These last couple of months Chasity made such changes in her life she would always pray with me when I seen her. Henderson's clothes in a gas station Dumpster. I think he has a contribution to make to society, said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Philadelphia-based LGBT group Equality Forum and a former federal prosecutor. Chasity Pasley, 21, is serving an 18-month prison sentence Hate Crimes Prevention Act which was signed into law in 2009. While Shepard became a symbol of the movement toward equality and laws, the state of Wyoming, where the murder took place, remains one of a handful to have not passed laws pertaining to crimes in which a victim's identity, including their sexual identity, served as a motivating factor. 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. Keep up the good work. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were around 21-year-old Shepards age when they chatted him up the evening of Oct. 6 at the Fireside Lounge in Laramie. He helps imprisoned hospice patients and trains shelter dogs so they can be adopted. I think he has atoned. 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 McKinney's apartment that night. Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. The killers' girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? In a 2009 interview quoted byThe Denver Post,McKinney stated bluntly, "Matt Shepard needed killing," adding, "As far as Matt is concerned, I don't have any remorse. I dont agree with Jews, Muslims.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. This 1995 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. But were also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells. Pasley faced up to three years in prison. She worked in the campus activities center and had helped Jim . As recently as Tuesday, days before the anniversary of Shepards death, about 200 people attended a forum in Laramie questioning the prevailing view that he was murdered because of his sexual orientation. police station, sticking to a story she and Price had agreed were arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, while their respective girlfriends, Kristen Price and Chasity Pasley, were also arrested and charged as accessories. of a gay Wyoming college student told jurors Thursday of how Prosecutors accused both Price and Chasity Pasley, who was Henderson's girlfiend, of helping dispose of Henderson's bloody clothes. Ed . Pence won't commit to supporting Trump if he's the nominee Hendersons remarks dont change the facts of the case, which include McKinneys confession to police, Marsden said. Really? Her passion of helping others succeed touched many lives. The flier advertising the event went out before Jimenez asked the prison system for permission to livestream Hendersons appearance, according to Wyoming Department of Corrections spokesman Mark Horan. Associated Press Writer Brady McCombs contributed to this report. Title: UMKCLAWKM_554e-20190826150502 Created Date: 8/26/2019 3:05:02 PM Marie Maxfield. President Barack Obama signed a federal hate crime prevention act named after Shepard in 2009, a law that Shepards mother, Judy Shepard, said has been helpful. But two decades after Matthew Shepard was bludgeoned, tied to a rail fence and left to die on the cold high prairie, the emotions stirred by his slaying linger in Wyoming, which still struggles with its tarnished identity and resists changes sought by the LGBTQ community. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP). Ashton was her knight and shining armour. Chasity was a resident of Utah at the time of passing. 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. Memorial Mountain View Mortuary, Cemetery and Pet Garden, Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary and Cemetery, Cemetery Clean Up Schedule/Rules and Regulations, MEMORIAL MOUNTAIN VIEW MORTUARY, CEMETERY AND PET GARDEN, MEMORIAL LAKE HILLS MORTUARY AND CEMETERY, Copyright 2023 Memorial Mortuaries & Cemeteries. Henderson and the other convicted murderer, Aaron McKinney, are currently serving life sentences for their crimes. loved. He died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading. Chasity was a resident of Utah at the time of passing. 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. To find out more, please click this link. His accomplice, Russell Henderson, is also serving two consecutive life terms. Twenty years after the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, one of the lead investigators in the case shared with the Coloradoan a letter sent between the suspects who were. I am so sorry for your loss. A pipe bomb was detonated near McClure Street in Laramie. 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 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. 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 Oct. 6, 1998. 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. Marsden pointed out that only Wyomings governor could commute Hendersons sentence, a prospect that he called super unlikely. Burlingame of the Wyoming Equality group said she believes in redemption but doubts Henderson has really atoned for the crime. Matthew had just come from a meeting of his college LGBT association, where the group was planning awareness activities, according to theBBC. Wyoming remains deeply defensive about the idea that Shepard was targeted because he was gay, said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. LARAMIE Russell Henderson, one of two men convicted of murdering Matthew Shepard, was scheduled to appear by live video at an event Tuesday in Laramie called Why Truth Matters.. 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. 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. She was someone Jim Osborn knew well and liked. 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. I think he has atoned. Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Laramie and David Crary in New York contributed to this report. The event was billed as an examination of what the media got wrong in its coverage of Shepards murder. LARAMIE, Wyo. The argument was rejected. It never was about us hating Matthew because of who he was.. 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. Related Articles Pasley was the live-in girlfriend of Russell Henderson, who At no time did we know he was gay until he tried to get on me.. 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. 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. Known as the Equality State, Wyoming got its nickname for being the first to let women vote. I think he has a contribution to make to society, said Malcolm Lazin, executive director of the Philadelphia-based LGBT group Equality Forum and a former federal prosecutor. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! She said they hid expensive new The next day, a mountain biker found him. But were also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells. /kga. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. The case gained national attention and led to calls for the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes law. There was a problem saving your notification. 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. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. June 11, 2022 Posted by: illustrator graphic design tutorials . knee of Henderson's pants. } 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. He also admitted that when he and Henderson zeroed in on that night at the Fireside Lounge, they did so because he was obviously gay.. 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