Both men were the same age as Shepard and saw the slightly built Shepard who was just a couple inches over five feet tall and didn't weigh much more than 100 pounds as a target they could easily overpower. Chasity Pasley currently lives in Salt Lake City, UT; in the past Chasity has also lived in West Jordan UT and Lompoc CA. Chasity loved spending time with her son, family, and friends. loved. When police responded to the fight, Russell and Henderson fled, but police found Shepard's credit card and shoes in McKinney's truck along with the bloody .357 Smith & Wesson pistol used to bludgeon Shepard (via Biography). She was charged with being an accessory after 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. 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. Pasley faced up to three years in prison. According to a 2018 Associated Press story posted byThe Mercury News, Sara Burlingame of the advocacy group Wyoming Equality says that the state continues to fight insinuations that Shepard was murdered because he was gay. He also makes clear the homophobic element of the brutal murder although he claims not to have known Shepard was gaywhen he and Henderson first approached him. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? I love you Chasity. 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. 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. The argument was rejected. Really? 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. Call 896 6000. Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. He died in a hospital five days later. Hate Crimes Are Designed To Strike Fear In The Broader Community, Heather Heyer's Mother Recalls The Neo-Nazi Rally That Took Her Life, Harrowing Audio From Portland Train Attack Reveals Depth of Christian's Hate, Extremists Sometimes Hide Behind The First Amendment. Keep up the good work. (AP) When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Due to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their time in multiple states. (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. In April, Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Chasity was a resident of Utah at the time of passing. Osborn attributes some of that mentality to peoples desire to be in the know. LARAMIE, Wyo. He later died. 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. of a gay Wyoming college student told jurors Thursday of how After leaving Shepard tied to a fence post in rural Wyoming, Henderson and McKinney returned to Laramie, where they got in a street fight with two other men, according to The Coloradoan. Top McCarthy aide, House Oversight chair each met with Ashli Babbitt's mother 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. Pasley is serving 15 to 24 months in prison after pleading. Fireside Lounge with two men and being driven away in a The killers' girlfriends Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 were charged with being accessories after the fact. Theres nothing that was in the investigation that indicated that McKinney and Henderson were under the influence of anything other than a little bit of beer the night that they killed Matt. is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and I think it is sad someone would make such a McKinney has pleaded innocent and is scheduled to stand trial in August. You can cancel at any time. 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. McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. I think about Matthew every single day of my life. She said her organization will continue its unapologetic advocacy, reaching out to churches, businesses, legislators and regular citizens about their policies and attitudes. According to the Associated Press, she was sentenced to 15 months to 2 years in prison. After Jimenez and his co-panelists wrapped up their presentation, a Laramie local stepped to an audience microphone and said the presentation had convinced him but first he shared his biases. Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver, CORRECTS SPELLING OF PASLEY'S FIRST NAME TO CHASITY INSTEAD OF CHASTITY - FILE - 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 wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. Police said Pasley, Henderson's girlfriend, and Kristen Price, McKinney's girlfriend, provided fake alibis and tried to destroy bloody clothing from the crime. He described himself as a follower of others, including the more charismatic McKinney, and was afraid to lose face by doing more to prevent the crime or just going home. 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. The case gained national attention and led to calls for the inclusion of sexual orientation in federal hate crimes law. 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 joined the Star-Tribune in 2016 as the University of Wyoming sports reporter after graduating from the University of Missouri and covering Mizzou athletics for two years. Then they left Shepard in the frigid darkness. She also was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder, but her trial has been delayed. 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. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP). 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. She said they hid expensive new where a year earlier, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied and pistol whipped into a coma. McKinney slouched forward at the defense table during I think about Matthew every single day of my life. Stephen Jimenez, the events host, is the author of The Book of Matt that alleges drugs and not hate led to Shepards death. (AP) When two roofing workers beat a young gay man to death in Wyoming in 1998, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the sandy-haired college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. LARAMIE, Wyo. Wyoming teachers are leaving. She was the last of four defendants arrested following the 1998 beating death of gay University of Wyoming freshman Matthew Shepard. Hate Crimes Prevention Act which was signed into law in 2009. He described himself as a follower of others, including the more charismatic McKinney, and was afraid to lose face by doing more to prevent the crime or just going home. 