ID’s upcoming special, The Matthew Shepard Story, will chronicle the 1998 murder case on Monday, October 9, 2023. The documentary will be premiering at 9:00 pm ET, honoring Shepard’s life, legacy, and the impact of his death 25 years later.
Disclaimer: This article mentions murder, hate-crime, and other sensitive subjects. Readers’ discretion is advised.
After midnight on October 7, 1998, two roofing workers kidnapped, assaulted, and robbed the openly gay University of Wyoming student. The former two left the 21-year-old tied to a fence to die in the frigid cold outside Laramie. The young victim succumbed to his injuries five days later at a hospital.
Not long after, police arrested the two suspects, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. They faced multiple charges, including attempted murder (first-degree murder after Shepard’s death). Henderson pleaded guilty while McKinney stood trial the following year and a jury convicted him. Both their girlfriends also faced charges in connection with the crime.
A Detailed Look into the Events That Culminated into Shepard’s Demise and the Cause of Death
Shepard, a political science major university student, headed to a gay-friendly local bar called Fireside Lounge on the evening of October 6, 1998, for a karaoke night. There, he started chatting with two roofing workers – Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. The latter two confessed that after learning about Shepard’s sexuality, they pretended to be gay and invited him for a drink.
According to BBC, the duo then took the 21-year-old aboard McKinney’s truck, robbed him of his wallet, keys, and shoes, and beat him. Following this, they drove about a mile out of town to a dirt path in a rocky prairie and tied the victim to a long fence before pistol-whipping him about 19 to 21 times. They also kicked the latter between his legs.
McKinney and Henderson, both around the ages of 21 at the time, left Shepard tied to the fence to die in the near-freezing cold. Eighteen hours later, a biker found the crime scene. He suffered four skull fractures, never regained consciousness, and died five days later, i.e., on October 12, at the Colorado hospital.
Were the Killers Brought to Justice?
Multiple sources have claimed that the deadly assault on Matthew Shepard changed America. The outlet reported that Albany County Sheriff Dave O’Malley, who served as lead investigator in the case, revealed that Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson struck the victim with a huge Smith and Wesson revolver. He also compared the young man’s injuries to those incurred in high-speed traffic crashes.
Police arrested both suspects even before the university student died and charged them with attempted murder, which changed to first-degree murder, among other charges. Henderson pleaded guilty and received two consecutive life sentences. Meanwhile, McKinney stood trial in 1999 in the highly-publicized case. A jury subsequently found him guilty. Following this, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison without parole.
