Rassel Henderson One of the killers of American homosexual Matthew Shepard. Country: USA

Russell Henderson: Biography

Russell Henderson is one of the convicted killers of American homosexual Matthew Shepard. He was born and raised without a father, but managed to achieve success in the Boy Scouts organization, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. As a reward for his achievements, he was photographed with the state governor.

Henderson had a fondness for drinking and was also involved in theft. At the age of 14, he spent three months in juvenile prison for robbing a cash register.

On the night of October 7, 1998, Henderson and his friend Aaron McKinney entered a bar where they met 21-year-old homosexual Matthew Shepard, who was heavily intoxicated. Henderson and McKinney planned to rob him, so they pretended to be homosexuals and offered to give Shepard a ride home. They then took Shepard out of town, where they robbed him and brutally beat him, tying him to a fence. On their way back home, they were arrested after getting into a fight. During the search, a bloody pistol, which they used to strike Shepard's head, was found. Shepard died in the hospital a few days later.

The extensive media coverage of Shepard's murder made Henderson infamous. He and McKinney even gave an interview to ABC's "20/20" program, in which they vehemently denied that the murder was motivated by hatred towards homosexuals. This interview sparked numerous protests by gay activists who claimed that Shepard was killed because of his sexual orientation.

Henderson's defense argued that he only played a supporting role in the crime - driving the car and helping to tie Shepard to the fence. They also claimed that hatred towards homosexuals was not the motive for the crime. However, these arguments did not convince the court, and Henderson received two life sentences.