Seventeen years ago on Oct. 12, Matthew Shepard died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, six days after he was severely beaten in Laramie, Wyoming, because of his sexuality. Sunday, members of the Fort Collins community gathered with candles to commemorate his significance for the LGBT community.
Matthew Shepard was left to die by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson Oct. 6, 1998. Shepard was seen leaving a bar that night with the two men and later found by a biker that mistook him for a scarecrow. Tied to a fence with serious head wounds, Shepard was rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital.
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While it was argued that the attack began over a drug dispute, it became clear through media coverage that this was a hate crime. Northern Colorado Pride and others held a vigil to recognize that although Matthew Shepard is gone, his memory and the importance of what happened to him is not forgotten.
“Be careful, be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings,” Craig Chapin said to the group, recalling the atmosphere back in ‘98. Chapin was at the first vigils held for Shepard soon after the attack, and Chapin remembers the gay community struggling between hiding their sexuality and embracing it.
Kimberly Chambers, founder of Northern Colorado Pride, described a similar experience after finding out about a transgender individual being murdered in Greeley in 2008. However, despite growing fear, the community continued to rise above the opposition and has acknowledged the support they received across America and from Fort Collins residents.
“CSU and the community really stepped up,” Chapin said about an incident with a Colorado State University fraternity and sorority on campus soon after Shepard’s death. The students created float for the University’s homecoming parade that displayed a scarecrow tied to a fence. Although Chapin believes the students did not do this to be disrespectful, he said he is glad CSU recognized the significance and impact of this act.
Those gathered at the vigil recognized that the LGBT community has a long way to go in terms of equality, but many said they are hopeful for the future.
In 2009, a federal hate crime law was expanded, outlawing hate crimes directed at the LGBT community.
“The event would become one of the most notorious anti-gay hate crimes in American history and spawned an activist movement that, more than a decade later, would result in the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Act,” according to the Matthew Shepard Foundation website.
The CSU LGBT Resource Center and RamEvents are hosting a screening of “Matthew Shepard is a Friend of Mine” Monday at 7 p.m.
“You never know you’re interacting with, especially when you’re dealing with hidden identity, such as sexual preference, it’s important to be accepting,” according to a LGBT Resource Center statement. “Whether you’re queer, questioning or somewhere in between, it’s important for everyone to feel safe in their community, and Matthew’s community specifically highlights the importance of being authentic.”
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Collegian Reporter Gina Spoden can be reached at news@collegian.com or via Twitter @gina_spoden5.
abnerbhatt • Oct 14, 2015 at 8:24 am
Spoke with Heather Ann Feeney on September 2, 2015. She works for Idaho Bureau of Land Management. When I told her ugly truths of Methew W. Shepard being a drug junky who possibly was a drug dealer, along with facts about Methew W. Shepard molesting 2 boys when he was 15 years old which he got counseling for, Heather Ann Feeney talked of how she doesn’t work in media anymore, that it was a long time ago & that she now works for Federal Govt.-admit I got rude by calling Heather A. Feeney menopausal. Heather Ann Feeney does vigil for a child molester & drug junky Methew W. Shepard, who possibly was a drug dealer.
Heather Ann Feeney-there should be a vigil for the boys who Methew W. Shepard molested when he was 15 years old & got counseling for. Must wonder the drugs Heather Ann Feeney uses, as Methew W. Shepard wasn’t a nice man as Heather A. Feeney implies. In August 1998, 2 months before his death, Methew W. Shepard falsely accused a Cody bartender of sex abuse, after the bartender DEFENDED himself. Methew W. Shepard was drunk (possibly high on drugs)that night, was harassing the bartender to have sex with him in a parking lot & bartender hit him in sel-defense. It’s a crime to have sex in parking lots. Methew W. Shepard was a junky who used Meth & other drugs like cocaine, pot, etc. in addition to anti-depressants so he was a junky. Methew W. Shepard’s a drunkard, junky who took Meth.
