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Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. And I'm Alayna. And this is a mini morbid, but like we don't do this anymore, so it's not.
Mini, mini, mini, mini, mini morbid. Mini morbid, mini morbid, mini morbid.
So it's just like a morbid. It's just a morbid.
But you know what? It's not going to be Minnie because one, my Minnies are never Minnie.
No, no. And two... It's not a mini morbid anymore.
We're just calling it that because nostalgia.
Nostalgia. And we don't want to get rid of the theme song because mini, mini, mini.
Because some people, most people love it.
Some people really fucking hate it. Some people do not like it. messaged me and was like where can I get that ringtone again and I was like oh we never put out a ringtone.
Oh I think somebody else made a ringtone that's cool as shit good for you guys for figuring that out because i don't know how to do that i'm into it i'm into it well We are in part two of our deep dive into the tragic, tragic. torture and murder of Matthew Shepard.
So part one was kind of... Yeah, that was right in the feel tough.
But I just wanted to say again, like I said in part one.
This is the part of the episodes where there is going to be some hate speech that I'm going to repeat.
Mm-hmm. I'm only repeating it because it's on signs, one, and two, because it's part of a confession.
And I think censoring it will take away kind of the brutality of what happened in this case.
But When I say these things, I'm going to tell you ahead of time.
So you're not just getting it like slammed into your ear holes all of a sudden.
You're like, whoa. And I think everybody knows these are typically words that we would never say.
Exactly. But it is important to do. Exactly.
And I think everybody knows the word. It's one word that is going to be.
I think you can tell probably the word that's going to be used.
Yeah. I just don't like it. I don't like the word.
I don't say it. It's jarring to me when other people say it.
Yeah. But I do agree with you that it would take away the...
Yeah. Everything that happened. I don't want to make these people seem any less heinous than they are and I think...
Right. We should say what came out of their mouth so that you can be like, wow, what a bunch of horrible, horrible, horrible things. gross humans exactly which you will so when we last left you guys um Matt was beaten for no reason at all by Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson after voluntarily handing over his wallet. wallet so he wasn't robbed no and just just for existing or he was robbed but this wasn't just a robbery no it was certainly not a robbery He was driven out to a fence near Laramie and he was tied to that fence, beaten again with the butt of a revolver repeatedly. um 18 blows to the head and neck and face uh four skull fractures and uh beneath or behind his right ear was crushed in his skull and it was crushed into his brain stem. which damaged his brainstem.
His right ear was also almost torn completely off of his head.
I cannot imagine. Awful. What has to be wrong with you to do that to somebody?
It's awful. Like, what is wrong with you?
No, it's beyond my comprehension. That's not human.
No, it's not. Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson are not human beings.
No. Particularly, Aaron McKinney is not a human being.
I don't know what he is, but... I'm glad he's locked up somewhere because no thank you.
But one of the things that really struck me about the first one was that the first officer on scene said the only skin she could see on Matt were two trails where his tears had cleaned his face and that's always like just stuck to me because it's like his face was so badly deformed and beaten and bloody and dirty, that there was only skin where tears had just rolled down his face, where he had cried alone.
That's the thing. It's like... Yeah. Haunting.
It's... It, like, I feel like... It makes you, like, ache for him.
It's the thing that, like, really... Because again, I said in like the first part that I was 13 when this case happened.
I remember it very vividly. And we talked about it in school.
I remember just like, I remember my mom and dad talking to me about it.
I was very interested in it. I wanted to know all the details. being horrified by all the details like and i remember that detail coming out and i remember just being like oh my god like how are people like that like i never understood it And so after they left Matt, they, Henderson and McKinney, went back into town where they promptly picked a fight with two Mexican-American teenagers, 18-year-olds.
McKinney ended up getting a hairline skull fracture in the fight and ended up going to the hospital where he ended up going to the same hospital that Matt was brought to once first responders picked him up.
They were sat four rooms away from each other.
And they had no idea. So doctors are working on this comatose, beaten boy.
And they have no idea that four doors down is his eventual murderer, but assaulter at the moment.
So that's horrifying. When Henderson arrived home, Henderson went back to where their girlfriends were, Chastity Paisley and Kristen Price. these two are both ignorant fucks as well and deserve whatever they got because he goes home He's clearly upset and like his girlfriend says, like he's upset.
He's saying he did something terrible. They ended up releasing McKinney.
He goes home. The two of them are discussing getting their story straight because they know now that they're probably going to get caught. right um and so they're discussing it the two girlfriends um decided it was probably best that they help them invent an alibi hmm Totally.
Lying about the things that happen that eventually kill someone.
Well, and meanwhile, the girlfriends are told by these two fuckheads, they were basically like, oh he's dead like we left him he's dead right they told them that and these two girls weren't like yeah i'm gonna get the fuck out of here they were like let me help you cover this up can you imagine if john came home no like put your like you could never no Just be like, oh, okay, I'll help you.
Let me help you get an alibi together. No.
And I'm sure there's going to be people that are going to tell me, like, you don't know.
Like, they might have been scared. They didn't seem scared when we talked later.
I don't care if you were scared. And I'll tell you in a second why I don't feel bad for them.
I can understand, you know, these guys might have been abusive.
