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I got this from my friend, Colt.
This is a letter I found this on the gay_writers community. The guy who wrote this recieved from the writer of The Matthew Shepard Story. PLEASE take action and call or write. this is NO joke.
Dear Friends,
I never forward mass emails, but this one comes directly from me. It's
important. And I need your help.
Please send an email to ABC and 20/20 by clicking the link at the bottom
and forward this along to anyone who can help.
As most of you know, a few years ago my writing partner, John Wierick, and
I wrote the screenplay for the movie "The Matthew Shepard Story". The film
documented the life and tragic death of Matthew Shepard, who was tied to a
fence and beaten to death in one of the most savage anti-gay hate crimes
in recent history. It also told the story of Matthew's parents, Judy and
Dennis, and their astounding act of mercy: a decision to put aside their
emotions, and convince Prosecutor Cal Rerucha to forego the death penalty
for Aaron McKinney, one of the two men responsible for their son's brutal
murder.
In exchange, the Shepards were given one small consolation, proposed by
the defense attorneys in the case. In exchange for his life, McKinney would agree to a plea bargain similar to that of the other killer, Russell Henderson. The deal would keep McKinney in jail for the rest of his life, with no possibility of parole
or appeal. More importantly, like Henderson had already done, McKinney would
agree to a permanent gag order,which would prevent him from talking to the
press. For the Shepards, it meant the closest thing to an end to the most
horrific event of their lives. They would never have to hear from their
son's killers again, or worry about them doing the same thing to someone
else.
Unfortunately, recently, McKinney and Henderson have mounted a new effort
to overturn the terms of their plea bargains-- terms that were proposed by
their own lawyers and accepted by the Shepards at a time when it seemed
there was no question that McKinney was heading for a death sentence. And
disturbingly, it seems that ABC's 20/20 is planning to help them achieve
their goal.
( Read more... )
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