Fifteen years after the murder of UW student Matthew Shepard, a New York author said his book will turn the case on it’s head. Author and investigative journalist Stephen Jimenez visited the Gryphon Theater last night in Laramie in his first time in Wyoming since writing his recent book about the incident to speak as a part of a national tour. Jimenez discussed his investigation, the writing process, read passages from the book and answered questions from the audience, as well as moderators.
The murder of Shepard by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson had nothing to do with the victim being a homosexual, the author said. Instead, the victim and leading perpetrator, McKinney, had a relationship tied to drugs and intimacy which lead to the deadly attack.
Jimenez said his work lead him to conclude that a combination of factors, including McKinney and Henderson’s alibi immediately after the murder and statements made by friends of Shepard who had no direct involvement in the crime, lead to a media narrative which falsely represented the true nature of the crime. A political climate in Washington, where the Clinton administration was under fire for the president’s affair scandal and stalled hate crime bill legislation contributed to the impedance of seeking truth in the case.
“It’s fair to say that anyone suggesting this was anything but a hate crime was harshly criticized,” said Jimenez. “I’ve certainly experienced that myself.”
As a gay man, Jimenez said it was personally important to investigate the complicated truths of the crime and it’s portrayal in the media.
“As a journalist and a gay man, these human complexities matter,” he said. “In this case, it behooves us to understand if we’re serious about dealing with this kind of violence and dealing with hatred in it’s many forms.”
Originally traveling to Wyoming from New York to investigate the Shepard case for a made-for-TV movie, Jimenez came to Wyoming in 2000 with the intent of writing a fact-based screenplay. After visiting the courthouse, he said he was inclined to believe there was more to the case than had been previously acknowledged in the media. Jimenez would eventually produce an ABC News 20/20 report on the murder which had quotes from principals in the case saying Shepard’s homosexuality was not the motivation. Methamphetamine would emerge as the primary factor in the murder.
The author said he discovered that Shepard and McKinney had been friends and socialized in the same party circles, which usually involved meth. Shepard and McKinney’s relationship went as far as to involve “intimacy” and “the buying and selling of drugs,” he said. Russell Henderson, he said, had never met Shepard and never intended to, or “raised a hand against Matthew [Shepard].”
“Since Russell had agreed to a plea bargain and had no concrete evidence to support his version of events, why should he be believed now?” Jimenez said.
During his book tour, Jimenez said he has made it clear he does not want to politicize what is in the book.
“I didn’t write the book for that reason,” he said.
The response, he said, has been very constructive for left and right-wing interests alike, but that a “marginal” amount of reactions have used the book to support their point of view.
“There’s a tragedy, but not just for Matthew,” Jimenez said. “Let’s be more courageous and examine the complexities of the crime and not take the easy way out of this black and white portrayal as the media did.”
