>> The hateful murders of Matthew Shephard, who was gay,
I later heard Shephard’s death was related to drugs, not his homosexuality.
I hadn’t heard that, but I will say that the crime SHOULD have been prosecuted as HOMICIDE, plain and simple.
Hate crimes legislation really is a negative sticking point with me, not only because it is unnecessary, but because it caters to a demographic of some kind in preference to another. It has to presume it knows what the motive of a killer was when a crime was committed, not that the crime was committed.
Punishment is not equal under the law, and that is a problem.