They might have been. They are clearly violent.
Probably were. Uh, particularly Aaron is clearly a violent individual.
That is without a doubt. I doubt that stopped at Matt, I'm sure. there was other instances where he was probably scary partner to have.
Right. They had a young son, like an infant son.
I'm sure she was maybe, I can maybe in some like things thinking of her being like, I just need to like. figure this out because I'm scared that he's going to do something to me or my son.
Right. I can almost get behind, like not get behind, I can almost like understand in a weird universe.
Right. But. that's not the case here right that's not the case here and i'm going to tell you why in a second because when she talks to 2020 later she's a garbage asshole too oh great This was not I'm scared and I feared for my life and my sons and I did what I had to do as a mother.
That's not. what this was this was her being like oh well i agree with what he did so i'm going to hide it because this is exactly what that was So they get their story straight.
They agree they both helped them get rid of the bloody clothes.
Mm-hmm. They helped them say they got the story straight and said that they were going to lie and say that their boyfriends were home watching movies with them all night to give them alibis.
Wow. uh price later said one so one of the girlfriends said that they were so upset the boys seemed so upset about what had happened and she told 2020 later that their boyfriends beat Matthew up to, quote,
To teach him a lesson not to come on to straight people.
She's legitimate fucking garbage. And I don't feel bad for her at all.
No. And Matt didn't come on to them. No.
And also, fuck you. Right. Like, they had to teach him a lesson.
Right. Who are you? To teach less. Who is your dirtbag boyfriend to be teaching another grown-ass man a lesson?
Right. Like, Fuck off. Exactly. She's the kind of garbage that's been sitting out on a summer day during a garbage strike.
That's the kind of garbage she is. So Matt's parents were currently back in Saudi Arabia at this time.
Oh, I totally forgot about that. So did I when I was reading this.
I was like, oh my God. Sorry. So they couldn't just jump on a plane and get home.
Right. They had to go through the, like, stages of getting home.
The process, yeah. It was 5 a.m. there and their phone rings.
Oh, no. now his dad was like matt called all the time and he called early right he's like i assumed it was just matt calling and waking me up right So it was actually hospital staff at the hospital in Laramie telling them that their son had been gravely injured and they weren't sure he was going to make it through the night.
Oh, no. At this point, they didn't know what had happened to him.
Right. So they just said he was found gravely injured.
His parents were like, oh, it must be like a car accident or something like that's the first thing you think of.
You don't think somebody beat him to death with a pistol.
Right. So they were like, we don't know if he's going to make it through the night.
You have to get home. So they were like, all right.
So they went through the whole process to get home.
It took them 50 hours to get home. Oh. And they know that something is wrong.
And they don't even know what exactly. They're just like, he might not make it.
I have to get home. So when they got to the U.S., his aunt, so I think it was Dennis's sister.
I'm not sure, Judy or Dennis's sister. told them this is what happened and it's all over the national news.
And they were like, what? Like, they were like, I thought it was a car accident.
Like, what are you talking about? Someone beat him.
Beat him. And... Not only that, but they're like, oh yeah, it's national.
It's on every news station. And they're like, what the fuck?
What happened? Like they had no idea. Right.
So arriving at the hospital, they're told the extensive injuries that he received as a result of a beating.
I can't imagine as a parent sitting there and listening to that.
And that's your child. That is just a blow. and just knowing that you weren't there when they were suffering and now immensely exactly everything is going through and they see that on in on repeat oh it's odd so they said his only it was basically only basic functions that were keeping him alive they were like his brain stem is barely functioning Like he won't be living a full life if we save him.
Well, and they said when they walked into the hospital room, you couldn't even tell it was him.
And the only way his mother said she could recognize him was by his braces, which he still wore.
Stop. So his face was stitched up in multiple places.
There were tubes everywhere. His head was bandaged.
There is a photo. um in um Matt Shepard is a friend of mine they show like a small like pan up of his face a little bit of him laying there and it's Horrifying.
Gut-wrenching, I bet. It's horrifying. And again, she said, I couldn't tell.
She said the only way I could tell it was him was like...
He has certain, like, scars or, like, little things that I just know are my son.
And she said, and then the braces are the thing that made me feel like that's Matt.
Right. So... He was comatose at this point.
And hospital staff said he would really only survive in a vegetative state.
Mm-hmm. So they said that was even a long shot.
But they said if he does survive, it's really just going to be his body that survives.
And that's not fair. Yeah. So his parents are like, now we have to sit here.
And they also were, even though legally, if they took him off of life support, that doesn't affect... like a murder charge or anything like that.
Right. They were worried about that because like, you don't know.
Right. Of course you don't. You don't want to.
That could play into it. Yeah. And you don't want to be the thing that stops these people from going.
Rotting. Getting justice. You know what I mean?
So they had to deal with that. And then they're dealing with the obvious of taking your own child off of life support.
So they're trying to figure out. So they're just holding vigil at this point, just seeing. what is happening not only are you just like replaying the horrible thing in your mind over and over again you know this happened exactly then you have that on top of you oh yeah And it's like at this point, they're just getting bits and pieces of what happened.
And his brother, Logan, his younger brother, Logan, at first, I guess, couldn't even go in the hospital room.
