Editing Matthew Shepard (section)

{{Short description|Gay American murder victim (1976–1998)}}
{{Redirect|Matt Shepard|the sportscaster|Matt Shepard (sportscaster)}}
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{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| image              = Matthew Shepard.jpg
| birth_name         = Matthew Wayne Shepard
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1976|12|1}}
| birth_place        = [[Casper, Wyoming]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1998|10|12|1976|12|1}}
| death_place        = [[Fort Collins, Colorado]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Washington National Cathedral]]
| death_cause        = [[Murder in United States law|Murder]] ([[blunt trauma]])
| alma_mater         = [[University of Wyoming]]
| parents            = {{ubl|[[Dennis Shepard]]|[[Judy Shepard]]}}
}}
'''Matthew Wayne Shepard''' (December 1, 1976&nbsp;– October 12, 1998) was an American student at the [[University of Wyoming]] who was beaten, tortured, and left to die near [[Laramie, Wyoming|Laramie]] on October 6, 1998.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.matthewshepard.org/about-us/|title=About Us|work=Matthew Shepard Foundation|access-date=November 19, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031209/https://www.matthewshepard.org/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was transported by rescuers to [[Poudre Valley Hospital]] in [[Fort Collins, Colorado]], where he died six days later from severe head injuries sustained during the attack.

Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson were arrested shortly after the attack and charged with [[first-degree murder (United States law)|first-degree murder]] following Shepard's death. Henderson pleaded guilty to [[murder]], and McKinney was tried and found guilty of murder; each of them received two [[consecutive life sentences]]. 

Significant media coverage was given to the murder and what role Shepard's sexual orientation played as a motive for the crime, as he was [[gay men|gay]]. The prosecutor argued the murder of Shepard was premeditated and driven by [[greed]]. McKinney's defense counsel countered by arguing that he had intended only to rob Shepard but he killed him in a rage when Shepard made a sexual advance toward him. McKinney's girlfriend told police that he had been motivated by [[anti-gay sentiment]], but later, she recanted her statement, saying that she had lied because she thought she could help him by lying.

Shepard's murder brought national and international attention to [[hate crime]] legislation at both the state and federal level.<ref name=life>{{cite web|url=http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer|title=Matthew Shepard Foundation webpage|access-date=October 4, 2009|website=Matthew Shepard Foundation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080729005923/http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer|archive-date=July 29, 2008}}</ref> In October 2009, the [[111th United States Congress|United States Congress]] passed the [[Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act]] (commonly the "Matthew Shepard Act" or "Shepard/Byrd Act" for short), and on October 28, 2009, President [[Barack Obama]] signed the legislation into law.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/10/620000629/1|title=Obama signs hate-crimes law rooted in crimes of 1998|work=[[USA Today]]|date=October 28, 2009|access-date=September 23, 2011|archive-date=September 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918191421/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/10/620000629/1|url-status=live}}</ref> Following their son's murder, [[Dennis Shepard|Dennis]] and [[Judy Shepard]] became [[LGBTQ rights activist]]s and established the [[Matthew Shepard Foundation]]. Shepard's murder inspired [[Cultural depictions of Matthew Shepard|a number of films, novels, plays, songs, and other works]], including ''The Laramie Project'' ([[The Laramie Project|a 2000 play]] and [[The Laramie Project (film)|2002 film]]) and Judy Shepard's 2009 memoir ''[[The Meaning of Matthew]]''.