Collection Summary
Shepard, Matthew
Matthew Shepard collection
1983-2023
300014
3.55 cubic ft. (10 boxes) + 20 KB
University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
English
Collection contains public and private documents regarding the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.
Arrangement of the Collection
This collection is arranged into four series: LGBT Association and Community Records; University Presidential Office Records; Media Coverage and Websites; and "The Laramie Project."
SummaryMatthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten and left to die in a field outside Laramie, Wyoming, sometime during the night of October 6-7, 1998. Born on December 1, 1976, Shepard was 21 years old when he died. On October 6, 1998, he left a local bar with two Laramie men, Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney, who later claimed they had intended only to rob him. The crime escalated when they tied Shepard up and beat him fatally. On October 7, 1998, another University of Wyoming student found Shepard tied to a fence. Shepard died at the Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12, 1998.
Russell Henderson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and aggravated robbery in April, 1999, and was sentenced to two life sentences. Following a trial in October and November, 1999, Aaron McKinney also received two life sentences for two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second degree murder, robbery, and aggravated assault. Henderson’s and McKinney’s girlfriends, Chastity Vera Pasley and Kristen Leann Price, helped to hide and dispose of evidence after the murder. Chastity Pasley pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact and was sentenced to eighteen months to three years in prison. Kristen Price pleaded guilty to police interference and was sentenced to one year of probation.
Shepard’s parents, Judy and Dennis, and the President of the University of Wyoming, Philip Dubois, along with many others organized concerts, memorials, and vigils in Matthew’s honor. It was believed that the beating occurred because Shepard was gay, and the crime caused the debate over hate-crime legislation to resurface in Laramie, Wyoming, and the nation.
Scope and ContentThe collection contains information about the events surrounding the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, in the fall of 1998. The material came from different sources, such as the news media, University President’s Office, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Association (now Spectrum), and includes correspondence from people in many parts of the country, news articles, fliers and posters, editorials, bulletins, and speeches. Also within the collection is information on demonstrations that took place, the debate about bias/hate crime laws in Wyoming, and memorials to Matthew Shepard. There are also lesbian and gay newspapers, posters for a drag party, and banners created by and sent to the LGBTA . The President’s Office files include hate mail, lesbian and gay literature, memorial web sites, and hate crime legislation petitions.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes,
and the collection is open to the public.
Copyright Information
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright,
property, and libel laws as they apply.
Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections
The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are
respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of
reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our
finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.
Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event.
Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form.
For more information, read our full statement.
See also the Matthew Shepard Web Archive: http://www.archive-it.org/collections/1176
Materials from this collection were collected between 1998-2019 and compiled by the American Heritage Center primarily
from two sources: the University of Wyoming President’s Office and the University of Wyoming’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
and Transgender Association (LGBTA), now Spectrum. Material for the News Media Series was supplied by the American
Heritage Center and University of Wyoming. Student Affairs. Additional material was dontaed by Paul Flesher in January 2025.
The collection was processed by Jamie Long in Spring 2000 and reprocessed by Laura Uglean Jackson in October 2008. New material
was added by D.Claudia Thompson from 2001-2017 and Jamie Greene in 2020. Collection was updated by Brittany Heye in April 2026.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection
Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Access Terms
University of Wyoming -- History.
Gay rights.
Gay rights -- Wyoming.
Hate crimes -- Legislation -- Wyoming.
Political activists -- Gays -- Wyoming.
Civil rights -- Gays -- Wyoming.
Gays -- Crimes against -- Wyoming.
Laramie (Wyo.)
Wyoming -- History -- 1946-
Videotapes.
Students.
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Dubois, Philip L.
University of Wyoming -- LGBTA.
University of Wyoming -- President’s Office.
