The Laramie Project Page #9

No, I really don't hate them,

but when they start...

...coming on to me,

I get pretty aggravated.

So you've been approached

by gay people before?

No, not really.

Did he threaten you?

- This gay dude?

- Yeah.

No.

Can you answer me one thing?

Why did you guys take his shoes?

I don't know.

I'm never gonna get to see my son again?

I don't know.

He's gonna die for sure?

There is no doubt that

Mr. Shepard is going to die.

So what are they gonna give me, 25 to life?

Or the death penalty

and just get it over with?

That's not our job.

That's the job of the judge and the jury.

The strange thing is, 20 minutes

before Matthew was brought in...

...Aaron McKinney, one of the perpetrators,

was brought in by his girlfriend.

- Wait. McKinney was here?

- Yeah.

I guess he went back into town later

that same night and got in a fight.

And so there's Aaron

on one bed in my ER...

...and just a few beds down is Matthew.

Then two days later,

I found out the connection.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

I was very...

...strucK.

They were two kids.

They were both my patients,

but they were two kids.

I took care of both of them,

took care of both their bodies...

...and I felt a great deal of compassion

for both of them.

We, the jury...

...impaneled and sworn to try

the above-entitled cause...

...after having well

and truly tried the matter...

...unanimously find as follows:

As to the charge of kidnapping...

...we find the defendant,

Aaron James McKinney...

...guilty.

As to the charge of felony murder...

...we find the defendant,

Aaron James McKinney...

...guilty.

The jury returns to the courthouse today

to start considering the punishment...

...a phase of the trial that will probably last

until next weeK.

I am worKing with McKinney,

counseling him.

I don't think he can conceptualize...

...the gravity of something

like capital punishment...

...but I'm going to be praying

like the dickens tonight...

...that we don't have to go through

this next phase.

I don't know if you believe in prayer,

but would you do this for me?

Would you just say, from time to time:

"Lord, I lift him up to you."

Just do that for me.

Of course, Father.

The sentencing phase of McKinney's

trial was to begin momentarily.

However, now we're hearing

that Judy and Dennis Shepard...

...have been approached by the defense

team, who have pled for their client's life.

We understand Mr. Shepard

may approach the court this morning.

"My son Matthew...

"...did not look like a winner.

"He was rather uncoordinated...

"...and wore braces from the age of 13

until the day he died.

"However, in his all-too-brief life,

he proved that he was a winner.

"On October 6, 1((8...

"...my son tried to show the world

that he could win again.

"On October 12, 1((8...

"...my first-born son and my hero lost.

"On October 12, 1((8...

"...my first-born son and my hero died...

"...50 days before his 22nd birthday.

"I keep wondering the same thing that

I did when I first saw him in the hospital.

"What would he have become?

"How could he have changed

his piece of the world to make it better?

"Matt officially died in a hospital

in Fort Collins, Colorado.

"He actually died on the outskirts

of laramie...

"...tied to a fence.

"You, Mr. McKinney,

with your friend Mr. Henderson...

"...left him there by himself...

"...but he was not alone.

"There were his lifelong friends with him...

"...friends that he had grown up with.

"You're probably wondering

who these friends were.

"First, he had the beautiful night sky

and the same stars and moon...

"...we used to see through a telescope.

"Then he had the daylight

and the sun to shine on him.

"And through it all...

"...he was breathing in the scent

of the pine trees from the Snowy Range.

"He heard the wind...

"...the ever-present Wyoming wind,

for the last time.

"He had one more friend with him.

"He had God.

"And I feel better knowing he wasn't alone.

"Matt's beating, hospitalization, and

funeral put worldwide attention on hate.

"Good is coming out of evil.

"People have said, 'Enough is enough.'

"I miss my son...

"...but I am proud to be able to say

that he was my son.

"Judy has been quoted

as being against the death penalty.

"It has been stated that Matt was

against the death penalty.

"Both of these statements are wrong.

"I, too, believe in the death penalty.

"I would like nothing better

than to see you die, Mr. McKinney.

"However, this is the time

to begin the healing process...

"...to show mercy to someone

who refused to show any mercy.

"Mr. McKinney...

"...I am going to grant you life...

"...as hard as it is to do so,

because of Matthew.

"Every time you celebrate Christmas...

"...a birthday, the Fourth of July,

remember that Matt isn't.

"Every time you wake up

in your prison cell...

"...remember you had the opportunity...

"...and the ability

to stop your actions that night.

"You robbed me of

something very precious...

"...and I will never forgive you for that.

"Mr. McKinney...

"...I give you life...

"...in the memory of someone

who no longer lives.

"May you have a long life...

"...and may you thank Matthew

every day for it."

Thank you very much.

Mr. McKinney, you will be remanded...

...to the custody of the Albany County

Sheriff's Department...

...pending transportation

to the state penitentiary.

Ladies and gentlemen,

that concludes this matter.

I hope, when you think of this town,

you can see something besides a crime...

...and understand why we love it so much.

I'm just really glad that it's over.

You know, I really am.

Testifying in this trial has been one of

the hardest things I've had to do in my life.

I mean, don't get me wrong.

I love the stage, I'm a natural for it...

...but the actual testifying is really,

really difficult.

The lawyers are asking you questions...

...so you have questions

that are coming at you in this avenue...

...but then you have to funnel them over

to the jury.

So you funnel them over there,

and what you end up with is...

Well, basically,

you have a funneling system.

Right?

After taking the ATZ for six months,

I was able to get a DNA test.

And it was...

...about a week later,

I found out that I was...

...negative for good.

- Wow. Thank God.

- That's great.

I tell you, we were all on our knees

saying Hail Marys.

Yeah, you're just so elated.

We were really happy.

So what's the first thing she does?

I stuck my tongue right

in my husband's mouth.

- What about your daughters?

- The girls, they just bawled.

They were just so happy.

- And the force...

- Boy.

Yeah, we went out and got sh*t-faced.

I just kissed everybody

who came through that door.

- They don't need to know that.

- You know what?

If it was a male or a female,

I kissed them on the lips.

What part of what I just said

did you not understand?

Mom, I have already kissed them.

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