Why Matthew Shepard's Murder Wasn't A Hate Crime

Jack Atteridg

Ms. Menough P.2

November 18th, 2014

                  The actions of human beings will never be sure and the media, as well as literature has attempted to understand these actions through The Laramie Project, The Book Of Matt, and the ABC News 20/20 Report. The Matthew Shepard case has the ability to draw different viewpoints and everyone has different views on morality and this case allows them to express there own view and there own opinion on what happened the night of October 12th, 1998. Shepard’s murder being a hate crime is heavily questioned in Stephen Jimenez book The Book Of Matt and there’s a lot of evidence showing Shepard’s murder was not because he was gay. The murder of Matthew Shepard was not a hate crime because of the Evidence in The Book Of Matt, the biases in the Laramie community, and the cultural media explosion that occurred in Laramie after Shepard’s Death.

           In Stephen Jimenez The Book Of Matt, is endless accounts and witnesses that prove Shepard wasn’t killed because he was gay. Shepard and his killer Aaron McKinney were not strangers, they knew each other. Shepard and McKinney had been seen numerous times together around town. They weren’t best friends but certainly not strangers. Laramie is such a small town almost everybody knows of everybody or has seen them around town. Shepard and McKinney being in the same places a lot of the time isn’t a coincidence. “Aaron had been to gay bars and, you know, had been around gay guys and was very comfortable with that”(Jimenez). McKinney had been seen numerous times at several gay bars, not in Laramie though because there are no gay bars in Laramie. McKinney and Shepard were both into the the rapidly growing drug scene in Laramie at the time. The main drug being Methamphetamine. “ Well, first of all, i learned that Matthew had become a user of meth(Jimenez). Knowing both McKinney and Shepard were involved in drugs brings up more suspicion and probability that they weren’t strangers. During the time of Shepard’s murder McKinney had been up for days on meth. “ Well, Aaron McKinney had been a meth dealer for three years prior to the crime”(Jimenez). Not only was Aaron using but he was also dealing and Matthew knew that. When Matthew moved from Denver to Laramie he wanted to leave the drug scene behind but when he got involved he probably got introduced to McKinney. The drug has the ability to take over the mind and take away one’s judgement. That night on October 12th, 1998 McKinney was craving the drug more than ever and clearly would of done anything to maintain his high. McKinney knew Shepard could of had drugs on him from previous knowledge and chose to rob Shepard because of that. There’s also a ton of proof that McKinney could of in fact been bisexual. Doc O’connor a limousine driver in the Laramie area has driven both McKinney and Shepard and knows them both fairly well. O’connor said that he and McKinney had a sexual threesome with another woman. McKinney being so willing shows he’s not that homophobic at all. O’connor has even said that McKinney could very likely be bisexual from all the encounters he had or heard about with McKinney. The Book Of Matt is filled with proof that McKinney and Shepard knew each other and were into a lot of the same things including sex.

          The Laramie community is one of the most biased and single-minded communities this country had in 1998. Laramie is such a secluded town that the views and the people don’t change. “ And they brought me into their room and told me that if i did that scene, that they would not come to see me in the competition. Because they believed that it is wrong-that homosexuality is wrong”(Jedediah Schultz, pg 10). Jedediah’s parents wouldn’t come to his theater competition because they believe the theater crowd and culture comes off as homosexual. The people are brought up in a very old culture. Skin color, sexuality, race, etc. is so important to these people and the majority of the community is beyond judgemental. When the Laramie community found out about Shepard’s murder they jumped right to a hate crime because discrimination and violence against gays isn’t something out of the ordinary in Laramie, Wyoming. “ President Bill Clinton condemned it as a hate crime”(Rachel Martin, Host). Even the President of the United States believed this murder was a hate crime. McKinney had a bad boy reputation too and easily made sense to the Laramie community that McKinney would beat and rob someone who was gay. Most people didn’t know the truth about McKinney and Shepard though. It was the perfect scenario for a hate crime; two thugs with bad reputation in Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson singling out a gay person to abuse and rob in Matthew Shepard. It’s the ideal hate crime in one of the most probable place for someone to be singled out because they were gay in Laramie. “ As far as the gay issue, i don’t give a damn one way or the other as long as they don’t bother me”(Marge Murray, pg 15). Even the people who don’t mind the gay community in Laramie like Marge want them to keep there distance. It’s extremely hard to be gay in Laramie. It’s especially hard to argue when the killer himself McKinney reported that he killed him because he was gay and even told his girlfriend at the time to tell the police the same thing. He wanted everyone to know that he killed Shepard because he was gay. Right of the bat is extremely suspicious. At the time of the murder everybody was too afraid to step out and say anything about the case. Nobody wanted to be the person to say that maybe this wasn’t because he was gay but something else. It was a hectic time and you had to just listen in and follow along.