He literally couldn't see him. Yeah. Like a wreck.
That's his big brother. Yeah. He said they said it like really affected him.
Right. Luckily, he did end up going in the hospital room and he was there.
And he was actually holding his hand in the end.
Oh. Yeah, I know. I can feel it. It's starting to come up.
I feel like this is going to be the one where we all cry.
Aaron and Russell were picked up by police the next day because they're fucking idiots.
And of course they got caught. Right. So when Aaron when they interviewed Aaron.
He showed what a bigoted asshole he is. He was very nonchalant about what he, he was like, yeah, like that's what we did.
And he at first didn't confess, but I think they let him sleep for a couple of hours.
Then he was like, all right, I'll tell you everything.
Wow. He just wasn't. So when asked if Matthew said anything or asked him to stop while he was beating him, he replied, quote, Oh, my God.
Like just whatever. And he also said, quote, most of all, he was screaming.
And you just kept going while somebody's screaming for their life.
Yep. What? What kind of monster are you?
And the police officer asked, the interviewer asked Sim several times, like, why did you keep going?
Like, why were you still doing it? Why were you not done?
And Aaron keeps saying, I just lost it. I blacked out.
You can see exactly what his lawyer has told him Say you blacked out, you went crazy.
Gay people just make you nuts. You know how it goes.
And so he did the whole like, I just went nuts.
I saw red. I don't even remember what I was doing.
I just I couldn't stop. I don't buy it. Don't buy it for a second.
No, of course not. You knew exactly what you're doing.
And so he also said, like I said earlier, that Russell was giggling throughout the assault.
That's according to Aaron. That's disgusting.
I mean, I believe it. I do too. You're there.
You're obviously not. You're getting some kind of enjoyment or else you wouldn't be able to watch that.
He stated many times that Russell did not hit Matt that he remembers.
He said at one point he says he very well could have, but I didn't see him hit him.
It's like, well, weren't you blackout? Yeah, you were blackout, so you don't know.
Yeah. So he says Russ was giggling. He was smiling.
He was laughing throughout the whole thing.
They were not... It's so weird that you remember those details, but you don't remember anything else.
Of course. Someone says at one point he could notice that the way that his truck was positioned when they were tying Matt to the fence. was that Matt could see the license plate.
So he said, suddenly I got scared that he would be able to identify me.
And so he said to Matt, read my license plate.
And so Matt read it out loud and he said that's when I just hit him again to make sure that I knocked him out.
To make sure I killed him. He knew my license plate.
So he tricked him. He told him, read my license plate, and he did.
And then he made, at one point he made Matt say his address out loud so that they could find his address and go rob his place.
Are you kidding me? What the fuck is wrong with you?
They're fucking evil. Like, what is wrong?
These are two evil pieces of shit. Seriously. like so his friends and family immediately at this point now that they've brought in aaron and um And what the fuck's his name?
Russell. Now that they're in, his friends and family know this is a hate crime.
It's very clear to them that this is a hate crime.
Well, he's spelling it out for them. But they knew that police were gonna cover it up like it was a robbery.
They were like, this is they're going to try to make it go away so that, you know, we're not going to let them.
Good. And so they were like his friends and family. fucking did the damn thing.
Because he loved them so much and obviously he was, like, such an incredible person.
Well, and they knew. I mean, they knew it's, like, this is a small town.
They knew that this was going to be one of those things where Aaron and Russ were going to say it was a robbery gone bad.
Aaron's already using that whole, I blacked out.
I don't know. I just wanted money. Meanwhile, by the way, what they got out of his wallet?
20 bucks. Right. 20 bucks. So, this is over 20 bucks you're telling me?
Why don't you just go to KFC instead? Like, I don't believe you.
I just don't believe you. No. So his friends and family are like, we're not letting this go.
We're going to make sure the world knows this is a hate crime.
And that's what this is. This will not be reported as a robbery.
No. We're not letting it happen. That's not.
That would have been awful if it had gone down a complete opposite way.
So his former guidance counselor, who turned out to be one of his best friends, Matt, was named, yeah, was named Walt Bolden.
And he was the one, I mean, he came out to Walt, I think, first.
Yeah. Out of anybody. He was the one that he told him.
I don't know if my parents are going to disown me if I tell them.
Walt helped him because he said, he himself was gay and he had a lot of trouble coming out because he had kids and stuff and he was like i was worried my kids were gonna disown me like i get it So he was very close to him, like very close.
And so he was the one. who called all the surrounding towns to make sure it said in the newspapers that this was a hate crime.
And not a robbery gone wrong. And he said he called all the different newspapers and he was like, this is what happened.
Do not report it as a robbery. That's not what it was.
And it went. everywhere after that I'm glad he said he woke up the next morning and like the Washington Post was calling him like he had that's incredible he did So at this point, Matt is in a coma and is not expected to pull through.
Aaron McKinney had told his... So... Aaron McKinney, when he had gone back to his house, this is what's really... gonna like kind of put a wrench in their whole like it was a robbery gone wrong thing because he starts saying to like investigators during the interview He's saying that when he went home to his apartment that night, he told his girlfriend, whose girlfriend confirmed this. that he said he was pretty sure, and by the way, I'm going to say the word, he was, quote, pretty sure he killed a fag.
