr. Shepard is going to die.
So, what are they gonna give me,
25 to life?
Or the death penalty
and just get it over with?
That's not our job.
That's the job of the judge and the jury.
Now, the strange thing is
20 minutes before Matthew was brought in,
Aaron McKinney, one of the perpetrators,
was brought in by his girlfriend.
Wait, McKinney was here?
Yeah.
I guess he went back into town
later that same night
and got in a fight.
And so, there's Aaron
on one bed in my E.R.
And just a few beds down is Matthew.
And two days later,
I found out the connection.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, your honor.
I was very...
Struck.
There were two kids,
they were both my patients.
They were two kids.
I took care of both of them.
I took care of both their bodies.
And I felt a great deal of compassion
for both of them.
We the jury, impaneled and sworn
to try the above entitled cause,
after having well and truly
tried the matter,
unanimously find as follows...
As to the charge of kidnapping,
we find the defendant,
Aaron James McKinney...
Guilty.
As to the charge of felony m*rder,
we find the defendant,
Aaron James McKinney,
guilty.
The jury returns to the courthouse today
to start considering the punishment,
a phase of the trial that will
probably last until next week.
I am working with McKinney, counseling him.
I don't think he can
conceptualize the gravity
of something like capital punishment.
But you know I'm going to be
praying like the dickens tonight
that we don't have to
go through this next phase.
I don't know if you believe
in the power of prayer,
but would you do this for me?
Would you just say from time to time,
"lord, I lift him up to you"?
Just do that for me.
Of course, father.
The sentencing phase of McKinney's trial
was to begin momentarily.
However...
Now we are hearing that
Judy and Dennis Shepard
have been approached
by McKinney's defense team,
who plead for their client's life.
We understand Mr. Shepard may
approach the court this morning.
My son, Matthew,
did not look like a winner.
He was rather uncoordinated
and wore braces from the age
of 13 until the day he died.
However, in his all too brief life,
he proved that he was a winner.
On October 6th, 1998,
my son tried to show the world
that he could win again.
On October 12th, 1998,
my firstborn son
and my hero, lost.
On October 12th, 1998,
my firstborn son and my hero, died.
50 days before his 22nd birthday.
I keep wondering the same thing
that I did when I first saw him
in the hospital.
What would he have become?
How could he have changed
his piece of the world
to make it better?
Matt officially died in a hospital
in Fort Collins, Colorado.
He actually died
on the outskirts of Laramie,
tied to a fence.
You, Mr. McKinney,
with your friend,
Mr. Henderson,
left him there by himself.
But he was not alone.
There were his lifelong friends with him.
Friends that he had grown up with.
You're probably wondering
who these friends were.
First, he had the beautiful night sky
and the same stars and moon
we used to see through a telescope.
Then, he had the daylight
and the sun to shine on him.
And through it all,
he was breathing in
the scent of the pine trees
from the snowy range.
He heard the wind.
The ever-present Wyoming wind
for the last time.
He had one more friend with him.
He had god.
And I feel better knowing he wasn't alone.
Matt's beating, hospitalization and funeral
focused worldwide attention on hate.
Good is coming out of evil.
People have said,
"enough is enough."
I miss my son,
but I'm proud to be able
to say that he was my son.
Judy has been quoted as being
against the death penalty.
It has been stated that Matt
was against the death penalty.
Both of these statements are wrong.
I too believe in the death penalty.
I would like nothing better
than to see you die,
Mr. McKinney.
However,
this is the time to begin
the healing process...
To show mercy to someone
who refused to show any mercy.
Mr. McKinney,
I am going to grant you life
as hard as it is to do so,
because of Matthew.
Every time you celebrate Christmas,
a birthday, the 4th of July,
remember that Matt isn't.
Every time you wake up in your prison cell,
remember you had the opportunity
and the ability to stop
your actions that night.
You robbed me of something very precious
and I will never forgive you for that.
Mr. McKinney,
I give you life
in the memory of someone
who no longer lives.
May you have a long life
and may you thank Matthew every day for it.
Thank you very much.
Mr. McKinney, you will be
remanded to the custody
of the Albany county sheriff's department
pending transportation
to the state penitentiary.
Ladies and gentlemen,
that concludes this matter.
I hope when you think of this town,
you can see something else
than just a crime.
And understand why we love it so much.
I think I'm just really glad
that it's over.
I really am.
Testifying in this trial
has been one of the hardest things
I've ever had to do in my entire life.
Don't get me wrong, I love the stage,
I'm a natural for it, I love it.
But the actual testifying
is really, really difficult.
'Cause what you have is
you have the lawyers
who are asking you questions.
So, you have questions that are
coming at you in this avenue
but then, you have to funnel
them over towards the jury.
So, you funnel them over there
and what you end up with
is basically, you have a funneling system.
Right?
After taking the atz for six months,
I was able to get a DNA test.
And it was...
About a week later.
That's when I found out
that I was negative for good.
Oh, wow, thank god.
That's great.
I tell you, we were all on
our knees saying "hail Mary's".
You know, you're just so elated.
We were really happy.
So, what's the first thing she does?
I stuck my tongue right
in my husband's mouth.
What about your daughters?
Oh, man, the girls, they just bawled.
They were just so happy.
And the force.
Oh, boy.
We went out and got
sh*t-faced.
I just kissed everybody
who came through that door.
Reggie, they don't need to know that.
You know what, if it
was a male or a female,
I didn't care, I kissed
them right on the lips.
What part of what I just said
did you not understand?
Mom, I have already kissed them.
It's not clear to me having known Matthew,
what story he would want told about this.
We won't fully understand
what happened here
until time has had a chance
to filter that out for us.
What happened here,
the culture, the cost of this,
the complex set of events leading up to it.
It would've been like us
trying to stop a tank.
Change is not an easy thing,
and I don't think people
were up to it here.
They got what they wanted.
Those two boys got what they deserve,
and we look good now.
You know, it's been over a year
since Matthew Shepard died,
and they haven't passed sh*t in Wyoming.
They haven't passed it at a state level,
any town,
anybody anywhere,
has passed any kind of laws.
Anti-discrimination laws
or hate-crime legislation,
nobody has passed
anything anywhere.
What's come out of it?
What's come out of it
that's concrete and lasting?
The dead will be commemorated
and will struggle on with the living,
and we are not going away.
We won't die secret deaths anymore.
The world only spins forward.
We will be citizens.
The time has come.
Bye, now.
Have you ever gone out to the fence?
Uh-huh.
I drove up to the site in my limousine.
And...
See, I remembered something myself,
the night he and I drove around together,
he said, "Laramie sparkles,
doesn't it?"
And where he was in that spot up there,
if you sit exactly in that spot up there,
Laramie sparkles from there.
With the low lyinclouds, it's...
It's the blue lights
that's bouncing off the clouds
from the airport,
and it goes tst, tst, tst,
over the whole city.
I mean...
I mean, it blows you away.
And Matt was right there in that spot.
And I can just picture in his eyes,
I can picture what he was seeing.
And the last thing
that he saw on this earth
was 'e sparkling lights of Laramie, Wyoming.
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