Shepard Jury Recesses Without Verdict

The jury in the beating death of gay college student Matthew Shepard began deliberating in Laramie, Wyo., after a defense attorney argued that the man on trial flew into a rage when Shepard grabbed his crotch. Shepard “was innocent, but he was also forward, and people reacted to that,” attorney Dion Custis said. “We know you people may not like us trying to demean Matthew Shepard in any way, but don’t hold that against Aaron McKinney.” The jury deliberated for about eight hours before recessing. Shepard, a 21-year-old freshman at the University of Wyoming, was robbed of $20, lashed to a fence and pistol-whipped in the head last year in a case that led to calls for hate crime laws that protect gays.