View XML QR Code

Matthew Shepard collection, 1983-2018

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Title
Matthew Shepard collection
Dates
1983-2018 (inclusive)
Quantity
3.35 cubic ft. (9 boxes) + 20 KB
Collection Number
300014
Summary
Collection contains public and private documents regarding the murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

Matthew 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.

Return to Top

Content Description

The 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.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into four series: LGBT Association and Community Records; University Presidential Office Records; Media Coverage and Websites; and "The Laramie Project."

Related Materials

Related Materials

See also the Matthew Shepard Web Archive: http://www.archive-it.org/collections/1176

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

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.

Processing Note

Processing Information

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.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Laura Uglean Jackson
2008

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West