Oh, no. He said that to his girlfriend and his girlfriend admitted this.
So him saying this is a robbery gone wrong.
You're using that word. That's not a robbery.
Right. You're already showing that you have a bias towards this person.
And you're just being like, I'm pretty sure I killed.
Like, it's just nothing. I'm pretty sure I killed him.
That's like saying, like, I'm pretty sure I ran over a skunk.
Like, yeah. what it's just whatever it's casual so holes are now being poked because they've brought the girls in The girls are now giving a little bit of what's going on.
And they're just admitting it themselves.
I mean, Aaron McKinney sang like a fucking bird.
Because he's like, I don't give a fuck. Because he didn't care.
And so one night while they were in the hospital, Matt's father was like just going crazy because they're just sitting there waiting for something to happen.
And his father was like, so I drove four hours back to our home in Casper.
Mm hmm. and he said he drove to a storage unit that they have and he's like, I just decided to pull out anything I could think of to make Matt pull through and in his words quote be matt again oh man oh right so he wanted particularly to find his favorite stuffed bunny named Oscar.
Who he said he was never without as a child.
And he said he couldn't find Oscar. I'm like literally gonna cry.
I'm crying. Right? Yeah. And honestly, this part like really got to me because...
One of my daughters has a bunny named Fuzzy Bunny and she never goes anywhere without it.
And that thing... is her thing. And it's like when he said, I just wanted to find Oscar so he could have him.
And he said he couldn't find him in the storage unit.
He ended up finding him later and he said he's glad he has it now and that he can like hold it for like to think of Matt in good times.
Yeah. But I just keep thinking of like...
That would be what I would find. It makes it relatable.
It does. I'm, like, trying to stop crying.
Like, Oscar, the bunny that he would... But he said he did find some other things he brought and he just tried to, like...
I so wish that he had pulled through. Oh, I know.
And so he, I mean, nothing was moving. He was obviously not going to progress any further.
And his family were ready for him to say goodbye, but they didn't want to pull the plug on him.
But they wanted him to know that it was okay. for him to let go because they were worried he was hanging on for them.
For them, yeah. And so his mother actually pulled Walt, the guidance counselor who was like, his really good friend, a sighed and said, would you go into the ICU and would you tell Matt that it's okay to let go?
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The town of Agde in France is famous for sun, sand, sea and sex.
But lately, life on the coast has taken a strange turn.
The town's mayor, a respected pillar of the community, has been arrested for corruption.
His wife claims he's been bewitched by a beautiful clairvoyant.
Then there's the mysterious phone calls that local people have been getting.
I am the Archangel Michael. The whole town has been thrown into chaos.
As the mayor is unable to carry out his duties, I would like to address you all.
Legal proceedings have been initiated. Join me, Anna Richardson, and journalist Leo Schick for The Mystic and the Mayor as we investigate a story of power, corruption, and magic.
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And Matt said, because they said we can't do it.
Like, I can't tell my son to let go. Yeah, I know, because I don't want that on you. but i want him to so she was like i can't do this but like i need you to do this for me because i need him to know right And so Matt was there.
So Walt said, you know, as hard as hard as this was, he said for her to trust me with that and for her to put that with me was like it meant a lot.
So Walt said he went, he like sat with Matt and he said, I just explained to him. that, you know, you need to let go.
And he said, I even told him, you can't put it on your mom and dad to pull. you off of here like you need to do it like don't put that on them like please and they're okay like they want you to go Yeah.
And they want you to stop fighting and they know you're tired.
They don't want you to suffer. And so they, and he said, and you know, he was still alive when I left.
But that night at 1253 a.m. on October 12th, he passed away.
He heard him. And his family was there with him.
His mother and his brother were holding his hands.
And his dad was also there. Yeah. So he heard.
Like, no one can tell me. He had been surviving for days.
Right. He would have held on until somebody told him So there's no one that can tell me that while not sitting down and telling him it's okay to let go and your parents want you to let go was not the thing that made him go, okay, I can let go.
Right. So October 12th at 1253 a.m. he passed away.
Good morning, everybody. A terrible turn in a terrible story.
It's really tragic and so disturbing, Ann.
Matthew Shepard was beaten last weekend tied to a wooden fence by...
Two men who met Shepard in a bar in Laramie, Wyoming.
18 hours later, a passing bicyclist. summoned help after almost mistaking Shepard's bloody body for a scarecrow.
Early this morning, Matthew Shepard passed away.
The story has captured national attention and sparked a debate over the necessity for hate crime legislation.
October 18th, 1998 was his funeral at St.
Mark's Episcopal Church. Hundreds of people came.
They had to open another church across the streets for people to sit and watch it because it was that big.
That's good. And it was including people who didn't know him personally, but just wanted to show support.
Yeah. It was just like people who felt compelled to be there for him.
It was fall and obviously in October, but there was a gnarly snowstorm that day.
Oh, really? And people were still sitting, standing outside.
Like, didn't bother anybody. Well, and that just, like, shows, like, obviously, like, what kind of person he was and what people knew him to be.