        The explosion of the media in in Laramie is one of the most monumental news explosions to ever occur in this country. There had never been anything like this before in Wyoming history let alone Laramie. “ So i was talking to my sister on the phone and thats when the whole story came up on channel 5 news and it was just like ba-boom”(Trish Stegar, pg 40). The community was shocked and didn’t know how to respond. The attraction this story got is what allowed people to start exploring into other conclusions about why Matthew was really killed. If Matthew wasn’t gay this media explosion wouldn’t have occurred and that’s one thing that really drew the Westboro Baptist Church to Laramie. “ But this murder is different, because the fags are bringing us out here trying to make Matthew Shepard into a poster boy for the gay lifestyle”(Reverend Fred Phelps, pg 76). All the attention was both positive and negative. Without the attention the case got things like The Book Of Matt would of never been created. The attention and the media allowed people to gather their own theories and opinions on why Shepard was killed. People started to realize that this murder could very likely not be a hate crime. “ In my opinion, and based on all the research and investigation i’ve done, it’s that Aaron McKinney wanted the drugs and the money that he believed that Matthew Shepard was in possession of that night. And Aaron assaulted four males in a 24-hour period. One of them was against a gay male, and the other three were against straight males but somehow, we can isolate this and say it was an anti-gay hate crime”(Jimenez). McKinney had nothing against gays, Shepard and McKinney knew each other, the meth induced rage McKinney was in during the murder, all these things show you that this murder was not a hate crime.

       With all the evidence provided it’s easy to see that Shepard’s murder wasn’t a hate crime. Once the story got more attention and people began opening up to other scenarios people began to understand the deeper truth in this case. Matthew Shepard was into drugs and the Laramie drug scene, so was Aaron McKinney and that’s how they knew each other. This murder was drug related and had nothing to do with Shepard being gay. How can a murder be a hate crime when the murderer himself had nothing against gays? A robbery gone wrong influenced by McKinney’s meth-induced rage and craving for the drug is why Matthew Shepard was murdered.

Works Cited

'Book Of Matt': An Alternative Motive Behind The Infamous Murder."NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.

Kaufman, Moisés. The Laramie Project. New York: Vintage, 2001. Print.

Abc News 20/20 Special Matthew Shepard. N.d.

"Npr 10 Years Later Matthew Shepard." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Jimenez, Stephen. The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

My essay and my view

        Recently we've been forming our opinions on whether or not we think the murder of Matthew Shepard was a hate crime or not. With all the evidence gathered from the Laramie Project, The Book Of Matt, 20/20 special, and other reports there is substantial evidence on both sides of the question. It's easy to see how this story is used in so many schools because it allows the student to base there own opinion and express how they feel which is crucial in our countries school system. I personally believe that Matthew's murder was not a hate crime and instead a drug deal gone wrong. The Laramie community in general does not support the gay community and it's easy to see how a well known thug in Aaron Mckinney would hurt someone who is gay in Matthew Shepard. These two men knew each other though and this murder was not because Matthew was gay. In Stephen Jimenez's book The Book Of Matt there is proof from Doc' Oconnor and other members of the Laramie community that they had seen Aaron and Matthew together before and they did in fact know each other. Laramie is a very small tight knit community and it's hard to not know somebody or at least know somebody who know's somebody and that's why it's hard for me to believe that these two men didn't know each other. Matthew and Aaron were both into the drug scene and some say that they had even been in business together. Aaron needed drugs and Matthew could of been carrying some or selling and because Aaron was in a meth induced rage at the time of the murder its clear he would of done anything to get drugs or money from Matthew. Aaron had been up for days and craving the high more than anything and would of done anything to continue that high. You cant forget about Russell who at the time wanted to get Aaron drunk and in my opinion just wanted to help his friend rob Matthew. That's why he tied Matthew up, so they could easily rob him but then it took a turn for the worst when Aaron rage and the meth took over.

          Aaron knew Matthew could of had drugs on him or to sell and picked Matthew because he knew him and wanted to rob him. Matthew accepted the ride because Aaron was a familiar face to him and didn't think something like this would of ever happened to him. What's sad is Matthew was defenseless and couldn't do anything to stop what was happening to him. Aaron wouldn't kill someone because they were gay. There's proof from Stephen Jimenez and Doc O'connor that Aaron could of in fact been bisexual. He participated in a sexual threesome with Doc O'connor and another woman. Doc says numerous times that Aaron did not hate gays and in fact could of been bisexual. Doc drove Aaron around numerous times in the back of his limo and knew Aaron and how he viewed the gay community. Aaron was unstable and would of done anything to get his hands on some drugs and that's why Matthew Shepard is no longer alive. It goes to show you what one of the worst drugs on this planet can do to the mind. It can turn you into a monster and that's what Aaron Mckinney was that night on October 12th, 1998. Russell could of stopped Aaron and he has to deal with that guilt everyday for the rest of his life but really Aaron couldn't of been stopped because of the state of mind he was in. Russell made a minor attempt to intervene and was struck in the face by the butt of Aaron's pistol. Aaron was even assaulting his friends and that was because of the meth. Aaron had nothing against gays and that alone is enough for me to know this murder wasn't a hate crime. 