Heather Ann Feeney politely said that she no longer works in media & guess she doesn’t like that some of us find ugly truths she & other journalists left out when they covered Methew W. Shepard. Heather A. Feeney knows that while she’s no longer a journalist, when she comments on cases such as Methew W. Shepard, there will be some who will tell ugly truths she left out. Guess also that Heather A. Feeney’s so used to getting those who accept what most media says about Methew W. Shepard, that when people call her to tell ugly truths media about Methew W. Shepard, she doesn’t want to talk because she doesn’t know how to reply to people who don’t share her thinking & tell facts she left out.
We should care more about the 2 boys who Methew W. Shepard molested because getting murdered doesn’t change truth that Methew W. Shepard was a child molester, drug junky & possibly a drug dealer. We will use our free speech right to tell ugly truths about Methew Wayne Shepard which Heather Ann Feeney & other journalists omit, esp. when Heather Ann Feeney does a vigil for a child molester & drug junky Methew W. Shepard. Heather Ann Feeney thinks it’s OK for gays to molest children & possibly Heather Ann Feeney is a drug junky as Heather Ann Feeney cares so much for child molester, drug junky Methew W. Shepard who possibly was a drug dealer himself.
I haven’t plead his 2 killers cases other than say that the 2nd man R.A. Henderson should have gotten a jury trial & a jury should have decided what to convict him on. Prosecutor could argue why it’s Murder 1, defense can argue why it’s lesser charge of 2nd Degree Murder or Manslaughter & then jury decides-that is as far as I go with his case is saying he should have gotten a jury trial. R.A. Henderson’s case should be reviewed again on appeal because he wanted a jury trial.
Let’s look @ what we do know about Methew W. Shepard. No matter why the murder happened, the idea that A.J. McKinney and Methew W. Shepard were strangers who did not know eachother until that day is rubbish. There are many witnesses-Doc O’ Connor’s ex girlfriend, Elaine Baker (bartender), M.K. Rohrbacher (drug dealer), Tristan (Ted) Henson (Methew W. Shepard’s former lover) & others who saw them together.
There are too many witnesses who saw both men together. Of course the witnesses can only say they saw them together and can not know it all. It’s not believed Methew W. Shepard knew the 2nd man (R.A. Henderson) and I agree with Stephen Jimenez that Russell A. Henderson should have gotten a jury trial. Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez Stephen Jimenez’s evidence are 1st party witnesses he interviewed-over 100 of them over 13 years.
I don’t think Methew W. Shepard should have been killed but it is truth that Methew W. Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling for this when he was 15 years old-Stephen Jimenez incidentally mentioned this near end of book-he interviewed a Casper Wyoming cop and a relative of 1 of victims. But Judy L. Shepard and the Shepard Foundation omits this ugly truth of Methew W. Shepard being a child molester and it would not surprise me if ex Casper Star Tribune journalists Tiffany C. Hunt, Kerry A. Drake and JC Marsden know this but left this out in that I find it hard to believe these 3 Casper Wyoming journalists did not know about Methew W. Shepard molesting 8 year old boys when he was 15 years old because Stephen Jimenez found this in court records and again, Stephen Jimenez incidentally mentioned this near end of book as most of the book was about the 3 people, A.J. McKinney’s problems, Methew W. Shepard’s life and problems and of course the drug problems. Incidentally, it’s possible that Methew W. Shepard had molested more boys other than the 2 case reported to cops. Both JC Marsden & Big Island Chronicle Tiffany Camille Hunt sees nothing wrong with Methew W. Shepard selling drugs and molesting children so their view is rubbish.
Methew W. Shepard associating with drug dealers in both Wyoming and Colorado is not disputable. Methew W. Shepard went into bars where drugs were sold and he did associate with drug dealers-we know that he went to bars named Tornado, Ranger, Library & other bars in Wyoming and Colorado where drugs were sold. Methew W. Shepard’s friend Tina LaBrie expressing concerns about Methew W. Shepard’s drug and $ problems. We know that Methew W. Shepard was having $ problems (spending so much on limosuine rides in Doc O’ Connor’s limousine).
Methew W. Shepard’s a junky (proven fact), drunkard and had money problems. Sheriff O’Malley has said that if Methew W. Shepard sold drugs, the cops would have known which is dishonest-Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. R.J. DeBree know cops don’t always catch all the criminals and that many drug dealers escape detection. Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. Robert J. DeBree have arrested drug dealers and they know how it’s the family and friends who get surprised after they learn some1 they know is a drug dealer.
Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. Robert J. DeBree know that it’s unlikely MW. Shepard told his friends and family that he was a drug dealer, and even if Methew W. Shepard did tell his friends and family that he sold drugs, don’t think his family will admit this ugly as they had tried to hide the fact that Methew Wayne Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling.
Now was Methew W. Shepard’s assocation with drug dealers and going into bars where drugs were sold more than buying drugs ? Was Methew W. Shepard a drug dealer or a drug courier? Stephen Jimenez thinks so and he believes it was the Denver circle. No, Stephen Jimenez does not know it all but his conclusions are sincere and honest. While homosexual groups complain about Stephen Jimenez saying the murder case is complicated and possibly not a hate crime, that is incidental-main reason homosexual groups are offended by Stephen Jimenez’s book is because he talked about the ugly truths about who M.W. Shepard was. You don’t always know the secrets friends and family have. If a person is a drug dealer, then they are usually not going to tell their friends and family that they do this.
Even if Metthew W. Shepard did tell his friends and family that he sold drugs, don’t think his family will admit this ugly truth about him, as they hide the fact that Methew Wayne Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling for it. Laramie Project, Shepard Foundation & Big Island Chronicle Tiffany Camille Hunt sees nothing wrong with Methew W. Shepard selling drugs and molesting children so their view is rubbish.
abnerbhatt • Oct 12, 2015 at 8:12 am
Homosexual groups target any journalist who gives views which offend them & they target Mission America radio hostess Linda P. Harvey because Mrs. Linda P. Harvey tells truth which offends gays. Homosexual groups targetted gay journalists Stephen Jimenez for his Book of Matt which offended homosexual groups & have been trying to keep Stephen Jimenez’s Book of Matt from being sold. Honest discussion is discussing & rebutting-not censoring because 1 finds something offensive.
Metthew Wayne Shepard (1976-1998) was not the innocent as he has been portrayed by Laramie Project or films like Shepard is a Friend of Mine. Metthew Wayne Shepard was a junky who assoc. with drug dealers in both Colorado & Wyoming, was possibly a drug dealer himself (Methew Wayne Shepard could also possibly have been a drug courier or a lookout) & when he was 15 years old, he was arrested for molesting 2 boys & he got counseling by Natrona County Juvenile Court for molesting 2 boys. What about the rights of the 2 boys who Methew W. Shepard molested when he was 15 years old & got counseling for?
Advocate4All • Oct 12, 2015 at 11:41 pm
What source did you get your information from?
I also believe you’ve misspelled his name, may he rest in peace.
abnerbhatt • Oct 13, 2015 at 6:32 am
We should care more about the 2 boys who Methew W. Shepard molested because getting murdered doesn’t change truth that Methew W. Shepard was a child molester, drug junky & possibly a drug dealer. I read Book of Matt & a weak answer homosexual groups give when you discuss Book of Matt is to link to MediaMatters. Daily Kos, Huffington Post and MediaMatters are pro-homosexual rubbish. Other critiques such as that of Alyssa B. Rosenberg are her getting offended but giving no serious rebuttal.
Alyssa B. Rosenberg was offended by the fact Stephen Jimenez incidentally mentioned near end of book that Methew W. Shepard was arrested when he was 15 for molesting 8 year old boys. The 2 boys who Methew W. Shepard molested is verified by Natrona County Juvenile Court records, the Cody Woming bartender who was victimized by Methew W. Shepard in August 1998 and which is backed by Cody Wyoming police reports and this happened before the October 1998 murder.
I did my homework on the Shepard case which includes talking to 2 of the cops involved, 2 of the Casper Star Tribune ex journalists (Kerry A. Drake & J.C. Marsden) & comparing this to the Book of Matt. The Casper Star Tribune along with their 3 ex journalists-Big Island Chronicle Tiffany Camille Edwards Hunt, Kerr A. Drake & JC Marsden are shills for the Laramie Project & the Shepard Foundation, especially when they omit ugly truths about the victim. KA Drake, JC Marsden and Tiffany C. Hunt are portrayed in Laramie Project. Casper Star Tribune when they covered the Shepard case left out ugly truths of who the victim Methew W. Shepard was.