Exactly. Now... Again, there's going to be a little bit of hate speech right now, but don't worry because I'm going to I was going to say, I know what's about to happen and this is going to make me like so angry.
I'm going to go completely the opposite direction from where we were.
This is one of the first appearances, big appearances, not the first appearances, but one of the ones that really put them. in the public eye of the Westboro Baptist Church.
A group of, I don't even know how you call that a church.
Don't worry. So they came with about a dozen of their fucking putrid horde of hemorrhoids with legs that they call a fucking congregation.
Not a church. They were corralled by the city into like a little area because they wanted to keep them away.
But they were allowed to protest because obviously...
It's your amendment right. It's your fucking right.
They held signs that said, quote, their famous signs.
God hates fags. They had one that said Matt in Hell with a picture of Matt on it.
A child can be seen in a photo holding a sign that says I hate saying the word.
I know. I don't blame you. F-A-G equals anal sex equals skull and crossbones.
A child. And that's just the dumbest fucking sign ever.
Like, what's the point? That doesn't even make sense.
It's like anal sex equals death. Like anal sex does not equal death.
No, like not at all. No. To hate somebody so much because a lot of times too.
What you hate in other people is what you see in yourself that you don't like about yourself.
That you hate about yourself. That's... incredibly tragic if that is the case i feel like people like loathe themselves that much yeah There were also signs with stick figures having anal sex that children are holding.
That's just stupid. At a funeral. At a funeral of a 21 year old who was brutally murdered.
Right. That's just like, like immature is not the word for it, but it's immature.
And it's just like, what are you getting out of that?
I have no idea. And then they're also screaming terrible things.
They make sure to be heard as well. They were screaming that Matt got what he deserved.
Nope. Again, his parents are grieving the loss of their child.
Nobody deserves that. These people are the living, breathing example of the worst kind of blight on our species.
They are fucking cancer. They're a plague of decaying dog shit.
These people have zero redeeming qualities.
They picket soldiers' funerals with signs that say, God loves dead soldiers.
I'm not religious at all. Nope. But it pisses me off that these half-wit scrotums are allowed to bastardize the idea of God as some hateful beast.
Like, fuck Fred Phelps. Fuck the West, whatever the fuck you are, fuck your church, that Westboro Baptist Church, your bullshit.
I'm so glad Fred Phelps is dead. We are better off without him.
Fuck them. Yes, queen. Like, fuck them. Alina just recreated, like, that was like slam poetry, but it's a new kind.
It's a new branch of slam poetry. These people have zero redeeming qualities.
We need to get you something other than a bongo.
It needs to be more efficient. I, yeah, fuck them.
Reading this and like researching this, I was so fucking hyped up Like, I think, though, I think they want to hype you up.
No, they do. So it's like, you know what?
I just feel bad for you. Yeah. Like, I want to pick at them and be like, you know what?
Let's talk. What was the one, the picture you showed?
Yes. Yeah. And she, oh my God, okay. So Kim Petras is, I hope I'm saying her last name right.
She's a transgender female and she's like a performer.
And she was having a concert and the Westboro Baptist Church was...
Picketing it. Picketing it because they don't like transgender people because they just have nothing fucking better to do.
They hate everybody. Don't you have something better to do?
No, they don't. You're paying an awful lot of attention to us if you don't like us.
I honestly think they wanted to be at the concert because she fucking kills it.
Oh, no, they have literally zero better.
But anyway, she literally went outside and like posed, like did a fucking photo shoot in front of them.
Like full Vogue. In a beautiful one-piece jumpsuit and is like, yeah, what's up?
I don't give a fuck. It is. the greatest series of photos because you just she is just she's like yeah I don't care slaying these photos and In the back, you just see these idiots, and it's like... And I just love that, like, she is fucking... drop dead like killing it in these photos and they're like surfaced and she's like yeah like look at my photo shoot and then these people because you know it's probably their worst fucking nightmare oh yeah To be in a photo with her.
Well, and that's the best way to combat these people is with like love yeah and like peace and just because it's so confusing to their tiny little mouse brains that there's like which is what she did she came out and was like I'm not gonna scream at you I'm not gonna do anything I'm just gonna Be me.
She's like, this would actually make for a great photo shoot.
So thanks for coming. Well. And what kills me is, so the hospital that worked with Matt and tried to save him. and all the doctors, they gave a press conference, obviously, because they were involved in all this. one of the i think it was like the ceo of the hospital uh broke down in tears when he when he said that matt passed away on camera And he really cared.
He cared. That hospital cared. And the hospital and the doctors that worked on him received death threats and hate mail telling that they would burn in hellfire for crying over an F.A.G.
Yeah, it sounds like you are currently burning in your own hellfire of hating yourself.
And you know what? I hope that you find love soon.
I think they're just hateful fucks. Yeah.
To be quite honest. Right. I think they're just hateful. garbage people.
I just, I don't understand how you can hate somebody so much for no fucking reason.
I think, I honestly, it's they are just hateful some people are just hateful evil yeah no it's true i mean look at all the fucking serial killers and stuff we talk about honestly so i think these people are just hateful and they can't be helped anyways.
So Matt's friends, his family, and the mourners at the funeral decided that they would hold hands to block these people.
