Matthew Shepard Beating Death Trial: 1999 - State Seeks Death

In Laramie, County Attorney Cal Rerucha, locally famous as a hard-nosed prosecutor, said he would seek the death penalty. Not everyone agreed. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a coalition of a dozen gay rights groups, adopted a resolution saying the death penalty is not a deterrent and would not reduce hate crimes. The victim's parents, Dennis and Judy Shepard, however, said they favored the death penalty for such crimes as the recent murder of a black man, James Byrd, Jr., by bigots in Texas.

When he came to trial April 5, 1999, Henderson pleaded guilty and testified against McKinney. It was said that he had made a deal with the prosecution to avoid execution. He received two life terms, one for murder and one for kidnapping, to run consecutively.