What really happened that night?

Why did Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson kill Matthew Shepard? The Laramie Project wants its viewers to believe that it was a hate crime. Shepard was killed because he was gay. The ABC 20/20 special report on the Matthew Shepard case wants to prove that there is more to the case. That McKinney's childhood affected his decision to kill Shepard. Maybe Meth played a role. I don't know which to believe. Each piece has good points and interviews from key people involved in the case. I think it's impossible to say there is one thing that made this happened. 

I believe their was a combination of things that lead to Matthew Shepard's death. McKinney and Shepard may have been dealing with depression and were using Meth to cope with it. Meth can make a person do terrible things and takes away their self control. If McKinney and Henderson were tweaking they wouldn't have thought twice about hurting Matthew until he was practically dead. I am still unsure if I believe that McKinney and Shepard knew each other. If they were both in the drug circle, they could have easily crossed paths. I don't believe they were working together. I don't think Shepard was a dealer but McKinney definitely could have been. With such a small town they probably did meet. It is possible Shepard owed his two attackers money. It's said money meant nothing to him so maybe not. 

There is definitely an issue of classism in the case. McKinney and Henderson both come from poorer families and didn't continue their education. Matthew Shepard comes from money and has a great supportive family. The idea of robbing Shepard because he was an easy target would be completely plausible but because they beat him with such intensity and torturously it wasn't the only factor.  

Depression, hate, homosexuallity, Meth, money and classism all seem to be a part of this case. I could never say one factor was the real reason Matthew Shepard was killed. It has to be a combination of all or most of them. 

What is Truth?

I don't know what to think now. After reading The Laramie Project and watching several news clips on the same event, I don't know what to believe. After reading The Laramie Project, I was completely convinced that Matthew Shepard was killed because he was gay. I wholeheartedly believed it was a hate crime. I didn't think anything was going to change my mind about it until I watched the 20/20 special on Matthew Shepard. Six years after Matthew Shepard passed away the 20/20 Special Report was aired and the public got to see Aaron McKinny and Russell Henderson and hear their side of the story. They confessed to being on Meth and were tweaking. They hadn't slept in almost a week and were on the drugs. Drugs is always a compelling motive but was that what happened?
In the interviews, McKinny and Henderson both seemed genuinely sorry about what they did. Henderson especially. He says he never actually attacked Matthew but did tie him to the fence. I believe him. His body language was calm and he seemed defeated when he was talking to the interviewer. When someone is lying they look defensive and either lean back or get aggressive. Henderson didn't do either. This in no way excuses him of what happened that night. He was still there and saw McKinny beat Matthew to the brink of death. He still never called for helped. He did try to stop McKinny. I saw the scar that he got from McKinny hitting him in the face when he tried to stop McKinny. There is still the question of why. Why did McKinny do this?
I don't believe that Aaron McKinny approved of gays. I don't know if he hated them so much that he would target and beat Matthew to death but I don't think he liked gays. There was a claim that Doc and McKinny's girlfriend made about him being bi. If that is true, McKinny would rather die than admit it. He doesn't want to be seen as gay. There was never a drug test done on McKinny or Henderson so we may never know if they were high when they attacked but I think drugs definitely played a role in it. Drugs and Meth in particular can take away a persons better judgement and make them do terrible things. I still don't know what to believe but I think Meth played a bigger part in the crime than Matthew being gay.

The Laramie Project Act 1

Laramie is a small town in Wyoming with lots of wide open space. The whole community is very close and everyone knows everyone else and their business. Laramie has this beautiful trail with a horrible history. Matthew Shepard was brutally beaten on this trail. I found a it was cruel irony for something so horrific to happen in such a beautiful place. Sergeant Hing said: "...All you got to do is turn around, see the mountains, smell the air, listen to the birds...It was a beautiful day... real clear and crisp and the sky was blue... it's just gorgeous" (Kaufman, 8-9).

Matthew is found in this beautiful place but he is in terrible shape. He was beaten repeatedly with the butt of a gun. His head was distorted and he could barely breathe. The only part of his face that was free of blood was where he was crying and the tears washed off his blood. This is the last place the Matthew would remember and the place everyone pilgrimages to in order to pay their respects. He was tied to this fence and left for dead. The beautiful wide open space of Wyoming and it's clear blue sky's are forever tainted by this horrific event. I never expect something horrible to happen in a place of such beauty and peace. I expect it to happen in dark horrible places. Places as serene as this are never though  to be connected to horrible crimes but this one is.