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. She was someone Jim Osborn knew well and liked. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. The 1998 torture and murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, was a turning point for gay rights in the United States, prompting outrage, sorrow and activism. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged she was not in. Even now, people associate Laramie with the murder. Sometimes Chasity goes by various nicknames including Chasity V Pasley, Chasity V Pasley, Chasity Haines, Chasity Vera Haines and Chasity V Haines. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. 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. Price originally was accused of accessory after-the-fact to first-degree murder, but the charge was later reduced. Pasley said she saw blood and a "fleshy" substance on one Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! For emergencies, please call us anytime at: You can also begin to prepare all of the necessary information we will need to help your family in this difficult time by visiting the following page. He died in a hospital five days later. He died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. A memorial celebration of life service will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, 11:00 AM at the Elm Creek Ward, 8539 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah. Dennis Shepard's career led the entire family to Dharan, Saudi Arabia for a job. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. I think about Matthew every single day of my life. His accomplice, Russell Henderson, is also serving two consecutive life terms. She received 120 days of credit for time already served following her initial arrest, and the remaining 60 days were suspended. Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, cried repeatedly as she was sentenced to 15 months to two years in prison for being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Henderson described himself as a follower of others, including the more charismatic McKinney, and said he was afraid to lose face by doing more to prevent the crime or just going home. Flying bug found at Walmart turns out to be rare Jurassic-era insect 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. But there are also people who think Shepard deserved to die because of his sexual orientation and use Jimenezs theory as an excuse for their views, Osborn said. Ed Andrieski, AP Dave. comment, May her family find comfort and peace, She made a choice that she ultimately paid the price for and I find it sad anyone would come to this forum and post such things, these are the same people that want to preach love, The reality is the truth can be found in the Bible such as John 13:34, Your email address will not be published. He has also seen the drug-related hypotheses gain popularity over the years. On that nig, The Wyoming State Historical Society will honor a controversial book about Matthew Shepard that claims he was killed in a drug deal gone wrong, This past week, the Society of Professional Journalists began winding down its examination of media trust with a panel in Casper, closing down. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. 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. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Stephen Jimenez, the events host, is the author of The Book of Matt that alleges drugs and not hate led to Shepards death. "We need to do this for Matthew and for everybody else and to keep this from happening again.". LARAMIE, Wyo. Were nowhere near done, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. However, McKinney did speak with actor Greg Pierotti in 2009, for a revival of The Laramie Project, a play centering around the fallout from Shepards murder,according toToday.com. Due to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. 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.. I think about him and every single one of those days that Ive had that he hasnt had, his family hasnt had, his friends havent had. I know she is moving forward in her existence and making strides in her own eternal progress. I love you Chasity. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this, Henderson said. For the last 20 years, the work of Wyoming Equality has really been this race, that we want to get to every LGBT person out there, Burlingame said. Because of overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. Shepard had asked his friends if they wanted to go with him to The Fireside Lounge for a beer but didn't get any takers. McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading. Pasley's testimony. Associated Press Writer Brady McCombs contributed to this report. She said her organization will continue its unapologetic advocacy, reaching out to churches, businesses, legislators and regular citizens about their policies and attitudes. taken to a hospital. 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. 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. The federal government wouldnt move substantially to address the kind of hatred that took Shepards life for almost 20 years, as explained onOxygensnew special, Uncovered: KilledByHate.. Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother concussion he suffered during a fight he and Henderson had 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. were disposed of so he could be treated at a hospital for a He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. 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. The night I did it, I did have hatred for homosexuals, McKinney told Pierotti,according to the Denver Post. These last couple of months Chasity made such changes in her life she would always pray with me when I seen her. There, Shepard met Romaine Patterson through a teacher. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. knee of Henderson's pants. Marie Maxfield. Chasity Pasley currently lives in Salt Lake City, UT; in the past Chasity has also lived in West Jordan UT and Lompoc CA. A pipe bomb was detonated near McClure Street in Laramie. According to Oxygen, Aaron McKinney has never displayed even an ounce of remorse for his crimes, even doubling down. 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. 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. Bay Area federal judge orders extradition of woman suspected of killing MSU student in hit-and-run, San Jose: Home raided as part of explosives and narcotics investigation, Man arrested after explosives found in bag at Pa. airport. In the letter, McKinney tells Henderson that, at trial, he wants his friend to blame everything on him even alleging that Henderson asked him to stop beating Shepard, and that he was drunk and pointing a cannon at his friend,according to the Coloradoan. November 4, 1999 / 9:24 AM She said her organization will continue its unapologetic advocacy, reaching out to churches, businesses, legislators and regular citizens about their policies and attitudes. Still, he insisted, neither he nor McKinney was motivated by anti-gay hatred when they offered Shepard a ride home from a bar. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. They have both taken starkly different paths since they were sentenced, however. Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. Web posted at: 6:23 p.m. EDT (2223 GMT). Where Matthew Shepard was left, near the intersection of Pilot Peak and Snowy View roads, Laramie, Wyo. The killers' girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee Its a lot easier to say, Oh, well, there must have been another explanation, he said. }, First published on November 4, 1999 / 9:24 AM. In a letter written from jail, McKinney admitted to being homophobic. He died five days later. You have permission to edit this article. Since then, Henderson has claimed that he followed McKinney's lead and that their crime was not motivated by Shepard's sexual orientation, per the Associated Press. Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Laramie and David Crary in New York contributed to this report. Henderson reiterated that he was deeply sorry for Shepards murder. Chastity Vera Pasley, 20 the only one of the four enrolled at the university was arraigned today on a charge of being accessory to attempted first-degree murder and held in lieu of $30,000. Both have served time in different states due to overcrowding in Wyoming prisons, with McKinney being held in Mississippi and Henderson currently being held at a prison in Torrington, Wyoming, a small town near the Wyoming-Nebraska border. And so, for the conspiracy theorists out there, I suppose its good reading. Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File). chasity pasley wyoming obituary. (John 6:40) I hope the beautiful memories of Chasity and these promises from God comfort you in the days to come. Shepard and Patterson moved to Denver, Colorado together but returned to Wyoming, at which point he started taking classes in political science and international relations at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. 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. (AP) _ The girlfriend of a man who pleaded guilty to killing gay college student Matthew Shepard was sentenced Friday to up to two years in prison for helping to cover up evidence in the killing. He helped investigate the Matthew Shepard case and is now the Albany County sheriff. According to Biography, McKinney would later state that he thought Shepard was dead when they left him, but that wasn't the case; Shepard was still alive, albeit in a coma. I think about Matthew every single day of my life. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File). display: block; Henderson and McKinney are serving life sentences for Matthew Shepard's murder. girlfriend, Kristen Price, drove to Cheyenne to dump Lookup the home address and phone 2705768642 and other contact details for this person. Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, Burlingame said. Hate Crimes Prevention Act,according to a 2018 Associated Press interview. Instead, Henderson said in a non-specific manner that drugs played a role in Shepards killing. You can cancel at any time. Henderson tied Shepard to the fence after McKinney told him to do it, he said. I will keep Chasity always in my heart, I wont find another like her . display: none; police station, sticking to a story she and Price had agreed According to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Shepard was chosen to be a peer counselor at the school and was known to fight for the acceptance of everyone. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha said Monday that she was a valuable witness for the prosecution against McKinney. Shepard's parents started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor their son and to help parents understand and accept their children who may be questioning their sexuality. I love you Chasity until we see each other again. Henderson, now 41, said the U.S. should have laws that protect everyone, no matter who they are. Your subscription could not be saved. It never was about us hating Matthew because of who he was.. She said she had misgivings about getting involved and was Earlier in the day, Chasity Pasley, a girlfriend of Henderson's, testified that she saw no indication of drug use by McKinney. Trending News (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Nov. 4, 1999: Judy Shepard stands with Detective Sgt. 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. In this Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from left are Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney, and Chasity Pasley, three suspects in the beating to death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. That played a part. Pasley testified Still, he insisted, neither he nor Aaron McKinney was motivated by anti-gay hatred when they offered Shepard a ride home from a bar. 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. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! The 1998 torture and murder of gay student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, was a turning point for gay rights in the United States, prompting outrage, sorrow and activism. University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was severely beaten and left tied to a fence outside Laramie the night of Oct. 6, 1998. . Merry . The convicted killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, are each serving two consecutive life sentences. Going into the murder trial, McKinney's lawyers used a defense strategy that involved pointing to McKinney's claim that Shepard touched him (via BBC News). At McKinneys trial, his attorneys sought to use the so-called gay panic defense, arguing he killed Shepard in a rage for making sexual overtures. pleaded guilty to kidnapping and murder and is serving Attorneys for Wyoming in 2014 argued in defense of the states definition of marriage as only between a man and a woman, a case later rendered moot by higher court rulings. After that, he mouthed off, so I hit him a few more times and his fag ass died, McKinney wrote. McKinney has pleaded innocent and is scheduled to stand trial in August. As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. 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. I think he has atoned. Chasity had a big loving heart she would always put others before herself. McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. The murder of Shepard 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. McKinney won mercy from the victim's parents Thursday, who agreed not to press for the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison with no hope of parole. StephenBelber, one of the playwrights of The Laramie Project, interviewed Henderson for the same production in 2009, andtold the Denver Post the experience was different than Pierotti's with the apparently remorseless McKinney. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA's School of Law, this is considered an example of a "gay panic" defense, often used in cases where an LGBTQ person is the murder victim. I explain in five minutes or so, Here are the many reasons that I dont believe that. Chastity Vera Pasley, the girlfriend of murder suspect Russell Henderson, is pictured in court in Laramie, Wyo., on Friday, Oct. 9, 1998. 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. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. (The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP), Oct. 9, 1998: 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. "I think about Matthew every single day of my life. According to the BBC, McKinney himself said that he became angry when Shepard placed his hand on his leg, even saying that he told Shepard, "Guess what? In April, Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. During that video, which was spliced together from eight shorter clips, Henderson said he did not help kill Shepard because of prejudice. Matthew had just come from a meeting of his college LGBT association, where the group was planning awareness activities, according to theBBC. Pasley said she was sorry for helping to dispose of bloody clothing her boyfriend, Russell Henderson, wore during the Oct. 7 attack on Shepard, 21. Two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred up by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. He was her world. I think about Matthew every single day of my life, Henderson said, according to the Associated Press. I dont necessarily think that the counternarrative necessarily comes from a place of hate or negativity in and of itself, Osborn said. #inline-recirc-item--id-91eb6236-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { 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. Attitudes against homosexuality persist in Wyoming, but LGTBQ acceptance has advanced, said Jason Marsden, executive director of the Denver-based Matthew Shepard Foundation. Henderson believes thattheUnited Statesshould revamp its federal hate crime laws to protect everyone, even nearly a decade after the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Contributed to this report in the days to come, now 41, said the U.S. should have that! To explode in a letter written from jail, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took wallet! 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