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. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The groups work today is the same thing that was there 20 years ago., As recently as Tuesday, days before the anniversary of Shepards death, about 200 people attended a forum in Laramie questioning the prevailing view that he was murdered because of his sexual orientation. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. I am so sorry for your loss. He later died. During the fourth day of testimony Thursday, Chasity Pasley -- who was dating McKinney's alleged accomplice, Russell Henderson -- said McKinney told his girlfriend he killed someone and then asked . As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthews family, and for my family, for all of us, to go through, it opened up all of us to be better people and really think about who we are, Henderson said of Shepards death in a prison interview Tuesday with The Associated Press. A contradictory statement from McKinney indicates that Shepard didn't touch him, but looked like he was going to. Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, cried repeatedly as she was sentenced to 15 months to two . She attended Laramie High School in Laramie, Wyoming and later obtained a degree from Stevens Henager College.?. After leaving Shepard tied to a fence post in rural Wyoming, Henderson and McKinney returned to Laramie, where they got in a street fight with two other men, according to The Coloradoan. 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 reasons why may be about more than money. She also was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, but her trial has been delayed. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, 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. The pair lured Shepard outside the bar and abducted him. She attended Laramie High School in Laramie, Wyoming and later It is among just five states along with Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina that have not passed laws focused on crimes motivated by the victims identity, such as their sexual orientation. chasity pasley wyoming obituary. Twenty years on, its a heck of a lot closer to being a place where people can enjoy their lives more or less equally, said Marsden, who was a newspaper reporter and friend of Shepards at the time of his killing. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. Pasley's testimony. Mckinney was sentenced to two consecutive life prison sentences last week for the October 1998 murder of 21-year-old Shepard. Rob DeBree as her husband Dennis reads a statement to the media regarding Aaron McKinney's plea bargain in the murder of Shepard's son Matthew, at the Albany County Courthouse, in Laramie, Wyo. Pasley was the live-in girlfriend of Russell Henderson, who Thank you for letting me be a small part of your life. The flier advertising the event went out before Jimenez asked the prison system for permission to livestream Hendersons appearance, according to Wyoming Department of Corrections spokesman Mark Horan. 8539 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah. Police said Pasley, Henderson's girlfriend, and Kristen Price, McKinney's girlfriend, provided fake alibis and tried to destroy bloody clothing from the crime. It never was about us hating Matthew because of who he was.. June 11, 2022 Posted by: illustrator graphic design tutorials . LARAMIE, Wyoming When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the United States and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. The killers' girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. Shepard was gay, and his 1998 murder cast a light on the challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ community and the fact that the United States still had a lot of ground to make up when it came to acceptance and equality (via the Los Angeles Times). The next day, a mountain biker found him. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. McKinney and Henderson trying "to get their stories straight" (AP) When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student. McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. Linda she really loved you with all her heart & soul she missed you very much. The event was billed as an examination of what the media got wrong in its coverage of Shepards murder. . It has been a year since we lost our sweet Chasity. The following morning, Pasley testified, eight detectives Shane Sanderson joined the Star-Tribune in 2017. . For more on Shepards murder, as well as other brutal hate crimes and the current rise of extremist violence in the United States, watch Uncovered: KilledByHate, airingSunday at 7/6conOxygen. Aaron McKinney and Chastity Pasley wait to be arraigned . Shane studied journalism at the University of Missouri and worked at newspapers there before moving to Wyoming. A Wyoming man pleaded guilty yesterday to the horrific killing of gay college student Matthew Shepard - garnering a life sentence for the crime that shocked the nation. Henderson and McKinney argued that the murder was the result of a robbery gone bad and that Shepard's sexual orientation wasn't a factor, though McKinney's own account of the night hurts that assertion. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. He died five days later. It never was about that, Henderson said. According to Oxygen, on October 6, 1998, Shepard was out at a gay bar in Laramie, Wyoming known as The Fireside Lounge. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. Price originally was accused of accessory after-the-fact to first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced. Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, Burlingame said. 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.. OMalley said Jimenezs narrative has picked up in steam in Wyoming more than anywhere else. Meanwhile, Chasity Pasley was found guilty of helping the two discard bloody clothing belonging to Shepard. Livestreaming interviews with inmates is against prison policy, Horan said. arrived outside the apartment she shared with Henderson. She was the last of four defendants arrested following the 1998 beating death of gay University of Wyoming freshman Matthew Shepard. 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. Meanwhile, Chasity Pasley was found guilty of helping the two discard bloody clothing belonging to Shepard. The acrimony over Shepards legacy runs high here, just as it did when anti-gay and gay-rights protesters squared off at his funeral in Casper. He died in a hospital five days later. The convicted killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, are each serving two consecutive life sentences. 20 years after Matthew Shepard's murder, alternate narratives gain steam in Wyoming. According to Biography, Shepard was remembered as being kind, sensitive, and quiet when he was a kid. Chasity Vera Haines (Pasley) passed away on October 10, 2017. were disposed of so he could be treated at a hospital for a You have permission to edit this article. Related Articles Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this.. District Judge Jeffrey Donnell sentenced Price to 180 days in jail. I love you Chasity until we see each other again. Chasity Pasley, 21, is serving an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to being an accessory after the fact in the slaying of Matthew Shepard, who was beaten, tied to a fence post. Brandon Foster is the Star-Tribune's managing editor. 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. In this Oct. 9, 1999 file photo, a cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. A pipe bomb was detonated near McClure Street in Laramie. He has also seen the drug-related hypotheses gain popularity over the years. I think about him and every single one of those days that I've had that he hasn't had, his family hasn't had, his friends haven't had. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. The argument was rejected. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. I think he has atoned. Chasity loved spending time with her son, family, and friends. Former UW student Chasity Pasley, who was dating one of Matthew Shepard's killers, pleaded innocent to the charge of accessory, after the fact, to first-degree murder. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Celebration of Life His murderers were both given consecutive life sentences, although they werent charged with a hate crime. 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. Instead, he said, they were out to rob him of money and possibly drugs when they drove him to the edge of town on the night of October 6, 1998. 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. Stephen Jimenez, the events host, is the author of The Book of Matt that alleges drugs and not hate led to Shepards death. #inline-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { The Bible reminds us that God sees our pain and sadness and has promised that soon, death will be swallowed up forever. (Isaiah 25:8) He will heal our broken hearts by resurrecting our precious loved ones to life again. Osborn said that the intolerant reputation that the national media placed on Wyoming was, to an extent, unfair. He was her world. Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney and Chastity Pasley wait to be arraigned Oct. 9, 1998. 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. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! (AP) When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. display: none; Twenty years after the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, one of the lead investigators in the case shared with the Coloradoan a letter sent between the suspects who were. 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