Unitarian Universalist Church of Lancaster

October 12 2008, Kate Diller

October 12, 2008

MP3 Audio: October 12 2008, Kate Diller "Radical Amazement" (20.67mb) Download

Tenth Anniversary of the Death of Metthew Shepard

Matthew was prematurely born on December 1, 1976 in Casper, Wyoming, the oldest son of Judy and Dennis Shepard. Matthew attended Crest Hill Grade School, Dean Morgan Junior High in Casper. His sophomore year he attended Natrona County High School. The last two years of high school he spent in Lugano, Switzerland. There he attended The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), graduating in 1995. While in Switzerland, Matthew traveled throughout Europe. He spokes three languages: English, German and Italian. He loved Europe but also loved his hometown of Casper. After coming back to America, Matthew attended Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C, and Casper College. Moving to Denver he worked several jobs. Later he was attending the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

There his major was political science/foreign relations and the minors were languages. Matthew was selected as the student representative for the Wyoming Environmental Council, and was very active in politics. Matthew started acting in community theatre at the age of 5, and was very active in front of and behind the scenes in several Casper College and Stage III Theater plays. Matthew also enjoyed soccer, swimming, running, snow skiing and dancing. He knew he was not the best  athlete in the world but h e had a very competitive spirit. Matthew loved the nature, enjoying hunting, fishing and camping.

Matthew was a member and an acolyte in St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Casper, Wyoming. Matthew was lured from a campus bar shortly after midnight on October 7 by two men (Aaron McKinney, 22 and Russell Henderson, 21) who told him they were gay. He was driven to a remote area near the Sherman Hills neighborhood east of Laramie, tied to a split-rail fence, tortured,  beaten and pistol-whipped by his attackers, while he begged for his life. He was then left for dead in near freezing temperatures. A cyclist who found him on Snowy Mountain View Road at 6:22 pm, some 18 hours after the attack, at first mistook him for a scarecrow. He was unconscious and suffering from hypothermia. His face was d with blood, except where it had been partially washed clean by tears.

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Matthew died at 12:53 am on Monday 12th October 1998, at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his family at his bedside. Hospital officials said Matthew had a fracture from behind his head to just in front of his right ear and a massive brain stem injury which affected his vital signs, including his heart beat, body temperature and other involuntary functions. There were also approximately a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. He was so badly injured in the attack that doctors were unable to operate. He never regained consciousness after being found, and remained on full life support. Matthew's funeral was held on Friday, October 16, 1998, touched a lot of people all over the world.

The tragic story of this gentle soul has touched the hearts of people across America, and throughout the World. "Matthew was the type of person, that if this had happened to another person, would have been first on the scene to offer his help, his hope and his heart to the family. We should try to remember that because Matt's last view minutes of consciousness on earth may have been hell, his family and friends want more than ever to say their farewells to him in a peaceful, dignified and loving manner. Once again, I must express our appreciation for the outpouring of concern about Matt's wellbeing during the last week, as he fought for his life in the hospital. We'll never forget the love that the world has shared with our loving son."

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