People, Ethnicity, and Culture
Gays and Lesbians
Politics, Government, and Law
Civil Procedure and Courts
Civic Activism
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Wyoming
Container List
Series I. LGBT Association and community records
1983-2001
Contains correspondence, LGBTA printed material, literature, surveys, news articles, photocopied pictures, and cloth banners created by the LGBTA and Kansas State University
1
1
Gay Awareness Week (GAW) Outline
October, 1998
1
2-3
LGBTA handouts/posters
1998-1999
1
4
LGBTA Safe Zone Literature
1998-1999
1
5
Literature: Equality Colorado
1998-1999
1
6
Literature: PFLAG
1998-1999
1
7
Electronic (E-mail) Correspondence
1998-2000
1
8
Faxes
October 1998
1
9
John Russell “Johnny Bondage Story”
1983-1998
1
10
LGBTA Correspondence
1998-1999
1
11
Private Correspondence
1998-1999
1
12-13
Public Correspondence
1998-1999
1
14
Sympathy Cards
1998-1999
1
15
Yellow Ribbon Correspondence
1998-1999
1
16
Campus Angels
1999
1
17
Newspapers, Branding Iron
1998-2000
1
18
University Student/Faculty Statements
1998-1999
1
19
Emails
2001
1
20
Vigils and Memorials
1998-1999
2
1
LGBTA Banner
circa 1998
2
2
Gay and Lesbian Community News
1998-1999
2
3
Signed Banner from Kansas State University
October, 1998
3
LGBTA Banner
circa 1998
4
1
Loffreda, Beth, LOSING MATT SHEPARD: LIFE AND POLITICS IN THE AFTERMATH OF ANTI-GAY MURDER, (Columbia University Press, 2000)
2000
4
2
LGBT Association Conference
2000
4
3
"Wyoming Conference on English: Journalist's Panel on Matt Shepard"
June 23, 2001
Series II. University Presidential Office Records
1998-2000
Contains various correspondence with concerned members of society, electronic mail, articles from magazines and newspapers, hate crime legislation petitions, speeches and public addresses, memorial information, and a text with pictures to affirm positive images of homosexuality.
5
1
Concert and Vigil Information and Correspondence
1999
5
2-5
Dubois Correspondence- General
1998-1999
5
6
Dubois Correspondence- Hate Mail
1998-1999
5
7
Dubois Correspondence- Killer’s Family Members
1998-1999
5
8
Dubois Correspondence- Memorial Literature
1998-1999
5
9
Dubois Correspondence- Public Associations
1998-1999
5
10
Dubois Correspondence- Trial
1998-1999
5
11
Dubois Correspondence- UW Alumni
1998-1999
5
12-20
Electronic (E-mail) Correspondence
1998-2000
5
21
Goldstone’s Book “The Ultimate Computer” Correspondence
1999
5
22
Literature-The Shared Heart Bi-Sexual Text (First Half)
1998-1999
5
23
Literature-The Shared Heart Bi-Sexual Text (Second Half)
1995-1998
5
24
Petitions on Hate Crimes Act
1998
5
25
Scholarship and Trust Fund Information and Correspondence
1998-1999
5
26
Statements and Addresses from public and University Officials
1998-1999
5
27
University of Wyoming Official Response to Matt Shepard’s Death
1998-1999
5
28
Video Speech/ Agenda for U.C.- Davis
1998-1999
5
29
UC-Davis Video Cassette (television news clippings)
February, 2000
Series III. Media Coverage and Websites
1998-2008
Contains news clippings photocopied from various newspapers, letters to the editor, electronic mail, news articles from the world-wide-web, and magazine articles.