In class quotes

" Because they believed that it was wrong-that homosexuality is wrong. They felt that strongly about it that they didn't want to come see their son do probably the most important thing he'd done to that point in his life"(Jedadiah Schultz, 10).

" It's a tough business, as Matt Shepard knew, and all his friends know, to be gay in cowboy country"(Newsperson 1, 45).

" Yes, i would, your honor. Mr. and Mrs. Shepard, there is not a moment that goes by that i dont see what happened that night. I know what i did was very wrong, and i regret greatly what i did. You have my greatest sympathy for what happened(Russell Henderson, 81)

Deeper into the Laramie Project

         This past week we got an in depth look at the Matthew's Shepard killers Russel Henderson and Aaron Mckinney. Learning more about them allows you to understand why this murder happened in the first place. Mckinney is ruthless, even to this day he's not the least bit sympathetic nor sorry for what he did to Matthew and the Shepard family. In the 20/20 film Mckinney shows his sociopathic mentality and its pretty disturbing to the viewer. It's also disturbing to know that Mckinney could be lying about his sexual orientation and the murder still. There's evidence in The Book Of Matt that Mckinney was in fact bisexual and even had a sexual threesome with Doc O'connor that Doc says was in fact true. In the film Mckinney denies that he's ever had any kind of sexual interaction with a man which i believe is a lie and he's still lying to this day. Mckinney knows the beating he put on Matthew was savage and brutal and yet has never apologized because he's a ruthless human being. He had the opportunity to apologize to the world in his 20/20 interview and im sure the thought never even crossed his mind which is so disturbing. Mckinney deserves the punishment hes received and he's lucky that he isn't dead. Usually people like Mckinney don't survive in prison.

     This week we also got a new view of Russel Henderson and how the sentence he received could of been unfair. Just in the picture above you can see the scar that Aaron Mckinney left on Henderson's face when he struck him in the face but the butt of a .357 magnum the same weapon his used to beat Matthew with. Henderson tried to intervene when Mckinney was beating Matthew and thats why Mckinney struck him with the pistol. Henderson knew what Mckinney was doing was wrong and tried to stop it but ultimately returned to the car because he didn't want to try and stop Mckinney again. Henderson coud of stopped the murder and he knows that, he states that in the 20/20 film and you can see the regret on his face which is something you didn't see with Mckinney. Henderson was a eagle scout, a overall good kid who took a couple wrong turns along his path but deep down he was a good person. In the 20/20 interview Henderson apologized to the world and the Shepard family which is something most people didn't see coming. Henderson never struck Matthew, he tied him up to the fence  which wil never be okay and ultimately is why he's serving his double life sentence but he didn't want Matthew dead like Mckinney did. It's unfortunate what happened to Henderson but he could of stopped this murder and thats why he is in prison. At least he knows that what he did was wrong and feels sympathetic and wishes he could take that day on October 12th, 1998 back more than anything.

Last week and the Laramie project

        This past week we got a really good introduction to the Laramie Project and began reading and analyzing the book. Really focused on the culture of Laramie and the community and the impact the media had on this story. All the support from both the media and the community really allowed Matthew Shepard's story to get out into the public and receive the support it did. Although at times the media could of been a lot much for the Shepard family to handle at the time they did a great job of using Matthew's story to make sure something like this doesn't happen again and thats special. When it comes to the community most would say Laramie was really just a dot on the map and thats it. After Matthew's story Laramie became a town everybody's heard of in the U.S and that says something about the community of Laramie. Most people in Laramie work minimum wage jobs and dont live anything like the life of people living in the cities. It's a farm town that up until Matthew's story was left alone and had never received any media attention. The culture and the community changed quickly after the murder and the people of Laramie had to adapt. Being known by most people in the country as the place where that kid was murdered was not what the people of Laramie wanted at all. Instead they came together and brought awareness and support to Matthew's murder and thats something the people of Laramie can be proud of.

          We also began forming our opinions on whether or not we think Matthew's murder was a hate crime or something else. So far there has been a lot of evidence from Stephen Jimenez and his book The book Of Matt that Matthew's murder could of been something else beside a hate crime for him being gay. That possibly it was a drug deal gone wrong and Aaron Mckinney was under a meth induced rage and was really a ticking time bomb. It can't be a robbery because you dont do something to someone like Aaron Mckinney did to Matthew Shepard only for some shoes and a wallet. According to Jimenez Matthew and Mckinney knew each other and had been in business with drugs and could of led to the whole confrontation. If it wasn't a hate crime it had to of been drug related and there's quite a bit of evidence to prove that. Learning more about Mckinney and his accomplice Russel Henderson will help form my opinion because its still unsure. There's so many theories and stories that come with Matthew's story and that;s why this incident is so intriguing to everyone. Its still unsure to a lot of people as in what actually happened and thats fascinating because this story needs a conclusion. Everyone has there own opinion and thats another thing that is so interesting about this story because everybody has different views. It's just good to know Matthew's story didn't go un-noticed and got the support it did.