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Aaron McKinney, 22, and Russell Henderson, 21, both of Laramie, now face first-degree murder and other charges. They had previously been charged with attempted first-degree murder.
The charges against the two girls suspected of being involved, Chasity Pasley, 20, and Kristen Price, 18, both of Laramie, were upgraded to accessory after the fact to first degree murder. The women were originally charged with accessory after the fact to attempted first degree murder.
According to Albany County Sheriff’s officials, McKinney and Henderson are being held without bond until it is decided whether prosecutors will ask for the death penalty or life imprisonment. This determination will be made at the District Court level.
The bonds for Pasley and Price remain at $30,000 cash, each.
An order has been issued by District Court Judge Jeffrey Donnell that the records in this case be sealed, although no formal gag order has been issued by any court, said a sheriff’s official.
The penalties for the alleged crimes in this case, according to Wyoming State Statutes are as follows:
Court documents allege Henderson and McKinney "met Matthew Shepard at the Fireside Bar (Oct. 6), and after Mr. Shepard confided he was gay, the subjects deceived Mr. Shepard into leaving with them in their vehicle to a remote area near Sherman Hills Subdivision in Albany County, Wyoming.
"En-route to said location, Mr. Shepard was struck in the head with a pistol, and upon arrival at said area, both subjects tied their victim to a buck fence and continued to beat and terrorize him while he was begging for his life."
The court documents also stated, "The subjects took the victim’s credit card, wallet containing cash, his shoes, and other items, and obtained the victim’s address in order to later burglarize his home."
McKinney and Henderson "were later contacted by officers of the Laramie Police Department who observed, inside the cab of their pickup, a credit card and a pair of black patent leather shoes belonging to the victim, Matthew Shepard. The victim’s wallet was hidden in the home of Aaron McKinney.
"Both subjects fled from police officers when contacted, and officers observed a .357 magnum pistol covered with blood in the back of the pickup," said the court documents.
The information provided in Henderson’s charges were similar.
The court documents for Chasity Pasley states, "Mr. McKinney and Mr. Henderson asked their girl friends, Chasity Vera Pasley and Kristen LeAnn Price, to provide an alibi for their whereabouts at the above date and time. On or between the 6th day of October, 1998 and the 8th day of October, 1998, the Defendant (Chasity Pasley) and Ms. Price drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming via Highway 210, to dispose of in a dumpster, bloody clothing belonging to Russell Henderson."
"Further, the two subjects (Pasley and Price) hid the bloody shoes of Mr. Henderson in a storage shed at Ms. Pasley’s mother’s home ... "
The information provided in Price’s charges were similar.
The death of Matthew Shepard at 12:53 a.m. on Monday at the Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., was what prompted the prosecuting attorney to upgrade the charges against the four suspects.
Hospital officials said that Shepard had a fracture from behind his head to just in front of his right ear and a massive brain stem injury which affected his vital signs, including his heart beat, body temperature and other involuntary functions.
Preliminary hearings for Henderson and McKinney were originally
scheduled Wednesday, but court officials said Monday that the defendants waived their
right to a speedy preliminary hearing.
McKinney’s preliminary
hearing was rescheduled at 10 a.m. Nov., 19, while Henderson’s was set for 10 a.m.
Nov. 20. Chasity Pasley and Kristen Price, who were both charged as after-the-fact
accessories, waived their preliminary hearings.
Albany County Attorney Cal Rerucha, who asked that the records be sealed, also filed a
motion to restrict future media access to the case.
During last week’s initial arraignment of Henderson and McKinney, the prosecutor
complained about the presence of video cameras and still photographers in the courtroom.
When the two defendants were arraigned on the upgraded first-degree murder charges last
Tuesday, the proceeding was held after the Albany County Courthouse had closed for the
day. No reporters or photographers were present.
Angell said the press association is concerned that the public be kept informed of the
high-profile case.
"We made some suggestions to allow for orderly coverage of court proceedings in such
a way we believe would not interfere with the public’s right to know and the rights
of the defendants to a fair trial," he said.
Those suggestions included pool video coverage, pool still photo coverage and allowing
reporters into the courtroom on a first-come basis, he said.
A spokeswoman for the Albany County Court said a decision on media access to the
proceedings will likely be made this week.
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