6
1
Newspaper Clippings
10-9-98 to 10-12-98
6
2
Newspaper Clippings
10-13-98
6
3
Newspaper Clippings
10-14-98
6
4
Newspaper Clippings
10-15-98
6
5
Newspaper Clippings
10-16-98
6
6
Newspaper Clippings
10-17-98
6
7
Newspaper Clippings
10-18-98
6
8
Newspaper Clippings
10-19-98 to 10-23-98
6
9
Newspaper Clippings
10-24-98 to 11-4-98
6
10
Newspaper Clippings
11-5-98 to 11-19-98
6
11
Newspaper Clippings
11-20-98 to 11-29-98
6
12
Newspaper Clippings
12-1-98 to 12-10-98
6
13
Newspaper Clippings
12-11-98 to 12-31-98
6
14
Newspaper Clippings
1-1-99 to 1-21-99
6
15
Newspaper Clippings
1-22-99 to 1-31-99
6
16
Newspaper Clippings
2-2-99 to 2-28-99
6
17
Newspaper Clippings
3-2-99 to 3-24-99
6
18
Newspaper Clippings
3-25-99 to 3-31-99
6
19
Newspaper Clippings
4-1-99 to 4-6-99
6
20
Newspaper Clippings
4-7-99 to 4-15-99
6
21
Newspaper Clippings
4-16-99 to 4-30-99
6
22
Newspaper Clippings
5-2-99 to 5-29-99
6
23
Newspaper Clippings
6-1-99 to 6-30-99
6
24
Newspaper Clippings
7-1-99 to 8-31-99
6
25
Newspaper Clippings
9-1-99 to 9-29-99
6
26
Newspaper Clippings
10-3-99 to 10-10-99
6
27
Newspaper Clippings
10-11-99 to 10-12-99
6
28
Newspaper Clippings
10-13-99 to 10-17-99
6
29
Newspaper Clippings
10-21-99 to 10-27-99
6
30
Newspaper Clippings
10-28-99 to 10-30-99
6
31
Letter to the Editor, from Judy and Dennis Shepard
November, 1999
6
32
Newspaper Clippings
11-1-99 to 11-4-99
6
33
Newspaper Clippings
11-5-99 to 11-10-99
6
34
Newspaper Clippings
11-11-99 to 12-26-99
6
35
Newspapers, First Year Anniversary of Shepard’s Death
1999
7
1
Newsletters
1998-1999
7
2
Newspaper Clippings
1998-1999
7
3
Newspapers, Miscellaneous
1998-2000
7
4
Newspaper Clippings
January 00 to March 00
7
5
Newspaper Clippings
April 00 to Dec. 00
7
6
Newspaper Clippings
January 01
7
8
Newspaper Clippings
2001-2003
7
9
Newspaper Clippings
2004-2008
9
4
Newspaper Clippings
October, 2008
9
5
Newspaper Clippings
2009-2017
7
10
Magazine Articles
1998-1999
7
11
Magazine Articles
Fall, 1998
7
12
Magazine Articles
Spring, 1999
7
13
Magazine Articles
Fall, 1999
7
14
Magazine Articles
2000-2009
7
15-19
Website Articles
1998-2000
7
20
Website Index, Search for "Matthew Shepard"
1998-1999
7
21-24
Website Memorials
1998-1999
8
1-2
Website Memorials
1998-1999
8
3-5
Website Memorials, "Book of Remembrance"
1998-1999
8
6
Website Memorials, "Matthew's Place Guest book", p. 1-30
1999
8
7
Website Memorials, "Matthew's Place Guest book", p. 30-55
1999
8
8
Website Memorials, "Matthew Shepard's" v. 1
1998-1999
8
9
Website Memorials, "Matthew Shepard's" v. 2
1998-1999
8
10
Website Memorials, "Matthew Shepard's" v. 3
1998-1999
8
11
Website Memorials, "Matthew Shepard's" v. 4
1998-1999
8
12
Website Memorials, "Matthew Shepard's" v. 5
1998-1999
8
13
Websites: Articles and Searches
1998-1999
8
14-19
Web Articles
1998-2000
9
1
Videocassette- CBS News Clips
undated
9Dedication of the Matthew Shepard memorial bench (program and correspondence)September 27, 2008
Mathew Shepard memorial events, 20 years:
2Poster2018
2Newspaper clippings, Laramie Boomerang and UW Branding Iron2018
Digitalahcdm_300014_001Emily Monago's speech at 20th memorial candlelight vigil of Matthew Shepard2018
Series IV. "The Laramie Project,"
2000-2023
Contains news clippings and other materials related to theater productions and the motion picture film, "The Laramie Project."
9
2
Clippings and Ephemera
2000-2010
9
3
Extras' Accounts
2001
10"The Laramie Project" binderOctober 2023