Hell yeah. In a line, and they sang Amazing Grace.
Hell yeah. Yes. Which, isn't it funny that the people that claim to be a church and claim to be spreading the word of God and all that are the ones saying the most hateful, evil shit and known to man at a funeral.
And then the people that they're calling sinners and saying that they're going to burn in hellfire and that God hates them. are the ones holding hands and singing Amazing Grace.
Yeah. Interesting how that works. Yeah. The Westboro Baptist Church, I'm sure most people, I hope all people listening agree, is not a fucking church.
No, it's just not. That's not even like a topic that needs to be debated.
They're not a church. They're not a religion.
They're a hate group. Mm-mm. That's what they are.
Because that's not what religion is. That's not what religion should be.
So... I'm with you on that, everybody listening.
And, like, shouldn't God, like, not hate anyone?
That's supposed to be how it goes, but I'm confused.
So meanwhile, Aaron McKinney is going into court and he's smirking.
He's walking into court. He winked at someone at one point while he was walking in.
That dude's face is the most punchable face you'll ever see.
His trial lasted from October 25th to November 4th, 1999.
He faced charges of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and first degree murder.
Good. They were discussing the death penalty, which is frankly too good for that wiener.
So I'm glad they didn't. Aaron's attorneys tried to use, like I said, the gay panic defense.
I had never heard of that before but we were talking about it before we started recording.
That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard in my entire fucking life.
This is a truly, truly outrageous defense that exists.
Still, right now. According to lgbtbar.org, the LGBTQ plus panic defense is a defense strategy. that asks the jury to find that a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity slash expression is to blame for a defendant's violent reaction, including murder.
It also says that a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity not only explains but excludes uses a loss of control in the subsequent assault.
Disagree. Yes. So that's ridiculous. That's so... Who came up with that?
Like, what... And it can be used as a way to note, it can note self-defense or provocation.
No. It can be used for the insanity defense or diminished capacity.
And this defense is used, it's still used, and it was used as recently as April 2018 to mitigate a murder charge.
The other thing that doesn't make sense is like, the whole thing doesn't fucking make sense, but it's like, how do you know that they were flirting with you?
No, you don't. People take flirting very differently.
Of course it was. That's the dumbest shit ever.
They're not flirting with you. I think everybody, every straight person... needs to come to terms with the fact that not all gay people think you are attractive.
Or want you. Please everyone just take a big bite of that humble pie.
Right. And just know that that gay man does not always find you attractive.
Do you find every woman attractive? Exactly.
No. It's like, I don't understand that. Whenever somebody's like, oh, he's gay, he's going to try to hit on me. he might not think you're cute.
He might think you're gross. There's even girls, if you come out as a girl, as a lesbian or bi or whatever, Girls won't be friends with you anymore because they're like, do you like me?
Do you think I'm pretty? I don't want you to leer at me or anything.
And it's like, no. Nope. Don't flatter yourself.
Thank you, though. It's like, no, thank you, though.
It's just such an odd way that we like what a narcissistic.
I was literally just because. How highly do you fucking think of yourself that everyone just wants you?
That everyone just will. If they are into your gender, then they must be.
You're their type. You're their type. It's like, nope.
Are you everybody's type? There's plenty of dudes that I do not find attractive at all.
Yep. Come on. Retweet. So the LGBTQ plus panic defense has been banned In California, Illinois, Rhode Island, Nevada, Connecticut, Maine, Hawaii, New York, New Jersey, and Washington.
Not Massachusetts? Well... You're like, happy you asked.
I was like, well now. There is legislation against the panic defense. that has been introduced but not yet passed in the District of Columbia, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Maryland and Iowa.
Question. It was introduced in 2019 in Massachusetts. what are we like what's everybody waiting for not sure what we're waiting for but you know Hopefully it happens soon.
It'd be a great month to get rid of it completely in all of America.
It truly would. We've got a lot of things on the list, I realize, but I hope that's somewhere on it.
Let's just toss that on top of the pile.
Please. So, so yeah, so they tried to do the gay panic defense.
The judge was not having it. He was like, no, thank you.
Aaron McKinney said, quote, being a very drunk homophobic, I flipped out and began to pistol whip the F.A.G. with my gun.
And yes, I'm spelling it because I'm. Good.
No, I don't. I'm happy you're not saying it.
It's starting to make me feel gross now saying it.
Yeah. No, I don't blame you. So he was found guilty of first degree murder.
Thank God. He was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole.
And may he slowly rot. Oh, I want him to live like as long as fucking possible.
Yeah. And Russell also pled guilty and he also received two life sentences. good i'm so glad that he didn't get anything less than because i don't care no if you hit him or not you're fully fucking involved oh fuck yeah you didn't stop it good die well in Matt's parents so when it came down to sentencing the death penalty was on the table right Matt's parents And his like friends and family decided amongst themselves that they were going to fight to get life without the possibility of parole.
And they said they wanted death to be taken off the table.
Now I'm going to read what his father, what Matt's father, Dennis, said.
Am I going to cry again? Yes. Great. This hit me.
Like, this hit me. And if it hit you, it's gonna fucking knock me out.
If it hit me, it's gonna hit all of you because things don't hit me.
