MTV Takes on Hate Crime

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) -- In the opening moments of MTV's movie "Anatomy of a Hate Crime," Matthew Shepard walks toward the buck-and-rail fence where he was tied and savagely beaten and expresses confusion over his own death.

"They called my murder a hate crime," he says. "Where does that kind of hate come from? Are there moments in people's lives that create that hate?"

Shepard, played by Cy Carter in his movie debut, then invites the viewer into the Laramie bar, where, on the night of Oct. 6, 1998, he met Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, the two men who would beat the life out of him, allegedly because he was a homosexual.

"Anatomy of a Hate Crime" is the first of at least three upcoming movies based on Shepard's death, which touched off international outrage and condemnation. (NBC is working with his family on a film, and HBO is producing one based on "The Laramie Project," which ran off-Broadway and focused on the town's reaction to the murder.)

It premieres on Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST on MTV to kick off the network's yearlong campaign against prejudice. The film will air without commercials.

The drama draws its dialogue from court testimony, media interviews with Shepard's family and friends, McKinney and Henderson, and the killers' statements to authorities.

Carter's portrayal avoids the sainthood that many have thrust upon the 21-year-old political science major. His Shepard is a typical college student worrying about midterms, releasing tension at bars and uneasy with new relationships.

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