Hate Crime In The Film, Matt Shepard

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The film Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine, is a true story based off of the life of a young homosexual man who was the victim of a hate crime. The victim, Matt Shepard, had been brutally beaten to death by two men, McKinney and Henderson, who claim themselves to be homophobic. When this case was taken to court, the two assailants used the gay panic defense. This is a legal defense in which the defendant claims they acted in a state of violent temporary insanity because of a psychiatric condition called homosexual panic. McKinney and Henderson, after committing those heinous acts, were charged with first degree murder, kidnapping, and aggravated robbery. The charge of first degree murder means that they were eligible for receiving

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