If there are ugly truths about a homosexual which the media omits as most did with Methew Wayne Shepard, then we will use our free speech rights to tell the ugly truths about the homosexual even if others dislike it. & there is nothing any1 can do to legally stop us from telling the ugly truths. Gay bashing victims will face the public opinion court as gay bashers do and ugly truths will be told about a homosexual if it’s found though it offends homosexual groups.
I haven’t plead his 2 killers cases other than say that the 2nd man R.A. Henderson should have gotten a jury trial & a jury should have decided what to convict him on. Prosecutor could argue why it’s Murder 1, defense can argue why it’s lesser charge of 2nd Degree Murder or Manslaughter & then jury decides-that is as far as I go with his case is saying he should have gotten a jury trial. R.A. Henderson’s case should be reviewed again on appeal because he wanted a jury trial.
Let’s look @ what we do know about Methew W. Shepard. No matter why the murder happened, the idea that A.J. McKinney and Methew W. Shepard were strangers who did not know eachother until that day is rubbish. There are many witnesses-Doc O’ Connor’s ex girlfriend, Elaine Baker (bartender), M.K. Rohrbacher (drug dealer), Tristan (Ted) Henson (Methew W. Shepard’s former lover) & others who saw them together.
There are too many witnesses who saw both men together. Of course the witnesses can only say they saw them together and can not know it all. It’s not believed Methew W. Shepard knew the 2nd man (R.A. Henderson) and I agree with Stephen Jimenez that Russell A. Henderson should have gotten a jury trial. Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez Stephen Jimenez’s evidence are 1st party witnesses he interviewed-over 100 of them over 13 years.
I don’t think Methew W. Shepard should have been killed but it is truth that Methew W. Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling for this when he was 15 years old-Stephen Jimenez incidentally mentioned this near end of book-he interviewed a Casper Wyoming cop and a relative of 1 of victims. But Judy L. Shepard and the Shepard Foundation omits this ugly truth of Methew W. Shepard being a child molester and it would not surprise me if ex Casper Star Tribune journalists Tiffany C. Hunt, Kerry A. Drake and JC Marsden know this but left this out in that I find it hard to believe these 3 Casper Wyoming journalists did not know about Methew W. Shepard molesting 8 year old boys when he was 15 years old because Stephen Jimenez found this in court records and again, Stephen Jimenez incidentally mentioned this near end of book as most of the book was about the 3 people, A.J. McKinney’s problems, Methew W. Shepard’s life and problems and of course the drug problems. Incidentally, it’s possible that Methew W. Shepard had molested more boys other than the 2 case reported to cops. Both JC Marsden & Big Island Chronicle Tiffany Camille Hunt sees nothing wrong with Methew W. Shepard selling drugs and molesting children so their view is rubbish.
Methew W. Shepard associating with drug dealers in both Wyoming and Colorado is not disputable. Methew W. Shepard went into bars where drugs were sold and he did associate with drug dealers-we know that he went to bars named Tornado, Ranger, Library & other bars in Wyoming and Colorado where drugs were sold. Methew W. Shepard’s friend Tina LaBrie expressing concerns about Methew W. Shepard’s drug and $ problems. We know that Methew W. Shepard was having $ problems (spending so much on limosuine rides in Doc O’ Connor’s limousine).
Methew W. Shepard’s a junky (proven fact), drunkard and had money problems. Sheriff O’Malley has said that if Methew W. Shepard sold drugs, the cops would have known which is dishonest-Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. R.J. DeBree know cops don’t always catch all the criminals and that many drug dealers escape detection. Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. Robert J. DeBree have arrested drug dealers and they know how it’s the family and friends who get surprised after they learn some1 they know is a drug dealer.
Sheriff David S. O’Malley and Sgt. Robert J. DeBree know that it’s unlikely MW. Shepard told his friends and family that he was a drug dealer, and even if Methew W. Shepard did tell his friends and family that he sold drugs, don’t think his family will admit this ugly as they had tried to hide the fact that Methew Wayne Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling.
