Matthew Wayne “Matt” Shepard was an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming who was beaten, tortured, and left to die in a field on the evening of October 6, 1998. After spending five days in a comma, Matthew Shepard died on October 12, 1998 at 12:53 a.m. in which the cause of death was caused by the massive injuries and head trauma he sustained during a robbery and hate crime assault. Due to the nature of the crime, Shepard’s death quickly became the center of international and political attention. One of the most prominent cases in Wyoming judicial history, the pre-trial and court procedures were followed with diligence and due process. On the night of October 6, 1998, Shepard had meet two young men by the names of Aaron McKinney (22) and Russell Henderson (21) at a local bar on campus called the Fireside Lounge. Believing they wanted to discuss the politics and struggle of the gay movement, Matthew followed them to their truck. After getting into the vehicle, McKinney pulled out a gun in an attempt to rob Matthew. However, when he refused, McKinney hit him with the gun. Finally, after driving away from the bar, Shepard was …show more content…
In the beginning, McKinney and Henderson were arrested and charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. However, after Shepard’s death, the charges were amended from attempted murder to murder in the first degree. Later on November 10th, a preliminary hearing was held for McKinney and Henderson and a full trial was set to begin on October 11th, which was ironically one day before the anniversary of Matthew’s death. Then on April 5, 1999, Henderson reached a pre-trial agreement and pleaded guilty to murder and kidnapping in which he received two consecutive life sentences. He also agreed to testify against McKinney in order to avoid the death