Brutal Beating of Gay Student Is Condemned

Politicians, including President Clinton, joined activists Saturday in condemning a vicious beating that left a gay college student near death.

Matthew Shepard, 22, was found beaten, burned and tied to a wooden fence last week. He was in critical condition Saturday at a Fort Collins, Colo., hospital, where about 500 people gathered after sundown for a candlelight vigil.

President Clinton called the attack on the University of Wyoming student “horrifying.” He and House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) urged Congress to pass pending hate-crime legislation.

“This heinous crime deserves the condemnation of all Americans,” Gephardt said.

The alleged assailants, Russell A. Henderson, 21, and Aaron J. McKinney, 22, were charged Friday with attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery. Chastity Vera Pasley, 20, was charged with being an accessory to the crime.

Kristen Leann Price, 18, was expected to be charged as an accessory this week.

Police said two men lured Shepard from a campus bar late Tuesday or early Wednesday by telling him they were gay.

The three allegedly drove off in a pickup truck, where Shepard was beaten. Later, the assailants tied him to the fence and beat him some more, police said.

A hospital official said Shepard had suffered severe head injuries, including damage to his brain stem.

Shepard’s parents were at his bedside after flying in from Saudi Arabia, where his father works in the oil industry. Through a spokesman, the parents said they “thank the American public for their kind thoughts” about their son.

A march in honor of Shepard was held Saturday at the University of Wyoming football game, and the hospital has been flooded with flowers and calls.

Gay-rights activists said the attack shows a growing national level of intolerance fostered by religious political organizations.

The Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group in Washington that has lobbied Congress to reject gay-rights legislation, condemned the attack.