Now was Methew W. Shepard’s assocation with drug dealers and going into bars where drugs were sold more than buying drugs ? Was Methew W. Shepard a drug dealer or a drug courier? Stephen Jimenez thinks so and he believes it was the Denver circle. No, Stephen Jimenez does not know it all but his conclusions are sincere and honest. While homosexual groups complain about Stephen Jimenez saying the murder case is complicated and possibly not a hate crime, that is incidental-main reason homosexual groups are offended by Stephen Jimenez’s book is because he talked about the ugly truths about who M.W. Shepard was. You don’t always know the secrets friends and family have. If a person is a drug dealer, then they are usually not going to tell their friends and family that they do this.
Even if Metthew W. Shepard did tell his friends and family that he sold drugs, don’t think his family will admit this ugly truth about him, as they hide the fact that Methew Wayne Shepard molested 8 year old boys and got counseling for it. Laramie Project, Shepard Foundation & Big Island Chronicle Tiffany Camille Hunt sees nothing wrong with Methew W. Shepard selling drugs and molesting children so their view is rubbish.
abnerbhatt • Oct 13, 2015 at 7:01 am
I called Judy L. Shepard on May 6, 2015 @ her home. Dennis picked up (I spoke to him on November 3, 2014 to tell him his son was a child molester & drug dealer) & I asked for Judy after which he gave to Judy. I then told Judy Lynn Shepard that Methew Shepard was a child molester & drug junky after which she told me to get a life and hung up. I told the ugly truth of what her son was-a child molester & a drug junky. Homosexual groups have been trying to keep Stephen Jimenez’s Book of Matt from being sold. Honest discussion is discussing & rebutting-not censoring because 1 finds something offensive.
No, Stephen Jimenez does not know everything. The journalists who critique Stephen Jimenez do not know everything as the journalists did not interview the witnesses who Stephen Jimenez did. Stephen Jimenez did a 13 year investigation & he reached his conclusions after interviewing them. Some of the witnesses are anonymous as some worked in law enforcement and some are criminals who chose to remain anonymous as they do not want to incriminate themselves, but there are also drug dealers such as Mark K. Rohrbacher who chose to identify themselves. Sometimes, investigations require testimony from criminals. Of course the witnesses who Stephen Jimenez are not likely to know everything about Methew W. Shepard, but there are things they saw which can not be dismissed.
I have an agenda here which is to tell the ugly truth of who Methew Wayne Shepard was & not the ½ truths given by his friends and family because he wasn’t the innocent saint as his friends and family portray him. If people want to watch the Laramie Project play, then it’s their right. The same thing with if people want to watch the 2008 movie Milk about Harvey B. Milk which starred Sean J. Penn. But schools push the movie Milk and the Laramie Project play on schoolchildren with little to no opposing views. With Harvey B. Milk and M.W. Shepard, what has happened is adults pushing their agenda on schoolchildren. If homosexual/lesbian groups want to honor Harvey B. Milk and Methew Wayne Shepard, then it’s their business. But when they push their views on children, then it’s wrong. If Harvey B. Milk, Laramie Project propaganda comes to your school, then tell truths about who both were. If people want to watch Laramie Project on their own will, then it’s their right. But it is wrong for high schools and colleges to require students to watch this. If they do require students to watch this, then students should have a right to tell the ugly truths about who he was and to give their views w/o being punished by a teacher who didn’t like their view.
Methew W. Shepard’s parents (especially his mom) and brother Logan P. Shepard get rich from the Methew W. Shepard case by the Methew W. Shepard Foundation and Judy P. Shepard writing a book about her son. Judy L. Shepard and M.W. Shepard’s friend Romaine Patterson both wrote books about him. The 2 have interest to make money and since they are his mom and friend, they are biased and bias meddles with facts. The Shepard Foundation is a propaganda group whose main interest is to push an agenda and to make money.Judy L. Shepard does exploit her son for $. Judy L. Shepard sees nothing wrong with her son molesting 8 year old boys and Judy L. Shepard earns anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 per speech. Judy L. Shepard’s interest is to profit from her son’s 1998 killing. The Shepard Foundation is a propaganda group whose main interest is to push an agenda and to make money.