Mathew Shepard Case Brief :: essays research papers

Matthew Shepard Case BriefFacts Twenty one year old, University of Wyoming college student, Matthew Shepard, crumpled October 12, 1998 at 1253 a.m. after spending five days in a comma due to massive injuries and head trauma in a robbery and hate crime assault (Matthew Shepard, 2000 on-line). Matthew Shepard met Aaron McKinney (22) and Russell Henderson (21) of Laramie in a local bar called Fireside Lounge. McKinney and Henderson had been drinking. The two led Shepard to believe they were fairylike and lured Shepard to their truck. McKinney pulled out a gun and said, Guess what- were not aerial and youre gonna get jacked. McKinney then told Shepard to give him his wallet. When Shepard refused, McKinney hit him with the gun. With Henderson behind the wheel, McKinney continue to strike Shepard. McKinney then told Henderson to get a rope out of the truck. McKinney allegedly tied Shepards beaten body to a wooden split-rail bear fence, robbed him of his wallet and patent leather shoes , continued to beat him and left him to die for over 18 hours. Chasity Vera Pasley (20) and Krista Lean Price (18), the suspects girl mavens, hid the all-fired shoes of Henderson and provided the suspects with alibis. Shepards shoes, coat and credit card were found in McKinneys pick-up truck his wallet was found in McKinneys home. A .357 Magnum was also found in McKinneys home (Matthew Shepard, 2000 on-line). On April 5, 1999, 22 year old, Aaron McKinney was found fineable of felony murder, second-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. 21 year old, Russell Henderson pled guilty to kidnapping and felony murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Two women expound as the suspects girlfriends, Chasity Vera Pasley (20) and Krista Lean Price (18) were charged as accessories after the position of first-degree murder (The Data Lounge, Issues 2000, on-line).Issues Aaron James McKinney seemed to believe that his allegation that Shepard had made a pass at him was sufficient g rounds to justify joining with friend Russell Henderson in savagely beating Shepard, clubbing him with a handgun, lashing him to a wooden fence and leaving him to die. McKinneys attorney wanted the gore to accept that because McKinney has a homosexual encounter when he was younger and that he was under the influence of both drugs and alcohol when he alleges Shepard made a pass at him, that he was therefore not responsible for his actions.