This case really hits me. And I think it's... You're like, I don't know how this case couldn't hit you.
No, of course not. And it's like, I think this case hits everybody with a heart.
But I think it's also like it was one of the first cases... that like really sucked me in and made me like really research it.
And like my mom and dad talked to me about it.
Cause I remember them like sitting me down and being like, this happens.
It makes you want to be an ally. And like it made... And I remember that was like the first time that I really knew... that that happened to like people who are like, you know, not straight cis white people like me.
So I think it was like, Whoa. Like that was the first introduction to like the world kind of sucks.
Your first wake up call. So I think it like this really hits me.
Yeah. So his father said. Okay, ready? On October 12th, my firstborn son and my hero died 50 days before his 22nd birthday. with his mother and brother holding his hand.
He actually died on the outskirts of Laramie when you beat him and left him out there by himself.
But he wasn't alone. There were his lifelong friends with him.
First, he had the beautiful night sky. Oh, God.
Okay. Shit. The same stars and moon that we used to look at through the telescope.
Then he had the daylight and the sun to shine on him one more time.
One more cool, wonderful autumn day in Wyoming.
He heard the wind, the ever-present Wyoming wind for the last time.
He had one more friend with him. He had God.
I feel better knowing he wasn't alone. Mr. McKinney, I'm going to grant you life. as hard as that is for me to do because of Matthew.
Every time you celebrate Christmas, a birthday, or the Fourth of July, remember that Matt isn't.
Mr. McKinney, I grant 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.
Hell yeah. Oh, shit. That just like... Because you killed the person, that ultimately would have forgiven you.
And it's just like... it's like that's his when he says my first born son in my ear I'm like oh Like, I just can't.
And he didn't die alone. He had, like, the night and the sun.
And the moon that we used to look through the telescope.
And your picture. him as like a little kid because it's like i his dad we show the girls the moon all the time like they're obsessed with the moon i mean like we're always talking about the night sky and it's just like puts you in their position.
Little things just put you in the position of like, your child has grown up and something horrible has happened to them and then you have to look back at them as like a baby. and it's like yeah oh that one just really and just like the selflessness That his parents have to do that.
But they did it for their son. They did it because they knew Matthew would want that.
Right. Whew. So during their trials, the Westboro Baptist Church showed up a lot. to keep trying to destroy Matt's family's souls with their disgusting hate speech.
But Matt's good friend, Romaine Patterson, formed a group called Angel Action yes this group is has shown up at a lot of places now and she was the one behind it They dressed as angels with huge wings that had 10 foot wingspans and were seven feet high.
And they block the church from their targets.
That just gave me like chills. Now they come out for things still.
They're still a group that like people do it.
And they shield mourners from ignorant fucks.
Good. They did this at the Pulse Orlando nightclub shooting. memorials and funerals they showed up and they hold hands and they just block from protesters and they like sing amazing grace they just will sit there with smiles on their faces.
They just do it. They try to peacefully... And Romaine said she was like, I just wanted to combat their hate with love.
With love, yeah. And just... show that like you're not gonna take us down to your level we're gonna stand here as angels even though you're telling us we're sinners and we're going to hell right so judy and dennis also decided to make it their life work to fight for LGBTQ plus rights. um she said she could have she was like i could have hid i could have just gone into myself but she's like i couldn't and she said i had to make a change for matt Yeah.
Now, this is exactly what Matt would have done, because as you know, like we talked about it, Matt wanted to be a diplomat.
He started an LGBTQ, like, club at school.
He was trying to help people. Like, that was what he would have done.
So they created the Matthew Shepard Foundation. which according to their website the matthew shepherd foundation's mission is to amplify the story of matthew shepherd to inspire individuals organizations, and communities to embrace the dignity and inequality of all people.
Our work is an extension of Matt's passion to foster a more caring and just world.
We share his story and embody his vigor for civil rights to change the hearts and minds of others to accept everyone as they are.
So the Laramie Project, I think you mentioned, it was created from this case.
The creator was Moises Kaufman. And it's a play that shows the events.
Right. And it shows the real, you know, the real residents of Laramie trying to deal with what happened there as characters.
Everyone involved in the case is a character in the show.
It was also shown on HBO in 2002. Yeah.
And it basically deals with the homophobia, the homophobia aspect and like the hate crime aspect.
October 28, 2009, Barack Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr.
Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The act makes it a federal crime to assault someone based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
In Obama's words, it is, quote, to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, or how they pray.
He also said it was the work of Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy that made it possible.
So shout out to our host. Love that. This was thanks to Matthew, but also because in the same year, 1998, on July 7th.
49-year-old James Byrd Jr., a black man? accepted a ride home from three white men who turned out to be white supremacists.
These murders were Sean Allen Berry, 23 years old, Lawrence Russell Brewer, 31, and John William King, 23.
He knew Sean Berry for a lot of his life, so he wasn't concerned about taking a ride for them.
Right. They beat James, they chained him to the back of their truck, and they dragged him three miles to a brutal death.
He was conscious for almost all of this because he kept his head up to try to survive.
They also found out in his autopsy that he was moving. side to side while being dragged to try to alleviate the pain.
