A cyclist mistook his body for a scarecrow. It had been 18 hours since anyone had found him tied to that fence.
Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old University of Wyoming student, was severely beaten, tied to a fence, and left in freezing temperatures near Laramie, Wyoming, on October 7, 1998. He died six days later. His murder became one of the most consequential hate crime cases in American history.
A Ride That Turned Violent
Shepard accepted a ride from two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, at a Laramie bar shortly after midnight. They drove him to a remote area outside town, robbed him, tied him to a fence post, and beat him severely with a pistol, fracturing his skull and causing brain stem injuries that left his body unable to regulate its own temperature. They then set him on fire and left him there. A cyclist found him roughly 18 hours later, initially mistaking his motionless body for a scarecrow. Shepard was taken to intensive care, where he remained in a coma until his death on October 12, 1998.
A Contested Motive
Shepard's family, friends, and much of the Laramie community believed he was targeted specifically because he was gay. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha argued a somewhat different version at trial: that McKinney and Henderson had posed as gay to lure Shepard into their vehicle specifically to rob him, characterizing the underlying crime as premeditated robbery rather than a hate crime in the narrowest legal sense — though this distinction did little to change how the case was understood publicly, and it remains widely regarded as a defining anti-gay hate crime.
A Disputed Alternative Account
In 2013, journalist Stephen Jimenez published "The Book of Matt," arguing based on interviews that Shepard and McKinney had a prior casual relationship and that the killing was more directly tied to drug involvement than sexual orientation. The book drew significant public criticism and pushback, including from Shepard's own family, Laramie's lead investigator, and numerous journalists and researchers who challenged both its sourcing and its central claims. It remains a disputed, minority account rather than an established alternative history of the case.
Trial and Sentencing
Following Shepard's death, prosecutors upgraded the charges against McKinney and Henderson to first-degree murder. Henderson avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to murder and kidnapping in April 1999 and received two consecutive life sentences. McKinney later received the same sentence after agreeing to testify against Henderson. Both men's girlfriends were separately convicted as accessories on lesser charges. McKinney and Henderson remain incarcerated at the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
A Lasting Legacy
Shepard's murder directly led to the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed into federal law in 2009, expanding federal hate crime protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity. His mother, Judy Shepard, founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation, which continues advocating for LGBTQ rights. More than 1,000 people attended his funeral, and in 2018, two decades after his death, his ashes were permanently interred at Washington National Cathedral.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Matthew Shepard's killers still in prison?
Yes. Both Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson are serving two consecutive life sentences at the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
What law resulted from Matthew Shepard's death?
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, signed into federal law in 2009, expanded hate crime protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
Is "The Book of Matt" a reliable alternative account of the case?
It's a disputed account. The book's claims have been publicly challenged by Shepard's family, the case's lead investigator, and numerous journalists who've questioned its sourcing, and it remains a minority viewpoint rather than an accepted alternative history.