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. "mad at myself" the next day as she, Henderson and McKinney's . McKinneys lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinneys leg. girlfriend, Kristen Price, drove to Cheyenne to dump CORRECTS SPELLING OF PASLEY'S FIRST NAME TO CHASITY INSTEAD OF CHASTITY - FILE - 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 wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. Shepard, 21, a student at the University of Wyoming, was Chastity Pasley. Matthew Shepard's death was a catalyst for a push toward adopting laws that protect members of the LGBTQ community. During the fourth day of testimony Thursday, Chasity Pasley -- who was dating McKinney's alleged accomplice, Russell Henderson -- said McKinney told his girlfriend he killed someone and then asked . 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. She worked in the campus activities center and had helped Jim . Shepard died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. She said she lied during questioning later at the Laramie Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Pasley, Hendersons girlfriend, was sentenced to 18 months, of which she served 6 months. When two roofing workers beat a young gay man and left him to die in Wyoming, the gruesome crime quickly reverberated around the U.S. and turned the college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights. He died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { She attended Laramie High School in Laramie, Wyoming and later obtained a degree from Stevens Henager College.?. Im so, so ashamed I was ever part of this.. Crime and Public Safety | 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.. The event was billed as an examination of what the media got wrong in its coverage of Shepards murder. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). 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. Henderson admitted tying Shepard to a fence and said he did nothing to stop the beating. 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. 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. Kristen Price, the former girlfriend of Aaron McKinney, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with a police officer. These last couple of months Chasity made such changes in her life she would always pray with me when I seen her. Prosecutor Cal Rerucha said Monday that she was a valuable witness for the prosecution against McKinney. During that video, which was spliced together from eight shorter clips, Henderson said he did not help kill Shepard because of prejudice. Wyoming Equality protested by holding a dance at a civic center down the street, using the slogan When They Go Low We Go Dance.. The University of Wyoming created its diversity office only last year. Required fields are marked *. 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. The pair lured Shepard outside the bar and abducted him. } ___. I am so sorry for your loss. She attended Laramie High School in Laramie, Wyoming and later Linda she really loved you with all her heart & soul she missed you very much. The judge prohibited the gay panic defense. A pipe bomb was detonated near McClure Street in Laramie. the slaying of Matthew Shepard, who was beaten, tied to a 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. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Crews contend with tons of snow as they work to reopen I-80, Long shifts, odd calls, brutal weather: inside the Wyoming Highway Patrol staffing shortage, Powell sisters die in crash with semi-truck, Rescue operations underway as Wyoming blizzard continues to wreak havoc, Ex-Casper doctor imprisoned for sexually assaulting patients released years early, Wyoming's Jeff Linder coaching his heart out for his dad, seniors Hunter Maldonado and Hunter Thompson, Massive snowdrifts hamper reopening of Interstate 80, Unsolved Laramie murder stuck with NY Times reporter for decades. taken to a hospital. Cheyenne owned by her mother. She is survived by her son Ashton, mother Linda (Candy), father Rodney (Donna), Sister Angela (Sylvester), brother Andrew and sister Vera Pasley, many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Ed . As Henderson drove, McKinney began pistol-whipping Shepard and took his wallet. May 21, 1999. "I think about Matthew every single day of my life. He was her world. 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. Her personality and smile would light up a room. Much love. Mckinney was sentenced to two consecutive life prison sentences last week for the October 1998 murder of 21-year-old Shepard. I think he has atoned. Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney and Chastity Pasley wait to be arraigned Oct. 9, 1998. Under cross-examination, she acknowledged she was not in. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. 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. I know she is moving forward in her existence and making strides in her own eternal progress. Mr. Henderson never met his biological father and was adopted as an infant by a stepfather, said. "As tragic as it is, and as unfortunate as it is, and as hard as it is for Matthew's 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 told the Associated Press in 2018, 20 years after Shepard's murder. After pleading to overcrowding at Wyomings maximum-security prison in Rawlins, Henderson and McKinney have served their in. Hate crimes Prevention chasity pasley wyoming which was spliced together from eight shorter clips, Henderson and McKinney.... 'S death was a catalyst for a push toward adopting laws that protect members of Wyoming. 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