Right. He survived most of it and was conscious for most of it until his head and arm were severed from his body by a culvert. which is like a drainage pipe.
They then dumped the remaining pieces of his body in front of a church.
Now, King received the death penalty. Brewer also got death and was executed by lethal injection on September 21, 2011.
Berry got life in prison. So I just wanted to point out a very quick overview of his case because he was very much a part of that being signed into law.
So Matt's parents were fearful that Matt's final resting place was going to be vandalized or desecrated in some way.
So they held on to his ashes. But in October, on October 26, 2018, more than like 20 years after his murder.
Yeah. Matthew Shepard's ashes were interred at Washington National Cathedral.
One of the reverends to lead the service was the Right Reverend Gene Robinson, who was the first openly gay man elected as a bishop in the Episcopal Church.
In his speech, he said to the LGBTQ members, quote, Many of you have been hurt by your own religious communities and I want to welcome you back.
Aww. And to Matt, he closed by saying, quote, gently rest in this place.
You are safe now, Matthew. Welcome home.
Aww. Wow. And then later, this is the last thing I'll say.
Later, he said, quote, for Matthew to come back to church, it is a remarkable step forward.
It's the cathedral saying some churches are different.
Some churches have been on this journey with you and we will not only welcome you, we will celebrate you.
Yeah. That's important. And that is... Fuck, guys.
Damn. I did out that last little weird noise I made.
So that's... The story of Matthew Shepard.
That was a doozy. Yeah, this one... Whew.
There's only been a couple that have really... I mean, every case touches me in some way.
Yeah. But there's only been a couple that have been able to... bring me to like physical emotion and like whoo the matthew shepard one always does yeah I don't know.
It's just, I don't know what it is. It's a lot of things.
It's just the horrifying brutality of it all.
Yeah. And it's just that he was, I mean, I always think of people as someone's child.
Someone is always someone's child. Because I think it's so important to think of people that way because it makes you a better person.
Yeah, and it's honestly, it's weird because I was talking about this with John.
We were taking a walk with like Bailey the other night.
And I was discussing it with him and I was like, yeah, it's like really getting to me.
Like I had to take a break from researching the details because I was like, it's starting to like really bug me out.
I think especially when you become a parent.
And he said, because he said, you know, he was a criminal justice major at one point.
He was like, he always loves this stuff.
He loves true crime. And he said he's had a lot of trouble. since having the kids.
He said, I've had a lot of trouble listening to any... He said, especially kids.
He's like, I just won't listen to kid crimes.
I won't do it. But he goes, now... It all of a sudden brings me to, oh, this person has parents.
And he's like, and I know that sounds crazy, but, like, it really doesn't hit you as hard.
Or makes you think of your child. Until you have your own kids and then you're like, oh shit, like that's someone's baby.
Yeah. Like someone fed them bottles and someone held them in their arms when they were little.
That was somebody's like pride and joy for like ever.
Like, in someone that they needed to protect, and it's like, all of a sudden it just starts hitting you differently.
And to take that from someone? Yeah. Or, like, to hurt somebody else's, like...
Yeah. Everything. And I think because his parents were so involved and because we have the whole story of him coming out to them.
Yeah. And how it was such as like. hard but like really beautiful moment and then we have like the story of them at his bedside it's like it brings it more like close i think to you right like you feel like you're there and you get them you feel like you are you like are part of them And then they've done such amazing things since with this tragedy.
And his friends and everybody. Oh, yeah.
Everyone in his life has done so much after his death that...
It's just one of the, I felt like it was an important one to tell and it needed two parts for sure.
I need to go, like, snuggle Franklin. I know.
Like, for the rest of the day. I think it's, like... In fact, I think when the... Like, one of the hospital...
CEOs when he was when he it was when he broke down in tears when he said that Matt had passed away yeah he said to the press that Judy had told him to tell everybody go home and hug your babies.
Yeah. And it's like, because so everybody. go home and hug your babies whether they be fur babies real like human babies all the babies your friends your family anybody you love just give them a hug give them a hug me and Elena might even hug.
We all need a hug. We're not huggers. We might even hug.
But, you know, just appreciate who you love.
Yeah. And don't spread hatred. No. Stop spreading any kind of hatred.
Stop raising kids to hate people. Stop being racist.
Stop being homophobic. Just stop. You have the power to stop.
Yeah. And it's a lot of fucking energy to exert.
Is anybody really bothering you that much?
No, they're not. It's just your own hate.
You're way more concerned with them than they are with you.
It's true. It's like a spider. chill out like leave it alone it's more you're more concerned with it than it is with you just like fuck a spider go your separate ways That's a different story.
You're like, that doesn't work. I'm kidding.
But yeah, so hopefully you guys appreciated this tale.
And we'll think on it a little bit. Yes.
And as always, you can follow us on Instagram at Morbid Podcast.
Send us a Twitter. A Morbid Podcast. Hit us up on Gmail.
That is where all listener tales should go. morbidpodcast.gmail.com nowhere else thank you for listening and we hope you keep It's weird.
Did we like forget how that went? I think we did.
We totally did. We're emotionally spent.
I'm damaged right now. We're emotionally spent.
Alright, bye guys. Bye. We love each other.
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