The Laramie Project

In the first of medical updates in Act II, at 3pm on Saturday, October 10, 1998, Rulon Stacey makes an announcement to the media. Matthew Shepard was admitted in a critical condition on Wednesday 7th and required breathing support. His major injuries included hypothermia and a skull fracture, which had caused bleeding on the brain. His parents had arrived on Friday and wanted to thank the public for their support and requested privacy at this difficult time.

In “Seeing Matthew,” the Narrator explains that both Aaron and Russell pled not guilty, as did their girlfriends, Kristin and Chastity, who were charged as accessories. On their next trip to Laramie the theatre group spoke with the Chief Investigating Officer, Detective Rob DeBree of Albany County Sheriff’s Office. DeBree told them that hardest thing about the case was “seeing” (54) Matthew; he was used to dealing with dead bodies, not people fighting for their lives. He spends a lot of time on the case as he is determined not to let McKinney and Henderson “get out of this” (55). Aaron Kreifels reveals he keeps seeing the image of Matthew as he found him. It is deeply unpleasant and he is plagued by the question of why God wanted him to find Matthew.