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Fifteen years after Matthew Shepard was tied to a fence and beaten to death in Wyoming, becoming a powerful symbol for the gay community's fight for hate crimes legislation, a new book claims the college student was murdered for “reasons far more complicated” than being homosexual.
Stephen Jimenez’s “The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard” claims a 13-year investigation — including trips to Laramie, Wyo., and interviews with more than 100 sources — contradicts police testimony and national consensus that the University of Wyoming freshman was targeted by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson in 1998 because he was gay.
McKinney and Henderson, both of whom are serving life sentences in Wyoming for the killing, broke their silence on the case in 2004 during their first public interview following the attack. They said they were motivated by the prospect of robbery to feed a methamphetamine binge rather than violent homophobia.
“He was pretty well-dressed, had a wallet full of money,” McKinney told ABC’s 20/20 of meeting Shepard at a bar. “All I wanted to do was beat him up and rob him … Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Being strung out on meth for days was the motivation for killing Shepard, McKinney said.
“It’s not because me and Aaron had anything against gays or any of that,” Henderson said, adding that he thought if he could keep McKinney drinking that night he’d forget the ominous plan.
Shepard was sitting at the bar when McKinney and Henderson arrived. At one point, McKinney asked Shepard for a cigarette.
“He said he was too drunk to go home and then he asked me if I’d give him a ride,” McKinney said.
Once inside the truck, McKinney claimed he and Henderson realized Shepard wanted sex in return for giving them drugs. The duo decided to rob Shepard instead, McKinney claimed.
McKinney said Shepard grabbed his leg and he then struck the college freshman with his gun as he demanded money. The vicious beating continued well after Shepard forked over his wallet.
“Sometimes when you have that rage going through you, there’s no stopping it,” McKinney said. “I’ve attacked my best friends coming off of meth binges.”
McKinney’s attorney, Dion Curtis, said in 2004 that drugs and money rather than sexuality had long been considered the primary motives for the killing. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha has also said the case was too complex to be merely categorized as a hate crime.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/2...rdered-for-reasons-far-more-complicated-than/
Stephen Jimenez’s “The Book of Matt: Hidden Truths About the Murder of Matthew Shepard” claims a 13-year investigation — including trips to Laramie, Wyo., and interviews with more than 100 sources — contradicts police testimony and national consensus that the University of Wyoming freshman was targeted by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson in 1998 because he was gay.
McKinney and Henderson, both of whom are serving life sentences in Wyoming for the killing, broke their silence on the case in 2004 during their first public interview following the attack. They said they were motivated by the prospect of robbery to feed a methamphetamine binge rather than violent homophobia.
“He was pretty well-dressed, had a wallet full of money,” McKinney told ABC’s 20/20 of meeting Shepard at a bar. “All I wanted to do was beat him up and rob him … Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Being strung out on meth for days was the motivation for killing Shepard, McKinney said.
“It’s not because me and Aaron had anything against gays or any of that,” Henderson said, adding that he thought if he could keep McKinney drinking that night he’d forget the ominous plan.
Shepard was sitting at the bar when McKinney and Henderson arrived. At one point, McKinney asked Shepard for a cigarette.
“He said he was too drunk to go home and then he asked me if I’d give him a ride,” McKinney said.
Once inside the truck, McKinney claimed he and Henderson realized Shepard wanted sex in return for giving them drugs. The duo decided to rob Shepard instead, McKinney claimed.
McKinney said Shepard grabbed his leg and he then struck the college freshman with his gun as he demanded money. The vicious beating continued well after Shepard forked over his wallet.
“Sometimes when you have that rage going through you, there’s no stopping it,” McKinney said. “I’ve attacked my best friends coming off of meth binges.”
McKinney’s attorney, Dion Curtis, said in 2004 that drugs and money rather than sexuality had long been considered the primary motives for the killing. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha has also said the case was too complex to be merely categorized as a hate crime.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/09/2...rdered-for-reasons-far-more-complicated-than/
